Nov. 12, 2003

The Greater Augusta Sports Council announced today the top 10 semi-finalists for the fourth annual Ray Guy Award recognizing the nation's top collegiate punter and Maryland redshirt freshman Adam Podlesh was among those on the list.

Podlesh has had an outstanding season in his first year as the Terps' starting punter, averaging 43.7 yards per punt (18th-best nationally). Though his average is impressive, it is likely the fact that Podlesh has placed 17 of his 39 punts inside the 20 that has him on the Guy list.

As for the voting criteria itself, each of the 42 punters on the watch list was evaluated on his overall statistics and contribution to his team with emphasis placed on the following categories: net average, percentage of total punts inside the 20, average return yardage and percentage not returned.

These various components are what made Ray Guy, the award's namesake, a most exceptional punter and these characteristics are indicative of the nation's top collegiate punter. Ray Guy, a former NFL punter (Oakland Raiders, 1973-1986) is a native of the Augusta, Georgia area, currently residing in Thomson, Georgia.

The 2003 Ray Guy Award recipient will be announced on Thursday, December 11, 2003 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show. The winner will again be honored at the Greater Augusta Sports Awards Gala in Augusta, Georgia on February 5, 2004. Also honored at the Gala will be the annual G.A.M.E.S. (Greater Augusta Medals for Excellence in Sports) Award winners.

2003 Ray Guy Award Semifinalists
Kyle Basler, Washington State
Vinnie Burns, Virginia Tech
Dustin Colquitt, Tennessee
Donnie Jones, Louisiana State
Kyle Larson, Nebraska
Andy Lee, Pittsburgh
Tom Malone, Southern California
Adam Podlesh, Maryland
Matt Prater, Central Florida
B.J. Sander, Ohio State