Aug. 9, 2010

Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services, cwaller@naia.org

 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off a second straight NAIA Football National Championship, Sioux Falls (S.D.) holds the No. 1 position in the Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced by the NAIA on Monday. Coached by first-year general Jed Stugart, the Cougars begin defense of their national title with a Sept. 4 night game at Northwestern (Iowa). Sioux Falls rides a school-record 29-game winning streak into that match-up, which is the longest active streak in any level of college football.

The Cougars gathered 11 of the possible 15 first-place votes and have secured the No. 1 spot for the last 16 polls (dating back to the 2008 Postseason Top 25). The preseason top billing is the third in four years for Sioux Falls and fourth overall (2010, 2009, 2007, 1997) since both NAIA divisions merged in 1997. The Cougars will look to accomplish what they did last year and what two other teams have accomplished since 1997 – win the title after being ranked No. 1 in the Preseason Top 25. There have been five occurrences of the preseason No. 1 team winning the national championship. Sioux Falls accomplished that last year, while Carroll (Mont.) (2005, 2004, and 2003) and Georgetown (Ky.) (2001) were the other two programs.

The Cougars will be gunning for their fifth straight Great Plains Athletic Conference title and fifth overall National Championship. The top-ranked Sioux Falls’ defense was superb in 2009 as no opposing player rushed for 100 yards or more. Overall, the Cougars have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in a span of 29 games dating back to the 2007 National Championship. Sioux Falls will have to replace 2009 NAIA Player of the Year Lorenzo Brown at the quarterback position.

National runner-up Lindenwood (Mo.) is ranked in the No. 2 spot after a 13-1 season in 2009. The Lions earned three first-place votes and 328 total points. Lindenwood enters this year on a 19-game Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) winning streak and has won two of the last three HAAC titles. Lindenwood has won at least 10 games in each of the past three seasons. The top-scoring offense (53.1 ppg) from a year ago will be engineered by senior quarterback Philip Staback, who returns after throwing for 3,381 yards and 36 touchdowns last year.

For the 66^th straight time, Carroll (Mont.) is ranked in the top five, this time checking in at No. 3 while totaling 318 points. Coming off a 14-1 season and a Football Championship Series Semifinal appearance, the Fighting Saints are gunning for their 11^th straight Frontier Conference Championship this year. Carroll will look to boast one of the nation’s top defenses again after allowing just over 16 points last year, which was good for sixth nationally.

Saint Xavier (Ill.) takes home the No. 4 ranking for the fifth straight poll, dating back to the 2009 season. The Cougars tallied 103 total points and earned the remaining first-place vote. After a 13-1 campaign that saw them ranked as the NAIA’s top offense in total yardage (516.0 ypg), the Cougars qualified for the national semifinals for the second time in four years.

With 286 total points, Morningside (Iowa) clings to the fifth spot for the fourth straight poll. The Mustangs competed in their sixth straight Football Championship Series and finished last year with a 10-2 record. As a team, the Mustangs ranked fourth last year in the country in scoring offense (45.1 ppg) and seventh in total offense (464.1 ypg), but will have to replace their starting quarterback, running back and top receiver.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The first regular season Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be announced on Sept. 13. For the entire schedule of the 2010 Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, click here.

For more information on NAIA football, please click here.

NOTES: Carroll (Mont.) leads the group of No. 1-ranked teams in the Preseason Top 25 (since 1997) – 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, followed by Sioux Falls (S.D.) (2010, 2009, 2007, 1997), Georgetown (Ky.) (2002, 2001), Northwestern Oklahoma State (2000), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (1999) and Findlay (Ohio) (1998)… Sioux Falls was ranked No. 1 for the entire 2009 season (14 polls), which marks the first time for a team to do so since Carroll in 2005… Sioux Falls has now been ranked No. 1 a total of 45 times since the 2000 season, including 28 mentions out of 41 polls since 2007… Carroll and Sioux Falls have dominated the top of the polls with either team being ranked No. 1 since the 2006 Postseason Top 25 Poll (Jan. 18, 2007) -- Saint Francis (Ind.) was the last team outside of those two programs to earn the No. 1 spot back on Nov. 12, 2006 – a streak of 43 polls… Carroll has now been ranked in the top five in the last 66 straight polls dating back to Jan. 17, 2005 (2004 Postseason Top 25 Poll)… St. Francis boasts the longest consecutive stretch of being named in the Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – 130 straight mentions – the last time St. Francis was not mentioned in the Top 25 was Oct. 19, 1999… After St. Francis, Carroll is the next team in line with 117 straight Top 25 rankings, while Sioux Falls stands at 116 straight mentions… Since 2000, Carroll has been ranked No. 1 53 times, the highest amount of any program during that time span; Sioux Falls is second with 45 mentions at No. 1 followed by Georgetown (Ky.) with 14, Northwestern Oklahoma State with 11 and St. Francis with three.

