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Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index
EDINBORO, PA - With the 2004 season less than two weeks away the preseason honors continue to pour in for the Edinboro University football team. The Fighting Scots are ranked 23rd in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll. It marks the fourth national ranking to include the Fighting Scots.
Previously Edinboro was ranked 13th in Street & Smith's College Football Preseason NCAA Division II Top 25, 14th in Lindy's College Football Top 25, and 24th in Football Gazette's Top 40.
In addition, sophomore free safety Raji El-Amin (Rochester, NY/Wilson Magnet) has been named to his third preseason All-America Team. He was named to the D2Football.com Pre-Season All-American first team. He was earlier named to the Street & Smith's and Lindy's preseason All-American squads.
Three other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams show up in D2Football.com's Top 25. Leading the way is Indiana(Pa.), who was 10-1 a year ago. The Indians are ranked 11th. Shippensburg, the pre-season favorite in the PSAC West Coach's Poll, is ranked 24th, while Bloomsburg, the Eastern Division pre-season number one pick, is ranked 25th.
A year ago Edinboro and IUP were co-champions of the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots finished the year with a 9-3 record, making the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 1995. Head coach Lou Tepper's squad lost to then top-ranked Saginaw Valley State in the first round of the playoffs. IUP finished with a 10-1 ledger.
Grand Valley State, seeking its third straight national championship, is ranked first, followed by North Dakota State. Saginaw Valley State is third, with Texas A&M-Kingsville and Carson-Newman rounding out the top five.
El-Amin was named to several All-American teams as a true freshman, including earning third team Associated Press Little All-America honors. He was also a second team D2Football.com All-American and was named to the Football Gazette All-America third team The 5'10", 170 lb. sophomore was also named the PSAC West Rookie of the Year.
El-Amin set new school records for interceptions (9) and interception yards (158). He ranked eighth in Division II in interceptions, and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 60.
Edinboro opens the 2004 season on Saturday, September 4, hosting East Stroudsburg. The Warriors were 8-3 a year ago.
~ Fighting Scots ~
D2FOOTBALL.COM 2004 NCAA DIVISION II PRE-SEASON TOP 25 |
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RATING |
TEAM |
2003 RECORD |
|
|---|---|---|---|
1. |
Grand Valley State |
14-1 |
|
2. |
North Dakota |
13-1 |
|
3. |
Saginaw Valley State |
12-1 |
|
4. |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
11-2 |
|
5. |
Carson-Newman |
11-2 |
|
6. |
Valdosta State |
10-2 |
|
7. |
North Alabama |
13-1 |
|
8. |
Pittsburg State |
9-3 |
|
9. |
Central Missouri |
9-2 |
|
10. |
Delta State |
9-2 |
|
11. |
Indiana(Pa.) |
10-1 |
|
12. |
Catawba |
9-2 |
|
13. |
Mesa State |
10-2 |
|
14. |
Central Oklahoma |
9-3 |
|
15. |
Tarleton State |
8-4 |
|
16. |
Nebraska-Omaha |
8-3 |
|
17. |
Winona State |
11-2 |
|
18. |
Northwest Missouri State |
8-3 |
|
19. |
Bentley |
10-1 |
|
20. |
Emporia State |
9-3 |
|
21. |
Southern Arkansas |
9-3 |
|
22. |
Tusculum |
9-2 |
|
23. |
EDINBORO |
9-3 |
|
24. |
Shippensburg |
8-3 |
|
25. |
Bloomsburg |
7-4 |
|
Other PSAC teams in italics |
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Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index
Created on ... August 23, 2004