July 18, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. -- A pair of Old Dominion Football Monarchs were named to FCS Preseason All-America Teams by College Sports Madness. Punter Jonathan Plisco (Newport News, Va.) was named Second Team, while Colby Goodwyn (Hampton, Va.) picked up Third Team honors at kick return.
Plisco has already received a host of preseason honors. He was named Second Team Preseason All-American by Consensus Draft Services, was recognized on Lindy's 2011 Defense Second-Team All-FCS Preseason Team and selected as one of the top FCS members of special teams by The Sports Network. Plisco was also named to the Punter Watch List by the College Football Performance Awards.
Ranked second among FCS punters averaging 44.30 yards per punt in 2010, Plisco missed being the top FCS punter for the second straight year by .05 yards. He made 43 punts to total 1905 yards with 17 of his punts going a distance of 50-yards or more. He had a season-high 75 yard punt against #12/13 William & Mary and averaged over 50 yards a punt in games with Campbell, #12/13 William & Mary, and #14/16 Cal Poly. Of the left footer's punts, 13 were inside the opponent 20 and eight were for a touchback.
Goodwyn, who earned Honorable Mention Pre-Season All-America by the Consensus Draft Services, made 23 kick returns for a total of 686 yards as a true freshman last season, averaging 29.8 yards per return to rank fourth among all FCS kick returners. He set the Division I record (FBS or FCS) for kickoff return yardage in a game with 333 yards in his nine returns against #14/16 Cal Poly. The old mark was 326 by Eastern Washington's Bashir Livingston on Oct. 31, 1998, while the FBS record is 319 by Iowa State's Leonard Johnson set on Nov. 1, 2008.
The Hampton Roads product had an 89-yard kickoff return against the nationally-ranked Mustangs as the longest return by a Monarch to-date. Later in the same game, Goodwyn would have a 79-yard kick return for the third-longest kick return in the brief history of ODU football.
In addition to his individual NCAA record, Goodwyn helped Old Dominion set the record for most kickoff return yardage by a team (365 yards on 11 returns).
Click here to view the entire College Sports Madness Preseason FCS All-America Team.
In their conference preview, College Sports Madness picked ODU to finish eighth among all the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) teams and picked three Monarchs to its Preseason All-Conference Team. In addition to Plisco and Goodwyn earning Preseason All-Conference honors at their respective positions, quarterback Thomas DeMarco was also named to the squad.
Click here to view the Preseason All-CAA teams and predicted order of finish from College Sports Madness.