Jan. 10, 2007

A-10 Coaches Polls in PDF Format
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PHILADELPHIA - The Atlantic 10 Conference released its predictions for the 2007 spring season on Monday as selected by the A-10 coaches. Among the highlights is UD women's track and field, which was picked to finish fourth. Flyer baseball and women's rowing, which were each picked to place fifth.

Below are the predictions for each team along with a short preview:

BASEBALL
The Flyers are picked to finish fifth in the 14-team A-10, which is the largest baseball conference in the nation. UD was third last season after a school record 18 conference wins and a 33-24 record overall under the direction of Head Coach Tony Vittorio who enters his eighth season at UD this spring. The Flyers will be playing for their third straight trip to the postseason behind seniors Michael Massa and Kyle Lindsay, who were selected as "Players to Watch" by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The site for the 2007 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be Fifth Third Field in Dayton, OH. The 7,230-seat facility is the home of the Dayton Dragons, the Class-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The six-team, double-elimination championship will be held May 23-26.

UD begins its 2007 season with a three-game series at Wofford on Feb. 10 & 11. Dayton plays host to its home opening series against Youngstown State on Feb. 17 & 18 at Time Warner Cable Stadium.

SOFTBALL
Dayton was picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic 10, but has plans to make improvements on a young team that finished 18-30 overall and 8-12 in conference play last season. Head Coach Jodi Eickemeyer enters her 12th season at UD with 16 returning letterwinners including Mollie Schrank and Christine Eggers, who each hit above .300 last season.

The Flyers will be playing for a spot in the 2007 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship at the University of Massachusetts on May 9-12. UD begins its 2007 season with the Fifth Annual Hospitality House Classic hosted by Tennessee-Martin on Feb. 17 & 18. The home opener for Dayton will be Thursday, March 8 when the Flyers host Oakland in a doubleheader at 2 p.m.

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
After a school-record fourth place finish in 2006, the UD women's outdoor track and field team was picked to finish fifth in the 2007 A-10 Championships this Spring. Second-year Head Coach Kandice Erwin may be able to improve upon last year's results with the return of 2006 A-10 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer Amy Kremer, who won the heptathlon and high jump last season. Dayton looks particularly strong in the field events and has a number of strong multi-event athletes including freshman Micailah Brock and senior Candace McKinley.

The A-10 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by Charlotte on May 5-6. UD will resume its indoor season on Friday at the BSU Open in Muncie, Ind. leading towards the A-10 Indoor Championships on Feb. 17 at the University of Rhode Island. The outdoor schedule begins with the Hurricane Invitiational in Miami, Fla on March 15-17.

WOMEN'S ROWING
UD was picked to finish fifth in the A-10 Women's Rowing Championships this spring despite top three finishes in each of the past two years. After a preseason prediction of sixth last year, Dayton placed third behind the strong performance of a nationally-ranked lightweight eight shell that won the A-10 Title for the second consecutive season.

Third-year Head Coach Mike Farrey will look to surprise the rest of the A-10 again when the 2007 Conference Championships take place on April 21 at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, NJ. The spring schedule begins on Saturday, March 24 when the Flyers host a dual meet with Duquesne.

MEN'S GOLF
Flyer men's golf was selected to repeat its eighth place finish from last season, but second-year Head Coach Drew Tyrer has plans to improve with the return of 2006 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Rob Chappell as well as the addition of freshman Kenny Wittenberg who earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors this Fall.

The Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Championship returns to Winter Garden, Fla. for the second consecutive season at Orange County National Golf Course. UD resumes its season with the Charleston Southern Spring Kickoff on Feb. 19 & 20. Dayton will also host the UD Invitational on April 23 & 24 at NCR Country Club.

MEN'S TENNIS
Dayton was picked to finish seventh at the Atlantic 10 Championships this season after a fourth place finish last season. Two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Steve Brumbaugh looks for another bright spring for the Flyers behind the play of returning All A-10 picks Tom Murphy and James O'Connell.

The 2007 A-10 Men's Tennis Championship will be hosted at Oxford Athletic Club in Monroeville, Pa. on April 5-7. UD begins its spring schedule on Friday, Jan. 19 with a dual match at Eastern Kentucky. The first home match for the Flyers is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 27 against Toledo.

WOMEN'S TENNIS
The Flyers were selected to place 11th at this year's A-10 Championships and take a much more experienced team into this spring than they did last year. UD placed 10th last year with a roster that did not include any seniors. Second-year Head Coach Erica Echko will look for juniors Megan Gray and Allysa Detroy to lead the Flyer roster this spring.

The 2007 A-10 Women's Tennis Championship will take place at Oxford Athletic Club in Monroeville, Pa. on April 20-22. Dayton resumes its schedule on Saturday, Jan. 20 with a dual match at Miami (Ohio). UD then plays host to IPFW on Saturday, Jan. 27.