2010 NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll – (Aug. 9)

Others receiving votes:

Georgetown College (Ky.) 12; Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 5; Shorter University (Ga.) 4; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 3; Benedictine College (Kan.) 1; Montana Tech 1; Sterling College (Kan.) 1; Peru State College (Neb.) 1

^ Ranking indicated in Spring Top 25 Poll (April 19, 2010)

Top 10 Team Capsules (Some information courtesy of schools):
1. Sioux Falls (S.D.): 2009 Record: 15-0... Conference finish: 1^st... Starters Returning/Lost: 12/14... Sioux Falls comes off its second straight and third National Championship in the last four years with a 25-22 victory over Lindenwood (Mo.)… Enters 2010 season on a school-record 29-game winning streak and four straight Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships… The defense returns four starters that ranked No. 1 in the NAIA last year in scoring (10.5 papg) and total defense (210.5 yapg)… Included in that returning unit is senior linebacker Dominic Studzinski, who was an All-GPAC First-Team selection and the 2009 National Championship Game Defensive MVP – he led the Cougars with 64 total tackles,16 tackles-for-loss and 8.5 sacks on the year… Sioux Falls is led by first-year head coach Jed Stugart, who at one point was the head coach at MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)… Last year, Sioux Falls set school records for total points scored (775), rushing yards (3,842), total offensive yardage (7,313), rushing touchdowns (50), offensive touchdowns (92) and first downs (201)… Last season, Sioux Falls posted 96 points on defense and special teams, which was more than four NAIA teams scored on offense… The Cougars lose Rawlings-NAIA Player of the Year quarterback Lorenzo Brown.

2. Lindenwood (Mo.): 2009 Record: 13-1... Conference finish: 1^st... Starters Returning/Lost: 12/14... Appeared in first-ever National Championship title game last season, losing 25-22 to Sioux Falls (S.D.)… Ranked first last year in the country in scoring offense per game (53.1 ppg) and was second in total scoring (744), which ranked in the top-10 all-time in all levels of college football… Offense reached the 60-point mark on five occasions last year and won by an average of over 35 points prior to its only loss in the National Championship… Expected back is sophomore running back and Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year Denodus O’Bryant, a preseason national player of the year candidate – he was first in the NAIA last year in total scoring (144), totaled 1,000 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns and averaged 9.6 yards per carry… Senior quarterback Philip Staback returns after throwing for 3,381 yards and 36 touchdowns as a junior… Lions lose two of their top-three receivers and AFCA All-America offensive center Jeff Hynes.

3. Carroll (Mont.): 2009 Record: 13-1... Conference finish: 1^st... Starters Returning/Lost: 15/11... Behind 11-year head coach Mike Van Diest, the Fighting Saints have won 10 straight Frontier Conference Championships... Senior tight end and 2009 AFCA All-American Bubba Bartlett returns after leading all NAIA tight ends last year with 83 receptions... Also back is senior linebacker Thomas Dolan and senior center Andy Fieseth, both All-Frontier Conference First-Team selections… Dolan was the Frontier Co-Defensive Player of the Year with 100 total tackles and 14.5 tackles-for-loss… Team ranked seventh last year in rushing offense (231.2 ypg) and the defense was sixth overall in scoring (16.1 papg)… Program has made 10 straight appearances in the Football Championship Series and has a 32-13 all-time record with five national titles in school history… Saints lose two-time All-Frontier Conference First-Team running back Gabe Le.

4. Saint Xavier (Ill.): 2009 Record: 13-1... Conference finish: 1^st ... Starters Returning/Lost: 18/8... Cougars made their second all-time appearance in the Semifinals of the Football Championship Series, losing 48-6 to Sioux Falls (S.D.)… Senior quarterback Anthony Kropp is back after engineering the nation’s top offense (516.0 ypg)… Kropp set school records in passing (4,425 yards) to go along with 43 touchdowns and a 62 completion percentage… Offense averaged 45.9 points and reached 50-plus points in nine of 14 games… Junior defensive lineman Patrick Appino returns after posting a team-high 7.0 sacks last year – he was a part of a defense to total 43.0 sacks, good for third nationally… Cougars lose AFCA All-American Mike Lally on defense.

