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MIAA Coaches vote Adrian as team to beat
ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Adrian College football team has been picked first in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) preseason poll, announced today by the league publicist. Adrian and defending league champion Albion College were each picked to finish the season first by three rival coaches.
In voting by the coaches, the Bulldogs were selected as the preseason favorite with 10 points, followed by Albion College and Trine (Ind.) University with 11 and 16 points, respectively. The remaining four teams were Hope College (17) in fourth, Alma College (30) in fifth, Kalamazoo College (31) in sixth, and Olivet (32) rounding out the pack.
Jim Deere begins his third season as the Bulldogs' head coach and hopes to improve upon last season's 8-2 finish. "The team that stays the healthiest will have the inside track," Deere stated when asked by local media to distinguish between what may ultimately decide this year's MIAA champion at today's MIAA preseason football conference call.
The Bulldogs will open the 2012 season September 1st when they host Carthage College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. EST. Adrian's MIAA schedule begins September 29 when Hope College visits Adrian for its Homecoming game at 5 p.m.
The results of the MIAA football poll, with first-place votes in parenthesis, were: 1. Adrian (3) 10 points, 2. Albion (3) 11 points, 3. Trine 16 points, 4. Hope (1) 17 points, 5. Alma 30 points, 6. Kalamazoo 31 points, and 7. Olivet 32 points. Coaches could not vote for their own team.
The MIAA kicks off its 115th season later this month with more information available at the new and improved www.miaa.org.
