Ball State University Athletics
Barinaga and Miller Named Academic All-MAC
January 12, 2007 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. - Junior defensive end Gonzalo Barinaga (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) and junior punter Chris Miller (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel) of the Ball State football team have been named to the Academic All Mid-American Conference team, which was announced by the league office Wednesday.
This is the first time Barinaga and Miller have received the honor.
Barinaga, a pre-med major, owns a 3.63 grade-point average. He played in 11 of the 12 games for the Cardinals this season with four starts. Barinaga helped the football team to its best record (7-5) since 2002, when Ball State went 6-6. He managed a sack in the Cardinals' 27-21 win at Northern Illinois (11/24). Barinaga totaled three tackles for loss while ending the season with nine total tackles.
Miller currently holds a grade-point average of 3.37 in entrepreneurship. He has been recently named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America Team. Miller was named to the Playboy Preseason All-America Team in June and is the only player from the MAC to be named to the 25-person AFCA All-America Team. He punted 56 times this season for 2,566 yards. His 45.8 yard average ranks third in the nation. Miller was a finalist for this year's Ray Guy Award, which is awarded to the nation's top punter. He was also named First Team All-MAC this season along with receiving MAC Player of the Week honors.
The Ball State football team ended its season with an overall record of 7-5 and earned a share of the MAC West Division Title at 4-1. The Cardinals face Rutgers in the International Bowl Saturday, Jan. 5, at Noon, televised live on ESPN 2.
