Appalachian State University football’s 34-32 triumph over Michigan in the 2007 season opener has been nominated for an ESPY award in the Best Upset category while Stephen Curry’s performance in the NCAA Tournament earned the rising junior a nomination in the category of Best Breakthrough Athlete, ESPN announced on Tuesday. The winners for the ESPYs, which honor the year’s top performers and achievements in sports, will be selected based on fan voting. Fans are urged to vote for the ESPY winners by going to ESPYS.tv.

In beating Michigan, the nation’s fifth-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, Appalachian became the first NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS ? formerly Division I-AA) team to ever defeat a nationally ranked Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS ? formerly Division I-A) team. The victory also prompted the AP to change its 71-year-old policy to allow all Division I teams, regardless of subdivision, to receive votes in its Top 25 poll.

Other nominees in the Best Upset category include: the New York Giants for their win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII; Fresno State baseball for winning the 2008 College World Series; and Da’Tara for its win in the Belmont Stakes.

Curry earned an ESPY nomination in the category of Best Breakthrough Athlete as the sophomore totaled 128 points in four NCAA Tournament games, including three-straight 30-point efforts. Curry’s exploits led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1969. Athletes joining Curry in the Best Breakthrough Athlete category are Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, NASCAR’s Kyle Busch and women’s tennis player Ana Ivanovic.

The 16th-annual ESPYs Awards Show, hosted by Justin Timberlake at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, will air on Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Head coach Jerry Moore will represent Appalachian at the star-studded event.