Dec. 10, 2001
SAN DIEGO -- - San Diego State junior punter Brian Simnjanovski has been named as a second-team selection on the Verizon Academic All-America Football Team, announced Monday. The team is selected annually by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
To be nominated for the prestigious award, the student-athlete is required to be a starter or major contributor to their team with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average.
Simnjanovski, a junior from Escondido, led the Mountain West Conference and finished 21st nationally with an average of 43.6 yards per punt, including 14 punts over 50 yards. In the classroom, he sports a 3.53 grade-point average in liberal studies.
Simnjanovski had 22 of his punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line while suffering just two touchbacks. He had 63 punts during the course of the 2001 season, including a season-best 64-yarder at Colorado State, and was listed on the Ray Guy Award watch list, presented to the nation's top punter. He is a two-time second-team all-Mountain West Conference punter and a member of the Mountain West Conference all-academic squad.