LBs Connor, Posluszny named award finalists
Penn State's Paul Posluszny, winner of the 2005 Chuck Bednarik Award, and teammate Dan Connor have been selected finalists for the 2006 honor, which is presented to the nation's top defensive player.
Members of arguably the nation's top linebacker unit, Posluszny and Connor are joined by Michigan defensive end LaMarr Woodley as finalists for the prestigious honor, which is presented by The Maxwell Football Club. The award was first presented in 1995 in honor of former Philadelphia Eagles standout Chuck Bednarik.
The winner of the Bednarik Award will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, Dec. 7 on ESPN (7-9 p.m.). The award will formally be presented at the Maxwell Football Club's 70th Annual Awards Dinner on March 2, 2007 at Harrah's in Atlantic City, N.J.
Penn State is the first school to have a pair of Bednarik Award finalists in the 12 years the honor has been presented. Former Nittany Lion All-America linebacker LaVar Arrington won the Bednarik Award in 1999.
Posluszny (108) and Connor (103) lead one of the nation's top defenses in tackles and rank No. 3 and 4, respectively, in the Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lion defense is ranked in the Top 15 nationally in rushing (87.8 ypg, 11th), pass efficiency (104.4 rating, 15th), total (279.0 ypg, 15th) and scoring defense (14.8 ppg, 14th) and sacks (38, 11th).
Kapinos in standings for Ray Guy Award
Senior Jeremy Kapinos has been selected Penn State's first finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the nation's top punter.
One of the top punters in Penn State history, Kapinos is one of three finalists for the seventh annual honor. Earlier this month, he became the first Nittany Lion to be selected a semifinalist for the award, which is named for Ray Guy, an outstanding punter with Southern Miss and the NFL's Oakland Raiders. The award is presented by the Greater Augusta (Ga.) Sports Council.
The other finalists for the honor are Georgia Tech's Durant Brooks and Baylor's Daniel Sepulveda. The Ray Guy Award winner will be announced on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, Dec. 7 in Orlando, Fla. The program will air on ESPN from 7-9 p.m.
Badaracco, Taylor on academic third team
Two cornerstones of the 2006 Penn State defense, sophomore back Ryan Badaracco and junior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor have been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-AmericaĆn Third Team in recognition of excellence achieved both on the soccer field and in the classroom.
Badaracco, a finance major, and Taylor, a kinesiology major, maintain impressive grade point averages in their chosen field of study, continuing the Penn State men's soccer tradition of academic distinction. In total, Nittany Lions have been named to academic all-region or all-America teams on 26 occasions.
For Taylor, the All-America honor is his second consecutive after earning second team accolades last year as a sophomore.
