NSIC Preseason Football Coaches Poll Release
Wayne State College was picked to finish fourth in the Northern Sun Conference South Division and sixth overall in the 2010 Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll released Tuesday morning by the league office in St. Paul, Minnesota. League coaches tabbed Wildcat senior wide receiver Frederick Bruno and senior linebacker Anthony Hale as Wildcat players to watch in the NSIC this season. Minnesota Duluth was the unanimous selection to repeat as the league champion in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season while UMD and Minnesota State were chosen as the top teams in the North and South Divisions respectively.
The Wildcats received a total of 24 points in the South Division poll, trailing Minnesota State (36), Augustana (27) and Winona State (26). Southwest Minnesota State (15), Concordia-St. Paul (13) and Upper Iowa (6) round out the South Division poll. In the North Division, Minnesota Duluth was a unanimous choice with 36 points followed by St. Cloud State (29), Bemidji State (28), University of Mary (20), Northern State (17), MSU Moorhead (11) and Minnesota, Crookston (6).
In the overall preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll, Minnesota Duluth received 13 of 14 first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and 169 points followed by Minnesota State with the remaining first place vote and 157 points. Augustana and St. Cloud State tied for third with 125 points with Bemidji State in fifth at 122 points. Wayne State came in sixth at 116 points with Winona State (114), University of Mary (74), Southwest Minnesota State (73) and Concordia-St. Paul (72) filling out the top 10. Northern State (45), Upper Iowa (41), MSU Moorhead (26) and Minnesota, Crookston (15) conclude the 2010 Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll.
Seniors Frederick Bruno and Anthony Hale were tabbed as Wildcat Players to Watch in the NSIC this season by league coaches. Bruno, a 5-8, 210 pound senior wide receiver/kick returner from Miami, Florida, was an AFCA Division II All-American wide receiver last season for the Wildcats after topping the NSIC in receptions and receiving yards per game. He finished with 77 catches for 1,163 yards and ranked third in NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards per game (197.27). Bruno ranked seventh in NCAA Division II last season in receiving yards per game and was 11th in receptions per game. He is a CDS (Consensus Draft Services) Pre Season All-American kick returner entering this season after averaging 22.5 yards per kickoff return last season.
Hale, a 5-10, 205 pound linebacker from Dale City, California, is Wayne State's top returning tackler after notching 59 tackles and a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss last season. He finished tied for the team lead in interceptions with four for 117 return yards and also had 6.5 sacks for the Wildcats last season to earn All-NSIC South Division Second Team Defensive honors.
Wayne State College finished the 2009 season with an 8-3 overall record, going 7-3 in the NSIC to finish in a tie for third place. The Wildcats open the 2010 season on the road at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m. and play their home opener on Saturday, September 11 against Minnesota, Crookston at 1:00 p.m.
