NEWS RELEASE

100 Legends Lane • Waco, Texas 76706 • (254) 776-5900 • Fax: (254) 776-3744 • www.afca.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 9, 2010 AFCA CONTACT: Vince Thompson, Director of Media Relations 254 754-9900

NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE OPENS 2010 SEASON AT NO. 1 IN THE AFCA DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL

WACO, TEX.– Northwest Missouri State, fresh off of their third national championship in 2009, opens up 2010 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. This is the second time since the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll started in 2000 that the Bearcats have begun the season ranked No. 1. Northwest Missouri State received 22 first place votes, while 2009 national runner-up Grand Valley State (Mich.) received three and comes in ranked No. 2. North Alabama received the final first place vote, and is ranked No. 3, with Minnesota-Duluth and Central Washington rounding out the Top 5.

2010 Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches’ Poll – August 9, 2010

2009 2009 Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Rank* Season Opener Head Coach 1. Northwest Missouri St. (22) 14-1 645 1 Sept. 2 vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Kingsville 2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (3) 13-2 621 2 Sept. 2 vs. No. 11 West Texas A&M Matt Mitchell 3. North Alabama (1) 11-2 580 6 Sept. 4 vs. Henderson St. (Ark.) Terry Bowden 4. Minnesota-Duluth 11-2 549 5 Aug. 28 at No. 5 Central Washington 5. Central Washington 12-1 499 3 Aug. 28 vs. No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth Blaine Bennett 6. California (Pa.) 11-4 489 7 Sept. 4 at No. 14 Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) John Luckhardt 7. Abilene Christian (Texas) 9-4 435 13 Sept. 4 at No. 10 Washburn (Kan.) Chris Thomsen 8. West Liberty (W.Va.) 11-2 406 9 Sept. 4 vs. Edinboro (Pa.) Roger Waialae 9. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 11-3 400 4 Aug. 28 vs. Winona St. (Minn.) Ken Sparks 10. Washburn (Kan.) 8-3 339 25 Aug. 28 at Colorado School of Mines Craig Schurig 11. West Texas A&M 7-5 337 NR Sept. 2 at No. 2 Grand Valley St. (Mich.) Don Carthel 12. West Alabama 8-5 313 21 Aug. 28 vs. Shorter (Ga.) Bobby Wallace 13. Nebraska-Kearney 11-2 296 8 Aug. 28 vs. Wayne St. (Neb.) Darrell Morris 14. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) 9-3 235 19 Sept. 4 vs. No. 6 California (Pa.) Jim Collins 15. Nebraska-Omaha 7-5 232 NR Sept. 4 vs. No. 13 Nebraska-Kearney Pat Behrns 16. Texas A&M-Kingsville 9-3 216 16 Sept. 2 at No. 1 Northwest Missouri St. Bo Atterberry 17. Tuskegee (Ala.) 10-2 210 17 Sept. 4 vs. Benedict (S.C.) Willie Slater 18. Hillsdale (Mich.) 10-3 188 11 Sept. 3 vs. Ferris St. (Mich.) Keith Otterbein 19. Midwestern St. (Texas) 9-3 163 14 Sept. 2 at New Mexico Highlands Bill Maskill 20. Missouri Western St. 9-3 160 NR Sept. 2 vs. Mesa St. (Colo.) Jerry Partridge 21. Minnesota St.-Mankato 10-2 127 12 Sept. 2 vs. Northern Michigan 22. West Chester (Pa.) 7-4 122 NR Sept. 2 at Delaware Bill Zwaan 23. North Carolina-Pembroke 9-2 115 20 Sept. 4 vs. Fayetteville St. (N.C.) 24. Delta St. (Miss.) 5-5 93 NR Sept. 4 at Jackson St. (Miss.) Ron Roberts 25. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 8-4 74 NR Sept. 4 at Pace (N.Y.) Denny Douds *– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2009

Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Commerce, 73; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 59; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 56; Wingate (N.C.), 49; Bloomsburg (Pa.), 34; Tarleton St. (Texas), 32; Albany St. (Ga.), 30; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 28; Colorado School of Mines, 27; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 17; Benedict (S.C.), 16; Morehouse (Ga.), 15; Indiana (Pa.), 14; Shaw (N.C.), 14; West Virginia St., 14; Augustana (S.D.), 13; Findlay (Ohio), 13; Winona St. (Minn.), 13; Central Missouri, 11; Charleston (W.Va.), 11; Shippensburg (Pa.), 11; Angelo St. (Texas), 9; Shepherd (W.Va.), 9; Bentley (Mass.), 8; Chadron St. (Neb.), 6; Southern Connecticut St., 6; Arkansas Tech, 4; Southeastern Oklahoma St., 4; Edinboro (Pa.), 3; C.W. Post (N.Y.), 2; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 1; Henderson St. (Ark.), 1; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 1; Wayne St. (Neb.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.

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