Blue
Hens Picked No. 1 Nationally Again...This
Time by The Sports Network
HATBORO,
PA (August 17, 2004) -- The defending
NCAA I-AA national champion University of
Delaware football team earned its second
major pre-season No. 1 ranking Monday as
the Blue Hens were the top pick in The
Sports Network pre-season Top 25
poll.
Delaware,
which was also the pre-season No. 1 pick
in the USA Today/Sportsticker poll last
week, received 57 of the 71 first place
votes and had 1,753 total points to easily
grab the top spot in the voting of I-AA
member sports information directors and
media members that cover their
teams.
The Blue
Hens, who return 16 starters under
third-year head coach K.C. Keeler, will
open the regular season Sept., 2 when they
host New Hampshire in a non-league game at
7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. Delaware will
take part in its first scrimmage of the
pre-season this Thursday, Aug. 19, at
Delaware Stadium.
Southern
Illinois, who the Blue Hens defeated in
their NCAA first round playoff game a year
ago, was the No. 2 pick with seven first
place votes and 1,569 points followed by
Montana (three first place votes, 1,500
points), Wofford (1, 1,406), defending
national runner-up Colgate (1,323),
Northern Iowa (2, 1,316), Furman (1,
1,225), McNeese State (1,150), Villanova
(1,039), and Georgia Southern (969) in the
top 10.
The Blue
Hens, who finished the 2003 season with a
15-1 record, defeated Southern Illinois,
Northern Iowa, Wofford, and Colgate on the
way to the 2003 I-AA national title, the
first in that classification for Delaware
and the sixth national title in school
history.
Delaware
is the first team from the Atlantic 10
Football Conference to begin the season
ranked No. 1 by The Sports Network since
it became recognized as an NCAA poll of
record in 1993. Then-defending national
champion Massachusetts opened the 1999
campaign at No. 2. In addition, the Blue
Hens are ranked in the preseason top 10
for the sixth time since 1993 and 10th
consecutive year in The Sports Network
preseason top 25, the longest active
streak in the Atlantic 10.
Delaware
is joined by fellow Atlantic 10 members
Villanova (9th), Maine (11th),
Massachusetts (19th) and Northeastern
(22nd). With five teams ranked in the
preseason top 25, the Atlantic 10 was the
most represented of any I-AA conference.
It marks the fifth time since 1993 that at
least five A-10 programs appeared in The
Sports Network preseason top 25, including
three of the past four years.
AGATE:
THE SPORTS
NETWORK PRESEASON TOP 25:
1.
Delaware, (57) 1,753; 2. Southern
Illinois, (7) 1,569; 3. Montana, (3)
1,500; 4. Wofford, (1) 1,406; 5. Colgate,
1,323; 6. Northern Iowa, (2) 1,316; 7.
Furman, (1) 1,225; 8. McNeese State,
1,150; 9. Villanova, 1,039; 10. Georgia
Southern, 969; 11. Maine, 893; 12. Western
Illinois, 839; 13. Western Kentucky, 816;
14. Northern Arizona, 728; 15. Montana
State, 654; 16. Stephen F. Austin, 583;
17. Grambling State, 576; 18. Northwestern
State, 558; 19. Massachusetts, 557; 20.
Appalachian State, 462; 21. Eastern
Kentucky, 434; 22. Northeastern, 395; 23.
Lehigh, 328; 24. North Carolina A & T,
281; 25. Pennsylvania, 222.
- DDD -
Copyright,
© 2004, University of Delaware. All
rights reserved.
Please direct Athletics questions to the
Athletics
Media
Relations
office.
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