Dec. 8, 1999 SportsLine wire reports

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Florida State's Sebastian Janikowski became the first repeat winner of the Lou Groza Award Tuesday as college football's top kicker.

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Janikowski, who led the nation with 23 field goals in 30 attempts, beat out Wisconsin's Vitaly Pisetsky and Kansas State's Jamie Rheem.

Last year, Janikowski was unable to attend the banquet because of finals. And he was nearly a no-show again, arriving just in time to accept the award. Rather than fly to West Palm Beach on a state plane, he drove.

"It was worth the drive," he said. "I'm sorry I missed last season."

Florida State will play Virginia Tech Jan. 4 for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl.

Janikowski left Poland in 1994 to live with his father, Henry, who had settled in the United States eight years earlier. A top soccer player, the younger Janikowski started playing football as a high school senior.

The award, sponsored by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, is named for Lou Groza, the Cleveland Browns' Hall of Fame kicker.