WEST LIBERTY – The start of the 2010 football season may be more than three months away but the national spotlight is already shining brightly on the West Liberty University football program.
Two of the nation’s most prestigious college football preview magazines – The Sporting News and Lindy’s – have coach Roger Waialae’s defending West Virginia Conference champion Hilltoppers listed at No. 3 in their NCAA Division II preseason rankings.
Both magazines were released nationally on Tuesday.
“Obviously, it’s more important where you’re ranked at the end of the season than at the beginning but we certainly appreciate the recognition,” Waialae said after learning about the highest preseason ranking ever for a West Virginia Conference team.
“It brings a lot of positive attention to the university and our program.”
Coming off an 11-2 season which saw West Liberty lead the nation in scoring and total offense while advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs, the Hilltoppers were the only team to land three players on The Sporting News’ Preseason All-America list – quarterback Zach Amedro, tight end Ryan Travis and wide receiver Kashif Walls.
Amedro was Lindy’s choice as the Preseason NCAA Division II Offensive Player of the Year and joined Travis on Lindy’s first-team All-America unit. Walls was a second-team All-American selection by Lindy’s.
Amedro led the nation with 49 touchdown passes a year ago while passing for 4,945 yards, the second-highest total in NCAA Division II history. With 10,675 passing yards already in the books, he’s just 1,209 yards away from the WVIAC career record of 11,884 yards held by Joey Conrad of Glenville State (2002-05).
The runner-up for last year’s Harlon Hill Award as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Amedro is also within range of the national record of 14,350 yards. That mark was set by Jimmy Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg (Pa.) from 2003-06.
Travis set a West Liberty single-season record with 104 catches for 1,250 yards and 14 scores while Walls had 61 catches for 1,321 yards and a WVIAC-record 21 touchdowns.
The Hilltopper offense also returns All-Region tailback Kevon Calhoun, who rushed for a school-record 1,529 yards and scored a school-record 22 touchdowns last fall.
They’re among nearly 30 seniors – including most of the starters – who return from last year’s 11-2 team, which led the nation in scoring and total offense while rolling to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
“We got a taste of success a year ago and it just made our guys hungry for more,” Waialae said. “We had a great spring and this will provide even more motivation for everyone to come back in August ready to pick up where we left off.”
West Liberty kicks off the 2010 season at home on Sept. 4 when it hosts Edinboro (Pa.).
Edinboro, ranked No. 9 by The Sporting News (No. 24 by Lindy’s), will be playing its second straight game at Russek Field after West Liberty hung an 84-63 loss on the Fighting Scots in the second round of last fall’s NCAA Division II playoffs.
Sporting News Division II Top 25
1. Northwest Missouri State
2. Grand Valley State
3. WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
4. Minnesota-Duluth
5. California (Pa.)
6. Nebraska-Kearney
7. Central Washington
8. UNC Pembroke
9. Edinboro (Pa.)
10. North Alabama
11. Carson-Newman (Tenn.)
12. Minnesota State
13. Hillsdale (Mich.)
14. Abilene Christian (Texas)
15. Tarleton State (Texas)
16. Missouri Western
17. Tuskegee (Ala.)
18. Texas A&M-Kingsville
19. Shippensburg (Pa.)
20. Saginaw Valley State (Mich.)
21. East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
22. West Texas A&M
23. Arkansas Tech
24. West Alabama
25. Midwestern State (Texas)
