Nov. 30, 2006

WACO, Texas -- Ray Guy Award finalist Daniel Sepulveda added two national accolades to his resume Thursday. Sepulveda was named first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America and first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association.

"Both of these are great honors," Sepulveda said. "I have really enjoyed my time at Baylor. It has been a tremendous blessing, and I'll never forget it."

Sepulveda earned first-team Academic All-America honors for the second consecutive season, joining quarterback Don Trull (1962-63) and defensive back Mike Welch (1989-90) as the only Baylor football student-athletes to earn first-team Academic All-America honors twice.

A product of Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas, Sepulveda was the only Big 12 student-athlete named to the first team.

Sepulveda is the first Baylor player to earn first-team AFCA All-America honors since safety Adrian Robinson in 1995 and the first Baylor special teams player so honored. Sepulveda is the 12^th Baylor student-athlete to earn AFCA All-America honors; Mike Singletary and Thomas Everett each were selected twice.

The 2004 Guy Award winner as the nation's top punter, Sepulveda ranks first nationally in punting with an average of 46.48 yards per punt, the highest single-season average in school history. Baylor ranks third nationally in net punting at 39.01 yards per punt. Thanks to Sepulveda's punts, Baylor opponents started no better than their own 20 yard line on 52 percent of Sepulveda's punts this season (34 of 66), including 26 punts inside the 20 (39 percent) and eight inside the 10 (12 percent).

2006 SEPULVEDA HONORS

Ray Guy Award Finalist

First-Team All-America (AFCA)

First-Team All-America (Rivals.com)

ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-America (CoSIDA)

ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-District VI (CoSIDA)

Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (coaches)

First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (coaches)

First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (Austin American-Statesman)

First-Team Academic All-Big 12 Conference