Nov. 9, 2006

BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins University football team, which will close the regular season against McDaniel on Saturday afternoon, had four players named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America Football Team it was announced today. Johns Hopkins accounted for four of the Centennial Conference's eight players on the team. The four selections give the Johns Hopkins football program 23 District II Academic All-District selections in the last four years.

The four selections for the Blue Jays were evenly divided between first team and second team picks as senior defensive end Brian Nickel (Waupun, WI/Waupun) and senior wide receiver Evan Earnest (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) were named to the first team, while senior offensive lineman Paul Markowski (Carlstad, NJ/Paramus Catholic) and senior defensive tackle Anthony Woodard (Earlysville, VA/St. Anne's Belfield) garnered second team honors. As first team picks, Nickel and Earnest will now go on the ballot for national Academic All-America honors.

Nickel is making his third appearance on the team as he earned second team honors as a sophomore before jumping to the first team last season. A starter in all 20 games since the start of the 2005 season, he currently ranks third on the team in tackles (51) and counts 4.5 tackles for losses and 3.0 sacks to his credit. He was previously named to the 2006 AFCA Good Works Team and was one of just 35 individuals selected nationwide last summer to receive a prestigious Howard Hughes Research Fellowship. He has volunteered at a church in downtown Baltimore working with inner-city children and has hosted a weekly Bible Study since arriving at Johns Hopkins in 2003. Nickel boasts a 3.61 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in natural science (pre. med.).

Earnest is enjoying the finest season of his career as he has a personal-best 40 receptions for 380 yards and three touchdowns. He is also the team-leader in punt returns (26-174) and is averaging a team-high 22.3 yards per kickoff return. He ranks third in school history in punt return yards (443) and ninth in kickoff return yards (581). Earnest is a member of Pi Tau Sigma (Mechanical Engineering Honor Society) and has completed an internship with Whitman, Requart and Associates. Earnest has written a computer program that calculates the strain in micro-sample tests using an Inferrometric strain displacement gage or (ISDG) and worked in a lab last summer doing tests to determine the material properties of gold and platinum thin film. He is majoring in mechanical engineering and sports a 3.74 cumulative GPA.

Markowski has started all 20 games on the offensive line since the start of the 2005 season and earned First Team All-Centennial honors last year. He started the first 16 of those 20 games at guard before sliding over to center for the last four games to compensate for injuries on the offensive line. He joined Nickel as one of 35 recipients nationwide that received a prestigious Howard Hughes Research Fellowship last summer. He worked in a pathology lab at the Johns Hopkins Medical School as part of his fellowship. Markowski is majoring in natural science and has a 3.37 cumulative grade point average.

Woodard earned First Team All-Centennial honors last season and currently ranks fifth on the team in tackles (48) and counts 3.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks to his credit. An international studies major with a 3.21 grade point average, Woodard interned with the Charlottesville Police Department in the Regional Narcotics Task Force and Internal Affairs Department last summer. He executed search warrants with narcotics detectives and participated in informant interrogation sessions. He also initiated an Appliance Donation Program while assisting in the renovation of apartment buildings. All appliances donated were given to Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army or the Central Virginia Goodwill. Woodard also volunteered at a senior living center during winter break his junior year.

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 November 30. 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 4-5 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in the Centennial Conference.

- 30 -