Jan. 6, 2012
NORFOLK, Va. - Defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron (Westbury, N.Y.) and punter Jonathan Plisco (Newport News, Va.) were named First Team All-Americans by Beyond College Sports Network it was announced this week.
It was the fifth All-America honors for Cameron and Plisco for the 2011 season.
The two Monarchs were among the 11 Monarchs to earn All-CAA honors as they guided the team to a 10-3 overall record, a second-place 6-2 mark in the CAA after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll, a second round playoff berth, and not only ODU's first appearance in the national polls, but a top-10 ranking.
The CAA and Roanoke Times Defensive Player of the Year, Cameron's performance in 2011 has also led to being named First Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and The Sports Network and a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press and Phil Steele. He was also honored with the 2011 Elite Defensive Tackle Award by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) and a nod to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
Cameron was second on the Monarch squad with 73 tackles (28 solo, 45 assisted) along with a team-leading 17 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, He averaged 5.6 tackles per game, which was fourth among defensive lineman in the CAA and finished second in the league in tackles for loss averaging 1.31 per contest. Cameron captured a career-high 11 tackles along with a season-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks against CAA Champion Towson and also made 10 stops with three for loss against James Madison in ODU's first top-10 victory. His performance on the defensive line helped the Monarchs rank second in the league at the close of the regular season in rushing defense allowing 122.55 yards per contest.
Plisco has already earned Second Team All-America status by College Sports Madness, The Sports Network the Associated Press, and Phil Steele. In all, the Monarch punter has earned eight All-America honors in his three-year career with Old Dominion. In addition to his five All-America honors this season, he earned three national accolades as a freshman - First Team All-American by the Associated Press, a Second Team All-American by The Sports Network, and earned Honorable Mention status by The College Sporting News.
A First Team All-CAA selection, Plisco led the CAA and ranks second in the nation in punting averaging 46.2 yards per punt. Of his 51 punts on the year, 20 went the distance of 50 yards or more and 12 were placed inside the opponent 20.
Click here for the entire list of Beyond Sports Network All-Americans.
MONARCH MOMENTS:
In other awards news, Monarch quarterback Taylor Heinicke finished second in the Jerry Rice Award for National Freshman of the Year voting and head coach Bobby Wilder took third in voting for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.