5. Morningside (Iowa): 2009 Record: 10-2... Conference finish: 2^nd... Starters Returning/Lost: 11/15... Mustangs have appeared in six straight Football Championship Series, including five consecutive Quarterfinal trips... On offense, Morningside will have to replace its starting quarterback, running back and top receiver… Defense returns core unit, led by senior defensive lineman and All-Great Plains Athletic Conference First-Team selection Ben Haugen – he had 38 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks… As a team, the Mustangs ranked fourth in NAIA in scoring offense (45.1 ppg), seventh in total offense (464.1 ypg), seventh in scoring defense (17.0 ppg) and 11^th in rushing offense (209.8 ypg)… Morningside loses AFCA All-America running back Jake Peterson, who led the country in total rushing yards (1,624).

6. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.): 2009 Record: 10-2... Conference finish: 2^nd... Starters Returning/Lost: 16/10... AFCA All-America senior linebacker Jake Duren returns after a stand-out junior season (96 tackles, 20.0 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks)… In their third consecutive postseason appearance, the Pioneers advanced to the Quarterfinals before falling 34-13 to Carroll (Mont.)… Senior quarterback Tyler Herl, the Heart of America Athletic Conference Offensive MVP, is back after passing for 2,984 yards and 35 touchdowns… Herl loses one of his top targets, Jared Elmore (1,276 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns)… Offense ranked seventh in the NAIA in scoring (41.8 ppg) and eighth in total offense (455.7 ypg).

7. Lambuth (Tenn.): 2009 Record: 12-1… Conference finish: 1^st … Starters Returning/Lost: 16/10… Ranked fifth in the NAIA in pass offense (309.5 ypg) and eighth in scoring offense (38.1 ppg)… Reached the Quarterfinals of the Football Championship Series last year before losing 52-10 to Saint Xavier (Ill.)… Junior wide receiver Jefferson Rodrick returns after leading the team in receptions (74), yards (1,160) and touchdowns (12) – he was 11^th in the nation in receiving yards per game (96.7 ypg)… Second-year head coach Ron Dickerson was the former head coach at Temple University and Alabama State.

8. McKendree (Ill.): 2009 Record: 9-2… Conference finish: 1^st… Starters returning/Lost: 19/7… Finished sixth in the NAIA in rushing, marking the 13^th consecutive year that McKendree has placed in the top 10 in rushing… Senior tight end Byron Gettis became the first McKendree player to earn conference player of the year honors since 2002, after he totaled 472 yards on 30 catches… The offense averaged better than 400 yards per game in total offense for the first time in program history… The 7-0 record in MSFA Midwest League play marked the second undefeated conference mark in program history (2004)… McKendree’s nine-game win streak tied a team record… Head coach Carl Poelker won his 100^th game at McKendree last year – overall, he stands with 191 career collegiate wins which is fourth-most on the NAIA active list… Earned its eighth Football Championship Series berth since 1997 and its first since the 2005 campaign.

9. Ottawa (Kan.): 2009 Record: 11-1… Conference finish: 1^st… Starters returning/Lost: 13/13… On offense, Ottawa led the country in pass offense (413.8 ypg), ranked second in total offense (509.7 ypg) and sixth in scoring offense (44.0 ppg)… Returning from the record-setting offense is junior wide receiver Clarence Anderson, who led the country in receiving yards (1,699 yards) – Anderson tallied 94 catches and 22 touchdowns while setting eight offensive and special team school records… Senior defensive end Seth Homolka anchors the defensive line after a 10.5-sack performance last year… Braves lose two key offensive performers, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year Ethan Haller (broke eight offensive school records) and AFCA All-America wide receiver Corey Schultz (1,583 yards, 85 receptions and eight touchdowns.)

10. Missouri Valley: 2009 Record: 8-3... Conference finish: 3^rd ... Vikings are coming off their third appearance in the Football Championship Series in the last four years… Ranked first in the NAIA in rushing defense (48.9 yapg) and third in total defense (225.5 yapg)… Defense held seven of 11 opponents to 14 or fewer points last season… Senior quarterback Chris White, who was in the Top 25 nationally in several passing categories, returns this year after going for 2,436 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with a 142.8 passing efficiency… Vikings lose AFCA All-American Merlin Benefield on the defensive line.