FRISCO, Texas – Four members of the Nicholls State University football team were named to the 2012 Preseason All-Southland Conference Football Teams as the conference announced its preseason honors on Tuesday.

Making first-team for the Colonels are sophomore tight end Nick Scelfo and senior punter Cory Kemps, while the running back tandem of senior Jesse Turner and junior Marcus Washington locked up the two spots on second-team offense.

Scelfo, who was named to the College Football Performance Awards Watch List, earned second-team All-Southland honors in 2011 after finishing second on the Colonels with 189 yards receiving. On the year, he hauled in 15 receptions including his first career touchdown.

Kemps was selected as the league's top punter following an impressive inaugural season with the Colonels. In 2011, Kemps led the conference in punt average (42.8), which ranked sixth in the FCS, en route to earning first-team honors. He finished the season with 11 punts over 50 yards and pinned 16 inside the 20-yard line.

Washington was an automatic selection after garnering second-team honors last season. In his first year as the feature back, Washington posted a 4.5 yard per carry average, rushing for 565 yards and four touchdowns. He also posed as a threat in the passing game, catching 23 passes for 170 yards and two scores.

Turner rounds out the honorees for Nicholls, being voted in by the coaches. After coming back from a knee injury, Turner played a limited role for the Colonels last season, accounting for 184 all-purpose yards with one touchdown. In 2010, he rushed for eight touchdowns and led the Southland with 5.7 yards per carry, earning second-team honors.

Returning student-athletes who earned all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2011 season were automatically named to the preseason teams. Head coaches from the eight schools that play football in the Southland Conference voted for the remaining 17 positions, which included one on the first-team offense, 10 positions on the second-team offense and six on the second-team defense. Coaches could not vote for their own players.

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