Nov. 6, 2008

Four Rice Owls have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI Football Team, which was selected by a vote of Sports Information Directors.

Junior safety Andrew Sendejo was named to the squad for the second consecutive year and was joined by senior offensive guard David Berken and a pair of sophomores, wide receiver James Casey and safety Travis Bradshaw.

Sendejo is the Owls leading tackler this season with 57, despite missing nearly three full games with a high ankle sprain. He ranks fourth among C-USA defenders with an average of 8.3 tackles per game and has one of the Owls five defensive touchdowns this year, returning an interception 55 yards for a score against SMU. He was the conference defensive player of the week for his efforts against SMU. A kinesiology major (Sports Management), he carries a 3.59 GPA.

Berken is a four-year starter along the Owls offensive line and has made 33 consecutive starts. He has also been the Owls highest-graded linemen since the start of the 2007 season. He carries a 3.33 GPA while majoring in Kinesiology (Sport Medicine)..

Casey earned his second conference offensive player of the week honor last weekend after catching 12 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth in the Owls' 49-44 win over UTEP. He is second in the NCAA with 8.8 catches per game, fifth with 945 receiving yards and 105.0 receiving yards per game and ranks 16th with 9.3 points per game. He carries a 3.84 GPA with a triple major in Economics, Managerial Studies and Sport Management.

Bradshaw is third on the team with 46 tackles, including a team-leading 10 on special teams. He stepped into a starting role when Sendejo was injured and was credited with 12 tackles in each of his starts. A former walkon, he carries a 3.46 GPA in Chemical Engineering.