CMU Places Four on Academic All-MAC Team

MOUNT PLEASANT - Four Central Michigan University football players have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team.

Junior Daniel Bazuin of McBain (Mich.) High School and sophomores Thomas Keith, Franklin (Ga.) Heard County High School, Tony Mikulec, Pontiac (Mich.) Notre Dame High School, and Eric Tunney of Alger (Mich.) Whittemore-Prescott High School represent CMU on the academic all-conference team.

Bazuin and Keith are two of just seven student-athletes on the academic squad to also be selected to the All-MAC team by the conference's head coaches. CMU's four selections are the second-most in the MAC and most for the program since the 2002 team placed four on the academic all-conference squad.

Bazuin, a marketing major with a 3.42 GPA, makes his second consecutive appearance on the Academic All-MAC squad. He was previously named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV squad. Bazuin was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year following a 2005 season that saw him tie a conference record with 16 sacks. He ranked first nationally in tackles for loss (26.5), second in sacks (16), and tied for fourth with five forced fumbles.

Keith, a mathematics major with a 3.41 GPA, was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in November. He led his teammates with 104 tackles and four interceptions in 2005. Keith's 104 stops were the fifth-most in the MAC, while his 9.5 tackles per game ranked fourth in the conference.

Mikulec, a sports studies major with a 3.56 GPA, has been the Chippewas' starting punter for the past two seasons. He averaged 38.1 yards on 72 punts last season, dropping 18 inside the opponent's 20-yard line and forcing 17 fair catches. He had four kicks downed inside the 20 at Akron on Oct. 1 and drilled three punts at least 50 yards at Penn State on Sept. 17.

Tunney, an outdoor recreation major with a 3.86 GPA, joined Bazuin and Keith on the Academic All-District squad. He started all 11 games at left guard in 2005 and was part of a line that opened holes for freshman Ontario Sneed to rush for 1,065 yards.

Student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA and participate in at least 50 percent of the season's contests to be eligible for the Academic All-MAC squad. Freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible. The Academic All-MAC team is selected by Faculty Athletics Representatives from all 12 MAC schools.

Central Michigan finished 6-5 overall, 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference in 2005. It marked the Chippewas' first winning season since 1998.