Wingate Ranked 14th in Preseason AFCA Poll

Defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate was tabbed No. 14 in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II preseason football poll, which was released on Monday.

The Bulldogs finished last season, in which they advanced to the NCAA Football Championship Regional Semifinals, ranked 20th in the poll.

Wingate finished 2010 with an overall record of 9-3 - the most wins in a season in program history - and went 6-1 in the SAC. In total, the Bulldogs broke 35 school records en route to their first conference title. WU has been favored by the league's coaches to repeat as champions in 2011.

Carson-Newman, Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne also received votes in the AFCA poll.

Defending National Champion Minnesota-Duluth opens the season ranked No. 1.

The full AFCA preseason coaches' poll can be found here.