LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 11, 2012) – Josh Thiel (Leesburg, Va./Heritage) of the Saint Francis University football team took his first step in his journey to become a professional place-kicker this past week at the College Park Pro Combine.
 
“I was nervous going into it because it was my first combine,” Thiel said. ”I just told myself to stay calm and do my thing.”
 
Thiel, who earned second-team All-American honors from the Beyond Sports College Network, competed against former and current arena league players inside J. Cole Field House on the campus of the University of Maryland. Former University of Virginia kicker Robert Randolph took the top spot in the field goal portion of the event but Thiel was named the best all-around kicker at the event. It was one of Thiel's first opportunities to kick into the nine-foot wide goal posts of Arena League Football but the native of Leesburg, Va. wowed scouts with a 55-yard field goal.
 
Thiel earned first-team all-conference honors from the Northeast Conference this past season. In his final season with the Red Flash, Thiel became SFU's all-time leader in made field goals, extra points and total points. Thiel turned heads this season with a school record long 50-yard field goal against Central Connecticut State. The field goal also ranked as the third longest fourth quarter field goal make of the season in the Football Championship Subdivision.