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BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Six Camels have been named to the 2013 Pioneer Football League All-Academic Teams, led by three-time First Team member Kurt Odom.
Odom, along with defensive back Robbie Beathard and defensive lineman Blake Oliaro, both San Diego seniors, became the 29th, 30th and 31st PFL student-athletes to receive First Team Academic All-PFL honors three times during their careers. Odom is the first Campbell student-athlete to make the PFL's All-Academic First Team three times.
Odom is joined by CU teammates Adam Lutz, Ben Bolling and Hunter Somerville on the Academic All-PFL First Team. Michael Rudisill and Lucas Smith both earned Second Team honors.
Odom, a 2013 semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Awards, posted the second most all-purpose yards in school history with 907 in 2013, ranking second on the team in rushing (537) and third in receiving yards (370). Odom rushed for a season-best 91 yards and two touchdowns at Valparaiso, and caught four passes for a school record 117 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville
The senior, who also played two seasons on the CU baseball team during his time in Buies Creek, was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for the second time in 2013, and made the FCS ADA Academic All-Star team and College Sports Journal's FCS All-Academic squad in 2012. Odom is also a two-time First Team Academic All-PFL and three-time PFL Academic Honor Roll member.
Among Campbell career leaders, Odom ranks first in touchdowns scored all-time, third all-time in rushing, fifth in receiving yards, seventh in total offense, second in all-purpose yards, second in points scored and second in blocked kicks.
Lutz, a 2013 All-PFL honorable mention punter, posted a 41.7 yard per punt average in 2013, ranking second in the PFL. The junior pinned 10 punts inside the 20 and seven for more than 50 yards. Lutz also forced 18 fair catches and booted a long of 68 yards. Lutz was named Second Team All-PFL in 2012.
Bolling, a wide receiver from Knightdale, N.C. who was named to the PFL's Academic Honor Roll in 2012, led the team in receiving yards (495) and touchdowns (5) hauling in a career-high 114 yards on five catches with a touchdown against Marist. His 495 receiving yards in 2013 marked a school record, and his five touchdown receptions tied a Campbell single-season record (Preston Dodson, 2011).
Somerville is a redshirt sophomore tight end who was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll in 2011. The criminal justice major carries a 3.49 GPA, and has helped Campbell rank second in the PFL at 233.2 rushing yards and 436.2 yards of total offense per game.
Rudisill is also earning Academic All-PFL honors for the third time, making the league's Second Team for the second-straight year after being named First Team in 2011. The three time PFL Academic Honor Roll member and 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree was nominated for the 2013 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team this season. He ranked 14th on the team in total tackles with 35 stops, posting 22 tackles in a three-game stretch, including a season-high eight stops at Butler.
Smith, who earned Second Team honors for the second-straight year, posted 40 tackles as a redshirt junior this season, adding three sacks and a forced fumble. The three-time PFL Academic Honor Roll member also blocked two kicks and amassed 3.5 tackles for loss.
The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. 11 PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams this fall. The Capital One Academic All-America Teams will be announced Thursday.
PFL athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.
