Greenville Football Chosen as Favorite in UMAC Preseason Poll

Published: April 13, 2021

GREENVILLE, Ill. - After completing their second consecutive winning season and taking third place in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last season, the Greenville College football program is expected to lead the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's south division this season as it enters a new conference. The reintroduction of football in the SLIAC lasted just one year, but with its conclusion, the Greenville football program accepted a new opportunity in the UMAC, which has invited Eureka, Greenville, MacMurray, and Westminster (Mo.) as affiliate members.

The Panthers, under the direction of head coach Eric Hehman, ranked first of four teams in their division in the preseason coaches' poll, gaining all three first place votes that they were eligible to receive. In the north division, Northwestern (Minn.), led by former Panther head coach Kirk Talley, was the favorite and gained all four first place votes that they could receive. Greenville and Northwestern play each other on Friday, Oct. 30, in the UMAC's annual Dome Day.

The 2008 season saw Greenville finish third in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a record of 6-4 (5-2 SLIAC), while picking up a key non-conference win against Rose-Hulman which boosted them to five conference victories over their remaining seven games.

This year's squad features a group of 19 starters that is headlined by The Sporting News' NCAA Division III preseason All-American tight end Zach Friedrich. Greenville's defense led the nation in takeaways during the regular season and was also ranked second nationally in interceptions.

2008 SLIAC first team all-conference defensive lineman Alex Holmes is expected to be a playmaker once again while Holmes' fellow all-conference teammate in Edgar Townsend returns for his final campaign.

Following the divisional model in 2009, the UMAC will move to a one-division league in 2010, where all nine teams will battle for one conference championship. Beginning in 2011, the UMAC will receive an automatic qualifier from the NCAA, awarding the league champion a berth in the NCAA tournament.

All nine UMAC schools will be in action beginning on Sept. 5, with conference play beginning on Sept. 26. Dome Day, the UMAC's pinnacle football event that features five games in one day at the H.H.H. Metrodome in Minneapolis, is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30.

2009 UMAC Football Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
South Division Rankings (First Place Votes)
1. Greenville (3)
2. Westminster (Mo.) (1)
3. Eureka
4. MacMurray

North Division Rankings (First Place Votes)
1. Northwestern (Minn.) (4)
2. Martin Luther (1)
3. Crown
4. St. Scholastica
5. Minnesota - Morris

For more information, please contact
B.J. Schneck
Sports Information Director
(618) 664-6621
william.schneck@greenville.edu