West Chester Ranked 23rd In AFCA Preseason Poll

WACO, Texas – West Chester University's football team is ranked 23rd in the country by the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) it was announced Monday by that organization.

The Golden Rams are coming off an 11-2 record in 2014 and a second straight visit to the NCAA II Playoffs. West Chester finished last season ranked 15th by the AFCA, after falling to Concord (W.Va.) in the second round of the playoffs. The Rams ranked in the Top 10 nationally in three offensive categories and listed 11th overall in Division II in another. Likewise, WCU ranked among the Top 10 in a pair of defensive categories as well.

After making a great run to the national championship game last year, Minnesota State-Mankato opens up 2015 as the preseason favorite to win it all. Defending national champion Colorado State-Pueblo comes in at No. 2. They are followed by Minnesota-Duluth, West Georgia and Northwest Missouri State, who round out the Top 5.

There are only two Top 25 matchups in the first week of action. No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato hosts No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth, with bragging rights for the top spot in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference on the line. The second Top 25 matchup has No. 10 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) traveling to No. 23 West Chester (Pa.).

That game will be played on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at John A. Farrell Stadium. It is a rematch of the 2013 NCAA DII national semifinal, which was won by Lenoir-Rhyne.

Rank   School (1st votes)                               Rec.        Pts.     Rank*     
    1.     Minnesota St.-Mankato (9)                   14-1        751      2               
    2.     Colorado St.-Pueblo (16)                      14-1        747      1               
    3.     Minnesota-Duluth (3)                            13-1        648      3              
    4.     West Georgia (3)                                  12-3        632      6               
    5.     Northwest Missouri St. (1)                    10-2        623      14              
    6.     Ferris St. (Mich.)                                   11-1        601      11            
    7.     Pittsburg St. (Kan.)                               11-2        557      7               
    8.     Ohio Dominican                                    11-2        526      4               
    9.     Concord (W.Va.)                                   13-1        477      5              
    10.   Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)                             11-1        431      8              
    11.   Bloomsburg (Pa.)                                  11-2        422      12           
    12.   Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)                          10-1       381      9              
    13.   Angelo St. (Texas)                                 9-3         376      20            
    14.   Delta St. (Miss.)                                     9-2         369      13            
    15.   North Alabama                                       9-2         358      16            
    16.   Valdosta St. (Ga.)                                 10-3         286      10            
    17.   Sioux Falls (S.D.)                                  11-1        277      18            
    18.   Colorado School of Mines                    10-2        189      19            
    19.   Azusa Pacific (Calif.)                             10-1        175      23            
    20.   Winston-Salem St. (N.C.)                      9-2          142      24             
    21.   Harding (Ark.)                                        9-2          129      17            
    22.   Texas A&M-Commerce                         9-3          127      NR            
    23.   West Chester (Pa.)                              11-2       125      15            
    24.   Grand Valley St. (Mich.)                        6-5          119      NR           
    25.   Slippery Rock (Pa.)                               9-3          111      NR
*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2014

Others Receiving Votes: Indianapolis (Ind.), 109; Tuskegee (Ala.), 101; Michigan Tech, 64; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 63; Ashland (Ohio), 56; Gannon (Pa.), 46; Shepherd (W.Va.), 46; West Texas A&M, 44; Virginia St., 41; Midwestern St. (Texas), 39; Albany St. (Ga.), 37; Central Missouri, 37; Henderson St. (Ark.), 28; American International (Mass.), 24; North Carolina-Pembroke, 12; Wayne St. (Mich.), 12; Central Washington, 11; Tarleton St. (Texas), 11; California (Pa.), 7; Charleston (W.Va.), 6; Truman St. (Mo.), 6; Central Oklahoma, 5; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 4; Humboldt St. (Calif.), 3; LIU-Post (N.Y.), 3; East Central (Okla.), 2; Newberry (S.C.), 2; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 1; Southeastern Oklahoma St., 1.