(Posted May 12, 2005)

Huntingdon, PA - The Juniata College baseball players Walt Goedkoop (Manheim Township/Lancaster), Will Russell (Tyrone/Tyrone) and Matt Garner (Bellwood-Antis/Bellwood) have all been selected to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Baseball College Division Academic All-District II Team. Goedkoop and Russell both earned first-team recognition, while Garner was a second-team choice. As first-team selections, Goekoop and Russell will now be placed on the ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Baseball College Division Academic All-America Team. Juniata was one of two teams to place two players on the All-District first team, and its three overall players was the most of any school in the district.

Goedkoop claims first-team Academic All-District honors for the first time in his career. The junior designated hitter earned first-team All-Commonwealth Conference recognition this season, marking his second All-Conference selection. He led Juniata in home runs and RBI in 2005, as he set a new school record for RBI in a season with 49. He finished second on the team in hits and batting average and was selected as the Commonwealth Baseball Player of the Week on two occasions.

Russell was also a first-team All-Conference selection this season as Juniata's second baseman, and was also tabbed as the team's Most Valuable Player. The All-Conference nod was the second of his career, while the Academic All-District recognition marks the first he has captured. He tied the Juniata single-season record with 56 hits on the season, and posted a team-best .376 batting average. He finished second on the team with 33 RBI while adding 11 doubles, two triples and 29 runs scored.

Garner claims second-team Academic All-District honors for the second-consecutive season. The senior outfielder also was a first-team Academic All-American in football this past fall. In his senior season he played in 28 of Juniata's 42 games, with 21 starts. He finished with a .304 batting average as he recorded 24 hits in 79 at bats. He contributed 13 runs scored with eight RBI during his senior campaign. Garner was awarded the Stanford Mickle Award, which is given to the outstanding male senior athlete.

All three student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom. Goedkoop entered the spring semester with a cumulative grade point average of 3.811 with a major in early childhood/elementary education. He has earned Dean's List recognition in five semesters, and is a three-time member of the MASCAC Academic Honor Roll. Russell is studying accounting, and brought a 3.823 GPA into the spring semester. He is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Garner will graduate this spring with a degree in Biology. He entered his final semester with a GPA of 3.994 and has earned numerous academic honors and awards during his four years at Juniata. He will be attending The University of Pennsylvania Medical School this fall, after receiving a full academic scholarship.

The members of The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) by district select the ESPN The Magazine College Division All-District Teams. The District II College Division consists of all non-NCAA Division I Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. To be nominated for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.