Nov. 11, 2004

BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins University football team, which will host McDaniel Saturday afternoon for a share of the 2004 Centennial Conference title and a possible bid to the upcoming NCAA Division III Playoffs, had six players named to the 2004 CoSIDA District II Academic All-America Football Team it was announced today. No other school had more than four players named to the team and Hopkins accounted for six of the Centennial Conference's eight players on the team. The six selections give the Johns Hopkins football program 13 District II Academic All-Americans in the last two years.

Earning a spot on the first team was junior linebacker Max Whitacre (Sugarloaf, PA/Bishop Hafey). Whitacre is majoring in economics and boasts a 3.56 cumulative grade point average. He is tied for second on the team in tackles (58) and has nine tackles for losses, three pass breakups and one interception on the year. Whitacre was an Honorable Mention All-Centennial selection last season and he has posted 28 tackles in Hopkins' last three games. As a First Team District II Academic All-American, Whitacre will now go on the ballot for national CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

Earning Second Team District II Academic All-America status are senior fullback Nate Readal (Allison Park, PA/Hampton), senior offensive lineman Ryan Sheare (Bethesda, MD/Walter Johnson), junior rover Mike Aynardi (Wyomissing, PA/Wilson), junior defensive back Jim Sanders (North Lima, OH/South Range) and sophomore defensive lineman Brian Nickel (Waupun, WI/Waupun).

Readal makes his second appearance on the team as he earned First Team District II Academic All-America honors last season. A natural sciences major with a 3.77 cumulative GPA, Readal has started for four years at fullback for the Blue Jays and has career totals of 132 carries for 585 yards and two touchdowns and 25 receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns. He is a member of the Pre. Med. Honor Society and the Gold Key Honor Society.

Sheare is also making his second appearance on the team as he earned First Team District II Academic All-America honors last season. A biomedical engineering major with a 3.67 cumulative GPA, Sheare has been a key member of the Johns Hopkins offensive line during the last two seasons. He is a member of the member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Aynardi is a repeat Second Team CoSIDA District II Academic All-American. A key member of a Johns Hopkins defense that ranks among the national leaders in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense, Aynardi has 24 tackles, including four for losses and one pass breakup to his credit this season. He is majoring in natural sciences, boasts a 3.49 cumulative GPA and works at Reading Hospital in the Emergency Room (Orthopedic Team) during the summer.

Sanders has played in all nine games as JHU's nickel back and is also a standout on special teams. He currently has a career-high 27 tackles and three pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble on the year. His two interceptions are tied for second on the team. He completed an internship during the summer of 2004 working with inner-city, underprivileged kids in Baltimore City. Sanders is majoring in biomedical engineering and has a 3.54 cumulative GPA.

Nickel rounds out JHU's CoSIDA District II Academic All-Americans. He has played in all nine games and has 27 tackles, including six for losses and 3.5 sacks. He ranks third on the team in sacks, has a 3.62 cumulative GPA and is majoring in natural sciences. He is a member of Varsity Christian Athletes and Greek Christian Athletes and is the reading director for an inner-city-mentoring program.

The District II region includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Athletes named to the first team qualify for the national ballot, with the national team due to be announced on December 1. To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 or higher cumulative grade point average and be a starter or significant reserve.

Johns Hopkins currently boasts a 7-2 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in the Centennial Conference. The Blue Jays can grab a share of a third consecutive Centennial Conference title with a victory over McDaniel on Saturday afternoon. A victory would also put the Blue Jays in position to receive the league's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Division III Playoffs. Selections will be announced on Sunday afternoon.

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