Nov. 14, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern place-kicker Joel Howells (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) has earned ESPN The Magazine first-team Academic All-District honors. The junior is now eligible for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced Thursday, Dec. 1.
To be nominated for Academic All-America recognition, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore (eligibility-wise), carry a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key reserve for his team.
Howells has earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice this year. He booted a school-record five field goals and scored a school-record-tying 17 points in a 34-29 loss to fifth-ranked Penn State.
Two weeks ago, Howells earned the weekly honor again for his performance in the Wildcats' 28-27 come-from-behind win over Iowa. Howells, who is Northwestern's second-leading scorer this year with 66 points, successfully converted an onside kick, which led to NU's winning score.