Aggies Favored in MAC Preseason Poll

The Delaware Valley College football team has been picked by the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) coaches as the favorite to win its fifth consecutive conference championship. The preseason poll was released by the conference office last week.

The Aggies received six of the 10 first-place votes and finished with 77 points in the poll. Widener University and Lycoming College each garnered a pair of first-place votes and finished second and third with 71 and 70 points respectively. Albright College and Lebanon Valley College were tied for the fourth spot with 50 points.

         The entire 2012 MAC preseason coaches’ poll is as follows:
        
         1.   Delaware Valley College (6) --     77 points
         2.   Widener University (2) --                 71 points
         3.   Lycoming College (2) --                   70 points
         T4. Albright College --                           50 points
         T4. Lebanon Valley College --               50 points
         6.   Wilkes University --                         47 points
         7.   Stevenson University --                    34 points
         T8. King’s College --                             21 points
         T8. FDU-Florham --                              21 points
         10.  Misericordia University --                9 points
 
* Number in parentheses indicates first place votes. Misericordia is in its inaugural year of football.

Three-time MAC Coach of the Year Jim Clements has 16 starters back (eight offense, six defense, two specialty) from a 2011 Delaware Valley squad that posted an 11-1 overall record (10-0 regular season, 8-0 MAC) and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs for a third straight season. The Aggies defeated Norwich University, 62-10, in the opening round before dropping a 27-14 decision to St. John Fisher College.

Only one school in MAC football history has captured five or more consecutive titles and that was Widener, which won six straight crowns from 1977 to 1982. 

Delaware Valley begins its 2012 campaign on Saturday, September 1 (1:00 p.m.) when it travels to Rowan University as part of the MAC-NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference) Challenge.  The MAC schedule begins the following week (September 8) when the Aggies host Lycoming.