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Austin Sweeney named to Fred Mitchell Watch List

Posted: Aug 20, 2012

August 20, 2012

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University junior kicker Austin Sweeney (Adrian, MI/Whitmer) was recently named to the Fred Mitchell Watch List for 2012. The Watch List for the Fred Mitchell Award includes 44 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) collegiate place-kickers that were nominated by their colleges for excellence on the football field and in the community.

Sweeney led the Beavers in 2011 scoring with 52 points from 9 of 13 FGs and 25 of 30 PAT's. He tied for 2nd in HCAC with 9 FG's while being a two-time HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Sweeney scored 10 points in 46-27 win over Defiance including a season-long 39-yard FG. After two seasons he holds the school record with a 72.7 field goal percentage while ranking 5th in school history with 85 kick scoring points.

The Award's Selection Committee Chairman Chris Kearney said, "These place-kickers are terrific on the football field and off the field representing their schools, their football teams, their conferences, their communities, their families and themselves. We look forward to following their accomplishments during the next few months." The Watch List includes place-kickers from more than 750 eligible colleges. Fred Mitchell said, "It is a pleasure to include these fine young men on the Watch List for this Award. We are delighted to recognize them based on outstanding performance in the community and expectations going into the 2012 college football season. It is also a thrill to see so many familiar names on the Watch List, including 22 place-kickers that were finalists for the Award last season."

The breakdown of the 44 place-kickers is as follows:

  1. Collegiate Division - 16 FCS, 11 Division II, 14 Division III, 0 NAIA and 3 NJCAA
  2. State - the place-kickers play at schools located in 25 different states, five play at schools in Pennsylvania
  3. Year - 23 Seniors, 14 Juniors, 7 Sophomores
  4. Fred Mitchell Award Finalists in 2011 that are on the 2012 Watch List - 22

-BEAVERS-