Photo by: John Williamson
Wildcats #4 in latest DII poll
8/24/2010 9:29:05 AM | Football
ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats have been ranked No. 4 in the country, according to the d2football.com pre-season poll, which was released Tuesday.
Two Wildcats – senior right tackle Trevis Turner and junior defensive end Aston Whiteside – were both named to the Web site's pre-season all-America squad.
Whiteside – a first team all-LSC South Division selection in 2009 and the 2010 LSC South Division Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year – was among NCAA Division II leaders in both sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (14.5) in 2009, and he's also been tabbed as a first team pre-season all-America by both The Sporting News and Lindy's magazine.
Turner, an honorable mention all-Lone Star Conference South Division selection in 2009, has already been tabbed a first team pre-season all-America by Lindy's magazine.
The Wildcats – picked to finish second in the LSC South Division behind defending champion West Texas A&M – finished 9-4 last year, but returns 17 starters (8 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists) from a team that reached at least the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs for the third straight season.
Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State opens the season as the top-ranked team in the country, followed by national runner-up Grand Valley State. North Alabama checks in at No. 3, followed by the Wildcats at No. 4 and Central Washington at No. 5.
Minnesota-Duluth – which won the 2008 national championship – is No. 6 in the pre-season poll, followed by California (Pa.) at No. 7, West Liberty at No. 8, Washburn (Kan.) at No. 9 and Nebraska-Kearney at No. 10.
ACU will get its season started at 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 when the Wildcats play Washburn in Topeka, Kan., at 6 p.m.
Other LSC teams in the d2football.com poll are West Texas A&M at No. 11, Texas A&M-Kingsville at No. 13, Midwestern State at No. 17 and Tarleton State at No. 18.
LSC IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
American Football Coaches' Association
7. Abilene Christian
11. West Texas A&M
16. Texas A&M-Kingsville
19. Midwestern State
d2football.com
4. Abilene Christian
11. West Texas A&M
13. Texas A&M-Kingsville
17. Midwestern State
18. Tarleton State
The Sporting News
14. Abilene Christian
15. Tarleton State
18. Texas A&M-Kingsville
22. West Texas A&M
25. Midwestern State
Lindy's Magazine
8. Tarleton State
10. Midwestern State
17. Abilene Christian
22. Texas A&M-Kingsville
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