EIU's Lora Named To Pre-Season All-American List, Media Day Saturday

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois senior wide receiver Erik Lora has added his name to another preseason All-American list as he was one of seven Ohio Valley Conference players selected by CollegeSportsMadness.com.  Lora was a first team preseason selection after earned consensus first team All-American honors in 2012.

At the Ohio Valley Conference football media day on July 22, Lora was named the preseason OVC Offensive Player of the Year after winning the award in 2012 with a record setting season.

Lora set the FCS single season record with 136 catches with his 1,664 receiving yards ranking as the fifth best single season total in FCS history.  During the year Lora set both the OVC and EIU single game receptions record with 21 against Murray State.  He set the EIU single game receiving yards record and became the EIU career leader in pass receptions.  Lora was named the 2012 OVC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2013 OVC Male Athlete of the Year encompassing all sports.  He finished fourth in voting for the 2012 Walter Payton Award and is once again on the watch list this season.

The media day event will begin with the team picture at 1 p.m. followed by media interviews.  A free youth clinic will take place on the O’Brien Field surface starting at 1:30 p.m.  The event is open to the public and all youth are invited to attend the clinic and get autographs from members of the 2013 EIU football team.

The Panthers are the Ohio Valley Conference defending champions.  This season they will be led on offense by returning Walter Payton Award finalists Jimmy Garoppolo and Erik Lora.  Both players finished in the top ten in Payton Award voting last season, the only time that has happened in award history.  On defense the Panthers will be led by returning All-OVC selections Nick Beard, Pat Wertz and LeQuince McCall as EIU returns eight of eleven starters on that side of the ball.

EIU opens the regular season on August 31 at San Diego State.  The Panthers home opener is Sept. 14 against Illinois State in the Mid-America Classic.  Season tickets are now on sale by calling 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com.

Other OVC players named to the CollegeSportsMadness.com All-American team included Steven Godbolt from Tennessee State (1st Team), A.C. Leonard from Tennessee State (2nd Team), Ben Johnson from UT Martin (2nd Team), Walter Powell from Murray State (2nd Team), Chad Zinchini from Tennessee Tech (2nd Team) and Anthony Brown from Eastern Kentucky (3rd Team).