Nov. 24, 2003

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Thirteen Maryland football players were named to the All-ACC Football teams released by the league offices today. Ten of the 13 were named first or second team selections, marking the third straight year Maryland had 10 honorees on the first two teams, giving head coach Ralph Friedgen 30 All-ACC selections in three seasons. The 10 honorees also marks the most of any ACC team as Florida State had seven for the second-best total. The 13 overall selections was the most in the league as well, with Clemson having 11 players honored.

Junior guard C.J. Brooks (Rex, Ga.), junior defensive tackle Randy Starks (Waldorf, Md.), junior placekicker Nick Novak (Charlottesville, Va.) and junior specialist Steve Suter (Manchester, Md.) were named first-team selections. For both juniors Novak and Suter, it marked the second consecutive year that each earned first-team accolades. Starks was a second-teamer in 2002.

The second team featured six Terps: senior tight end Jeff Dugan (Allison Park, Pa.), junior defensive end Kevin Eli (Deptford, N.J.), sophomore linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (Largo, Fla.), junior cornerback Domonique Foxworth (Randallstown, Md.), senior free safety Madieu Williams (Lanham, Md.) and redshirt freshman punter Adam Podlesh (Pittsford, N.Y.). The six second-team selections is a school record, as Maryland had five picks in 1991. Foxworth was a first-teamer last season while Podlesh is the first freshman Terp to be honored on an All-ACC team ever. He is also only the second punter in league history to be a first or second team pick as Virginia's Will Brice as a second-teamer in 1993.

Three Terps were named to the All-ACC Honorable Mention squad: junior center Kyle Schmitt (Latrobe, Pa), senior cornerback Curome Cox (Arlington, Va.) and strong safety Dennard Wilson (Upper Marlboro, Md.). With Cox and Wilson's honors, Maryland is the only ACC school to have each of its four defensive backs represented on the honors lists.

Brooks has started all 11 games for the Terps this season at left guard and has been a key to the offensive success. Overall, he has started all 36 games of his career and been a team leader in "big blocks" all-season.

Starks has 68 tackles, 36 of them solo this season in 11 starts on the defensive line. He leads the team in tackles for a loss with 13.5 and is second in sacks with 6.5. He was on the preseason "watch list" for the Lombardi and Outland Awards.

Coming off his game-winning kick to beat NC State, Novak is the Terps all-time program leading scorer with 310 points. He leads the ACC and is ranked fifth in the nation with 22 field goals made. He is second in the league and 20th in the NCAA in points per game (8.7). He has made 22 of 27 field goal attempts for an 81.5 percentage. Overall, he was 111 points this season.

Suter has been a threat on the return game once again this season. He has 31 punt returns for 241 yards to rank fifth in the ACC with 7.8 return average. He returned his fifth career punt for a touchdown vs. The Citadel on Sept. 13. Suter also has 12 kickoff returns for 286 yards for a 23.8 average. As a receiver, Suter is second on the team with 23 catches for 335 yards.

Dugan has had his best year as a Terp as a top blocker and receiving threat as a tight end. Dugan has started 10 games and has 14 catches for 175 yards.

A fourth-year junior, who has had his best season, Eli is second on the Terps with 5.5 sacks, which put him sixth in the ACC in the category. He is also fifth on the team in tackles with 53 including 11 tackles for a loss. He is tied for a team lead in quarterback hurries with 12 in just eight starts.

In his first year as a starter, Jackson leads the Terps in tackles with 115 (76 solo) to rank sixth in the ACC in tackles per game (10.6). He has 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also posted his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown against Florida State.

Foxworth, who earned his second conference honor this season, leads the team and is tied for fourth in the ACC with three interceptions. He has 32 totals tackles, 28 solo and has six pass breakups in 11 starts at cornerback.

Williams, who was on the preseason Nagurski and Thorpe Award watch lists, leads all defensive backs in tackles with 68 -- third on the team overall. He also has two interceptions and five pass-breakups in 11 starts.

In his first season on the field, Podlesh has been sensational, standing second in the ACC in punting average (42.9). He has punted 47 times for 2,018 yards and landed 19 inside the 20-yard line and eight inside the 10.