Aug. 3, 2009

Click here for the complete release |  Chuck Martin Speaks at GLIAC Media Day

Bay City, Mich. - The head football coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose Grand Valley State University, four-time defending league champions, to win the 2009 GLIAC football title in preseason balloting. The league's 12 head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their team. The first-place team on each ballot received 11 points, while second received 10 points, etc. The poll was released in conjunction with the league's football media day luncheon held Monday at the Doubletree Hotel in Bay City, Michigan.

The Lakers outdistanced Ashland University by 14 points in the voting (121-107) and garnered 11 first-place votes. Ashland posted a second-place league finish in 2008 and received the lone remaining first-place nod. Grand Valley State enters the 2009 campaign having won four straight GLIAC titles, 40 consecutive GLIAC tilts and 42 straight regular season games. The Lakers' last regular season defeat came in the eighth game of the 2004 campaign. In addition, the Lakers are ranked number one in the country in a preseason publication for the eighth consecutive year (Sporting News DII Preview). Grand Valley State will open practice Thursday (Aug. 6) afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in preparation for the 2009 season.

Michigan Technological University placed third in the balloting with 94 points. The closest balloting between teams was for fourth and fifth place, where Wayne State University (89) finished four points ahead of Saginaw Valley State University (85). Hillsdale College tallied 71 points and finished in sixth place. The biggest gap came between seventh and eighth place where Ferris State University (66) sailed over Indianapolis (51) by fifteen points. The University of Findlay narrowly edged out Northern Michigan University for ninth place. The Oilers recorded just five more points (38-33) than the Wildcats in the balloting. Northwood University finished nine points ahead of Tiffin University for 11th place (24-13) to round out the poll.