(Posted November 11, 2004)

Huntingdon, Pa. - Two Juniata College seniors, P.J. Brown (Central Cambria/Ebensburg) and Matt Garner (Bellwood-Antis/Tyrone), have been selected to the CoSIDA District II Academic All-America College Division Football Team for the second-consecutive season. Both players earned spots on the first-team, which means their names will now go on the ballots for the national Academic All-American teams. Juniata was one of three schools to place more than one player on the first team.

A four-year member of the football squad, Brown made the conversion to offensive line prior to his junior season and has been a fixture in the Eagle line since then. He has started all nine Juniata games in his senior season at left tackle helping Juniata to average 208.3 yards of offense per game. Last season, Brown was selected as a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American as the Juniata offense established a new school record for rushing yards in a season. He became the first Juniata football player to earn the national award since 1991.

In the classroom, Brown has a 3.982 cumulative grade point average with a program of emphasis in Biology. He is a member of HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) and the National Biological Association. He was chosen as a team captain for his senior season by his teammates.

Garner has been an anchor of the Juniata defense during his senior season. In seven games played he ranks third on the team in tackles with 60, and is second on the squad with eight tackles for a loss. He has added three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up in his senior season. He ranks among the leaders in the Middle Atlantic Conference in tackles per game. In his two years as a starter he has piled up 165 tackles.

In the classroom, Garner has a 3.989 cumulative grade point average with a program of emphasis in Biology. Also selected by his teammates as a captain he is a member of HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) and the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society.

Garner was one of four defensive backs tabbed with first-team honors, while Brown was one of five offensive lineman picked for the first team. The District II College Division consists of all NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA colleges in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The national Academic All-America teams will be announced December 1.

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