Aug. 23, 2005

Complete A-10 Preseason Polls in PDF Format
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PHILADELPHIA - With the fall sports season ready to begin this weekend, the head coaches from the Atlantic 10 Conference have predicted how the season will unfold in the Preseason Coaches Polls, which were released Tuesday.

The Dayton women's soccer team was picked to win its eighth-straight Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship this season. UD was picked ahead of A-10 newcomer Saint Louis, Richmond, Rhode Island, Charlotte and La Salle.

The Flyers are coming off a school record 20-2-0 season which saw the team win its record eighth Atlantic 10 regular season title overall, fifth A-10 tournament title and make its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. Dayton begins its 2005 campaign this weekend with a pair of road matches. UD will play at No. 18 West Virginia Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a Sunday match at Ohio starting at 1 p.m.

UD was also picked to finish first in the A-10 West Division volleyball race ahead of Saint Louis, Xavier, Duquesne and Rhode Island.

Last year, Dayton won its third Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship while also claiming the A-10 Tournament crown for the second consecutive season after a 23-9 campaign. The Flyers also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years. UD begins its 2005 slate with matches against Bradley and Eastern Illinois at the Pepsi Challenge in Charleston, Ill.

The UD men's soccer team was picked to place seventh under the direction of first-year head coach Dennis Currier. The Flyers trailed A-10 newcomers Saint Louis and Charlotte as well as George Washington, Duquesne, Rhode Island and Temple.

Dayton finished second in the A-10 regular season in 2004 before falling in the A-10 semifinals and ending their year with an 11-7-1 record. The Flyers have the top returning scorer in the A-10 in Omar Jarun, who had nine goals overall including an A-10 best five game winners. Dayton defeated No. 18 Ohio State 2-1, Sunday in an exhibition match. The Flyers have another exhibition match at home Saturday against Valparaiso at 7 p.m. UD begins its 2005 regular season schedule at Cincinnati on Sunday, September 4 with a 1 p.m. match.

The UD men's and women's cross country teams were each picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic 10 this season after seventh and ninth place finishes respectively in the 2004 Atlantic 10 Championships.

Both Flyer squads will hold a pair of home meets to begin the season. The Red/Blue 5K scrimmage begins the action on Saturday at 8 a.m. Dayton will then begin its regular season with the Flyer 5K on September 3. Both events will take place at Indian Riffle Park adjacent to the Kettering Recreation Complex.