BIG SKY CONFERENCE CONTACT: JON KASPER 2491 WASHINGTON BLVD, SUITE 201 ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER/MEDIA RELATIONS OGDEN, UT, 84401 801.392.1978 X-16 [email protected]

EWU RANKED NO. 1 IN SPORTS NETWORK/FATHEAD.COM POLL BIGSKYCONF.COM FACEBOOK.COM/BIGSKYCONF OGDEN, UTAH (Aug. 15, 2011) Defending Division I football national champion Eastern Washington is tabbed No. 1 in the preseason Sports Network/Fathead.com Football Championship Subdivision top 25. TWITTER.COM/BIGSKYCONF BIGSKYCONFERENCE.BLOGSPOT.COM The poll was released on Monday. Media, sports information directors and other dignitaries comprised the 140 voting members in the first poll.

Beau Baldwin’s Eagles earned 90 first-place votes and 3,377 total points. Appalachian SPORTS NETWORK/FATHEAD.COM State is second with 14 first-place votes and 3,142 total points. Eastern Washington is slated to return 15 starters from its national championship PRESEASON TOP 25 team, which beat Delaware 20-19 in the title game. The Eagles will be led by senior , junior wide receiver , senior center Team (1st votes) 2010 Points Chris Powers, senior defensive tackle Renard Williams, and senior safety Matt Record Johnson. 1. E. WASHINGTON (90) 13-2 3,377 2. APPALACHIAN ST. (14) 10-3 3,142 The Eagles put their 11-game winning streak on the line when it opens the season on 3. WILLIAM & MARY (20) 8-4 3,110 Saturday, Sept. 3, against the Washington Hukies of the Pac-12. 4. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (11) 10-5 3,095 5. DELAWARE (2) 12-3 2,806 Eastern Washington is one of four teams in the inaugural poll. 6. MONTANA STATE 9-3 2,623 Montana State was selected sixth, followed by Montana at 12 and Sacramento State 7. NORTHERN IOWA 7-5 2,452 at 24. Montana State earned 2,623 points, while Montana tallied 1,668. Sacramento 8. WOFFORD 10-3 2,357 State received 587. 9. JACKSONVILLE ST. 9-3 2,028 10. NEW HAMPSHIRE (1) 8-5 2,025 Montana State and Eastern Washington shared the 2010 Big Sky Championship. The 11. NORTH DAKOTA ST. 9-5 1,720 Bobcats finished 9-3 in 2010, falling to North Dakota State in the second round of the 12. MONTANA 7-4 1,668 Division I playoffs. The Bobcats are led by sophomore quarterback DeNarius McGhee, 13. LEHIGH 10-3 1,351 the co-Big Sky offensive MVP in 2010. 14. VILLANOVA (2) 9-5 1,262 15. JAMES MADISON 6-5 1,247 Montana is coming off a 7-4 campaign in which it failed to make the playoffs for the 16. RICHMOND 6-5 987 first time since 1992. The Grizzlies are led by senior cornerback Trumaine Johnson, a 17. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 9-3 969 candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award. 18. CENTRAL ARKANSAS 7-4 961 Sacramento State cracked the top 25 for the first time since Sept. 10, 2000. The 19. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 5-6 934 Hornets are coming off a 6-5 season, and return a host of talented players, including 20. MCNEESE STATE 6-5 701 senior defensive end Zack Nash and senior quarterback Jeff Fleming. 21. CHATTANOOGA 6-5 672 22. LIBERTY 8-3 630 Only the Colonial Athletic Association has more teams represented in the top 25. 23. SOUTH CAROLINA ST. 9-3 628 Seven CAA teams are ranked, including No. 3 William & Mary. The Tribe earned 20 24. SACRAMENTO ST. 6-5 587 first-place votes and 3,110 points. Delaware is ranked fifth. The Blue Hens received 25. UMASS 6-5 519 two first-place votes and 2,806 total points. New Hampshire (10), Villanova (14), OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: PENN 456, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 425, SOUTH- James Madison (15), Richmond (16) and Massachusetts (25) rounded out the CAA EAST MISSOURI STATE 341, MURRAY STATE 315, WESTERN ILLINOIS 247, contingent. SOUTHERN UTAH 240, JACKSONVILLE 215, CAL POLY 168, STONY BROOK 163, GRAMBLING STATE 146, EASTERN KENTUCKY 139, JACKSON STATE 76, Four teams from the Southern Conference are also ranked. Following Appalachian St FLORIDA A&M 76, COLGATE 75, SAM HOUSTON STATE 75, HARVARD 54, ate is Georgia Southern at No. 4. The Eagles received 11 first-place votes and 3,095 INDIANA STATE 51, UC DAVIS 48, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 40, YOUNGSTOWN total points. STATE 28, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 26, COASTAL CAROLINA 25, DAYTON 21, NORTHWESTERN STATE 20, NORTHERN ARIZONA 18, ELON Northern Arizona (18), Weber State (13), and Northern Colorado (10) also received 16, YALE 15, WEBER STATE 13, ILLINOIS STATE 12, TENNESSEE TECH 12, votes. RHODE ISLAND 11, MAINE 10, ALBANY 10, TEXAS SOUTHERN 10, NORTHERN Three teams who will join the Big Sky Conference in 2012 also earned votes. South- COLORADO 10, FURMAN 10, BROWN 8, SOUTH DAKOTA 7, OLD DOMINION 5, ern Utah earned 240 points, Cal Poly garnered 168, and UC Davis netted 48. Those COLUMBIA 5, MISSOURI STATE 2, ROBERT MORRIS 2, HAMPTON 1, DUQUESNE three along with the University of North Dakota will join the Big Sky on July 1, 2012. All 1, UT MARTIN 1. four teams will compete in the Great West Conference in 2011.

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