two footballers named to academic team

Two members of the Muhlenberg football team were voted to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II College Division team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

District II College Division consists of all NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and two-year colleges and universities in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. To be nominated for the team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and a starter or significant reserve on his team.

Both players – senior defensive end Jake Floyd and junior kicker Michael Katz – were all first-team selections and will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Floyd (right) made the Academic All-District team for the second year in a row. Last year, he went on to be named to the Academic All-America second team. A finance major and double minor in political science and entrepreneurial studies, Floyd is serving as a team captain and leads the Mules in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (7½) playing for a unit that ranks 35th in Division III in rushing defense and total defense. He was a key contributor on back-to-back Centennial Conference championship teams that were ranked in the top 20 in Division III in 2007 and 2008, ranking fifth in CC in tackles for loss in 2008. Floyd is a member of Muhlenberg Campus Watch to make campus a safer place and worked with special needs children as a volunteer in Friendship Circle.

Katz (left), a double major in accounting and finance, is the leading scorer for Muhlenberg with 37 points through eight games. He leads the CC and is tied for 12th in Division III with nine field goals (in 12 attempts) and is 10-for-11 on extra points. He also is a key reason the Mules lead the CC in kickoff coverage. Katz was named to the All-CC second team in 2008, his first varsity season, when he went 45-for-45 on PATs – no Division III kicker attempted that many without a miss. Katz set a school record with 53 consecutive PATs made and is a career 17-of-26 on field goals, with long of 45 in rainy conditions at Gettysburg. Katz participates in the VITA program, volunteering as a tax assistant to help families in the community prepare their tax returns.