Cowboys Picked Second

July 23, 2007

RICHARDSON, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' football team has been picked to place second in the American Southwest Conference in 2007 in the preseason poll of coaches, media and sports information directors. Defending champion Mary Hardin-Baylor was picked to win the league.

UMHB, which went 10-3 overall (8-0 in ASC) and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs last season, totaled 239 points and collected 24 of the possible 27 first-place votes - the highest number of top-spot picks ever in the annual preseason poll.

Hardin-Simmons, which garnered two first-place votes, was picked to finish second after totaling 217 points. Head coach Jimmie Keeling's Cowboys, who won a share of the ASC crown in 2003 and outright title in 2004, were a playoff team last season and finished with a record of 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the ASC.

Mississippi College took the third spot in the ASC preseason poll with 155 points. The Choctaws are coming off a 5-5 season (3-5 in ASC) in which they received attention in national polls. Only six points separated Howard Payne (127) and Texas Lutheran (121) for fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Sul Ross State University (116 pts.) - which went 4-4 in conference play to tie for third with TLU last season - was selected for a sixth-place finish. East Texas Baptist picked up the other first-place vote and totaled 105 points to land in the seventh spot, followed by Louisiana College (90 pts.) and McMurry University (45 pts.).

Sul Ross State running back T.J. Barber, UMHB linebacker Jerrell Freeman and Texas Lutheran kicker Holt Storrie were named the preseason offensive, defensive and special teams players of the year. All three are seniors.