Thursday, November 8, 2007

FIVE PIONEERS NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOOTBALL TEAM

Jarrell NeSmith Academic All-District 1st Team	Justin Higgins Academic All-District 1st Team	John Gregory Academic All-District 2nd Team	Ryan Tallent Academic All-District 2nd Team	Drew Noe Academic All-District 2nd Team

BRISTOL, Conn. --- The Tusculum College football team had five players named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Team, announced College officials Thursday. Jarrell NeSmith and Justin Higgins were named to the First Team, while John Gregory, Ryan Tallent and Drew Noe earned Second Team honors.

NeSmith and Higgins now advance to the Academic All-America® ballot, which will be announced later this month.

NeSmith, a sophomore tight end from Russellville, Ala., has posted a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average, while majoring in Pre-Medicine. NeSmith, a 6-2, 215-pound product, has started in all 10 games for Tusculum and is third on the team in receiving with 25 receptions for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He is a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He is also on the Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.

Higgins, a 5-10, 165-pound senior kicker from Pelzer, S.C., has a 3.71 GPA while majoring in Business Administration. He leads the team in scoring with 43 points, making 28-of-31 extra points and tallying five field goals. Two of those field goals proved to be the winning margin in victories over nationally-ranked Wingate (31-28) and Catawba (31-28).

Gregory, a 6-2, 220-pound sophomore punter from Ooltewah, Tenn,, has a 3.71 GPA and is majoring in Sports Management. Gregory earned All-SAC First Team and All-Region honors in 2006 after leading the league in punting. He is leading the SAC in punting again this year, averaging 41.2 yards per punt, which is ninth in NCAA Division II. Gregory, a 2007 Preseason All-America selection, has been named SAC Special Teams Player of the Week four times this year and on seven occasions during his collegiate career. He is a SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll selection and is the team's Student Athlete Advisory Council representative.

Tallent, a 5-10, 210-pound sophomore receiver from Maryville, Tenn., has a 3.55 GPA, majoring in Education. Tallent leads the league averaging 6.22 receptions per game, which is 19^th in the nation. He is second in the SAC in receiving yards (71.8 ypg) and is fourth in all-purpose yardage per game (114.8 ypg). Tallent has made 56 catches for 646 yards and six touchdowns. He is also the team's leader in punt returns (9.3 ypr) and is second in kickoff return average (19.6 ypr). He is a SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll selection.

Noe (pronounced NO-EE), a 6-5, 305 pound offensive lineman from Bushnell, Fla., has a 3.59 GPA in Biology. Noe has started at left tackle for the Pioneers in all 10 games this season. He was named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the TC Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Tusculum's five honorees were tied for the most of any school in the District (Mount Union also had five selections).

Tusculum (6-4, 4-1 SAC) wraps up the regular season this Saturday when the Pioneers travel to No. 11 Carson-Newman (9-1, 4-1 SAC) for a 1 p.m. contest at Burke-Tarr Stadium. The winner of the game will claim at least a share of the Conference Championship.

Members of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, which includes all colleges and universities from Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio and Michigan, comprising District IV.

- TC -