Nov. 6, 2008
BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins University football team, which will enter Saturday's game at Franklin & Marshall with a 6-2 overall record, has placed three players on the 2008 ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America Football Team. The three selections give the Johns Hopkins football program 29 District II Academic All-District selections in the last six years and 55 selections since 1991.
All three Johns Hopkins players selected are making their first appearance on the team and all three are juniors. Defensive lineman Steven Levinson (Villanova, PA/Penn Charter) garnered first team honors, while offensive linemen Michael Stoffel (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) and Anthony Catanzano (Seaford, NY/Kellenberg) earned second team status. As a first team selection Levinson will now go on the ballot for national Academic All-America honors. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Football Team is due to be announced on November 25.
Levinson, an international studies major with a 3.75 cumulative grade point average, is in his first season as a defensive lineman as he made the switch this season after playing two years on the offensive line. He has started the first eight games this season at nose guard and ranks seventh on the team in tackles (29) and has one sack to his credit. He led the Blue Jays to a 39-31 triple overtime victory at Randolph-Macon earlier this season as the posted a career-high eight tackles against the Yellow Jackets. Also a member of the Johns Hopkins track team, Levinson has been a member of the JHU Inter Fraternity Council for two years and completed an internship in the office of Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey. He is also bilingual as he completed the Spanish proficiency exam and is now working on Portuguese. Levinson's selection also marks the sixth time since 2001 that JHU has placed a defensive lineman on the first team.
Stoffel is majoring in natural sciences and carries a 3.55 cumulative grade point average. He has anchored the Johns Hopkins offensive line since taking over as a starter at left tackle midway through his freshman year and will carry a streak of 22 straight starts into Saturday's game at F&M. Stoffel earned Second Team All-Centennial honors last season (the only sophomore offensive lineman to earn All-CC honors) and is a two-time Centennial Academic Honor Roll selection. He is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has been active with Johns Hopkins' Pen Lucy Youth Partnership - a tutoring program for Baltimore children in the areas of math, science, and reading.
Catanzano is closing out his first season as a starter for the Blue Jays at right tackle and carries a 3.51 cumulative grade point average as a natural sciences major. He has served as an Emergency Room Volunteer at the Winthrop University Hospital (NY), is a member of the JHU Catholic Community and assists at weekly Mass. In addition, Catanzano is a member of the College Republicans and serves as Spirit Chair of the JHU Student Athlete Advistory Committee. He was also named to the 2008 Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll.
With Stoffel and Catanzano leading the way, the Johns Hopkins offensive is currently averaging over 27 points and 390 yards of total offense per game. The Blue Jays start just two seniors on offense. The selection of Stoffel and Catanzano gives the Blue Jays eight offensive linemen named to the team since 2001.
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 29. 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.
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