Dec. 11, 2006

WACO, Texas -- Baylor senior punter Daniel Sepulveda earned consensus All-America status over the weekend as he was named first-team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America. Sepulveda, who last week became the first-ever two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award, has been named first-team All-America by the FWAA, the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation.

Sepulveda is Baylor's first consensus All-American since Santana Dotson accomplished the feat in 1991. He joins Barton Koch (1930), Bill Glass (1956), Lawrence Elkins (1963, 1964), Gary Green (1976), Mike Singletary (1979, 1980), Thomas Everett (1986) and Dotson as Baylor's only consensus All-Americans. Glass, Singletary (1980), Everett and Dotson were unanimous selections. Sepulveda will reach unanimous status if he is named first-team All-America by The Associated Press and The Sporting News.

A product of Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas, Sepulveda ranks first nationally this season 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. 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).

Sepulveda's career punting average (45.24 yards per punt) is the best in the history of Division I football for players with at least 50 punts. He also established an NCAA record with 94 career punts of 50-plus yards.

The FWAA team, the second-longest continuously published team in college football, has been selected every year since 1944.

2006 FOOTBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION ALL-AMERICA TEAM

OFFENSE

QB Troy Smith, Ohio State

RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas

RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia

OL Sam Baker, Southern California

OL Justin Blalock, Texas

OL Jake Long, Michigan

OL Joe Thomas, Wisconsin

C Dan Mozes, West Virginia

WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech

WR Robert Meachem, Tennessee

WR Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame

DEFENSE

DL Gaines Adams, Clemson

DL Eric Foster, Rutgers

DL Justin Hickman, UCLA

DL Lamarr Woodley, Michigan

LB H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh

LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

LB Patrick Willis, Mississippi

DB Leon Hall, Michigan

DB Dwight Lowery, San Jose State

DB Reggie Nelson, Florida

DB Aaron Ross, Texas

SPECIAL TEAMS

P Daniel Sepulveda, BAYLOR

PK Justin Medlock, UCLA

KR Desean Jackson, California