Ex-Vaquero Wishnowsky wins Ray Guy Award as nation’s best punter

Mitch Wishnowsky, an All-State punter on the SBCC football team in 2014, won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter. The 6-3 sophomore from Gosnells, Western Australia kicked for the University of Utah this year and was second in the nation in punting average (48.0 yards).

He accepted his award last Thursday during The Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards show at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The other finalists were also Australians -- Michael Dickson (Texas) and Cameron Johnston (Ohio State).

"It's honestly a dream come true," said Wishnowsky. "When my name was called, it was unbelievable, hard to explain those emotions."

Wishnowsky is on his way to consensus All-America status. He's been named to 11 first-team All-America teams and needs one more (the American Football Coaches Association) to be a consensus All-American. He was named to the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) teams on Monday.

He's the third straight Utah punter to win the Ray Guy Award. Tom Hackett, another Australian, was the 2014 and 2015 honoree.

In 2014, Wishnowsky ranked No. 6 in California with a 39.8-yard average for the Vaqueros. He led the state with 30 punts inside the 20 and his 77-yarder against L.A. Pierce is the second-longest in school history.

"It was great to start my time in America at SBCC," said Wishnowsky. "It's a beautiful place and the football program was good for me as the coaches and players were great to be around.

"I loved the teachers at SBCC. They were awesome and wanted you to do well. Some of my best memories are playing beach volleyball with mates and punting footballs next to a beautiful beach."

Wishnowsky, 24, is majoring in PETE, a Physical Education program at Utah.

The Vaqueros' punters from 2013-15 all came from Australia and all three earned NCAA FBS scholarships – Tim Gleeson (Rutgers), Wishnowsky (Utah) and Joel Whitford (redshirt at Washington). SBCC had another Australian punter this year in Trent Schneider and he earned first-team All-APL honors.

"We're very comfortable punting a football," explained Wishnowsky of the Australian punter trend in college football. "It's just in our muscle memory I believe. We have grown up punting from a young age, so it's second nature."

Wishnowsky, who has led No. 19 Utah (8-4) to a No. 1 national ranking in net punting (44.9) in his first NCAA season, leads the country in punts inside the 20-yard line (34) and punts inside the 10 (17). He is also No. 1 nationally in punts of 50+ yards (28) and ranks second in percentage of punts inside the 20 (56.6%, 34-of-60). The "Inside the 20" stat means the ball stayed inside the 20 after the punt return.

"Mitch did an outstanding job as the punter here at SBCC," said Vaquero coach Craig Moropoulos. "His athletic ability made a huge difference in how he approached every kick. By taking a few steps to the right, he keeps the ball for much longer than a normal-style punter and that helps the coverage.

"He worked extremely hard, both on the field and in the classroom, to prepare himself for this opportunity. This award shows that great things can come to those who persevere and stay focused on what they truly want. Santa Barbara City College is extremely proud of Mitch Wishnowsky."

The Utes will take on Indiana (6-6) in the Foster Farms Bowl on Dec. 28 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

Wishnowsky punted 60 times for 2,879 yards with a long of 66 yards. He hasn't had a touchback since the first game of the season and just two touchbacks all year.

Wishnowsky is the second Utah punter to make the Walter Camp first team and a Ute has now claimed the spot for three straight years. Hackett, a two-time Ray Guy winner and consensus All-American, was the Walter Camp first-team punter in 2014 and 2015.

Does Wishnowsky think he can play in the NFL some day?

"I believe any athlete has to believe to even have a shot but I have a lot of hard work to do before I get there," he stated.

2016 All-America Honors for Wishnowksy

•  Associated Press (1st team)
• FWAA (1st team)
• Sporting News (1st team)
• Walter Camp (1st team)
• USA Today (1st team)
• ESPN.com (1st team)
• Sports Illustrated (1st team)
• Pro Football Focus (1st team)
• SB Nation (1st team)
• Sports on Earth (1st team)
• College Sports Madness (1st team)