By Eric Sieger
Alma SID

OLIVET, Mich.- Large numbers, high expectations and the new automatic qualifier were the major themes as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, America's oldest collegiate conference, kicked off its second century of college football with the 1999 Media Day, held at Olivet College today.

The preseason poll, which included media members voting for the first time, had defending champion Albion atop the rankings, garnering 20 first place votes. Hope was second, gathering four first-place tallies, while Adrian was third with a lone first-place vote. The poll was rounded out in order by Alma, Kalamazoo, Defiance and Olivet.

"I think to succeed in this league, you need talent, solid coaching, and great team chemistry, along with some luck," remarked Adrian head coach Jim Lyall. But with only two returning starting quarterbacks out of the seven league teams, the program that develops its new signal-caller the quickest may find itself in the driver's seat for the new automatic qualifier.

"The AQ should make the league schedule more interesting and intense," said Albion head man Craig Rundle. But it will also allow some flexibility in the early season, according to Hope head coach Dean Kreps. "We can try some things out in the preseason" with less of a risk.

Following is a team-by-team look at the MIAA schools, in order of D3football.com's predicted order of finish.

Albion (8-2, 6-0 MIAA): The Britons, whose only two losses in 1998 came at the hands of three-time defending champion Mount Union, nearly ended the Purple Raiders reign in Division III in 1998, as they missed a 30-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to lose by two points in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs.

"People ask me how I slept after that game, and I tell them I slept like a baby: I woke up every two hours crying," joked Rundle (14-5, two seasons).

On a serious note, senior quarterback Jason Whalen (132-231, 1,847 yds, 19 TD) returns as the top QB in the league. His top targets figure to be Clay Crooks and Ryan Sergeant.

Defense, the strength of the Britons in 1998, could key on how the team replaces its four lineman, who all graduated. The linebacking unit and secondary remain intact, led by senior defensive back Adam Rojeski and sophomore linebacker Nick Loafman The defensive corps should also be strengthen by the return of senior Ben Gilter and junior Aaron Lewis, who each missed all of 1998 due to injury.

"Repeating will be a challenge," said Rundle. But if he can find adequate replacements in the trenches, the Britons could make a march deep into the postseason.

Alma (5-4, 3-3): Head coach Jim Cole (38-34, eight seasons) knows that replacing MIAA Offensive MVP Jason VanDerMaas will not be easy, but he chooses to put his focus elsewhere."Everyone is focused on what we don't have coming back, but we're looking forward to what is coming back."

What has the Scots excited is the return of nine defensive starters, seven of which are seniors. Senior defensive back Dustin Armstrong returns, as he has led the team in tackles the last two seasons. Senior Tim Webb paces an experienced linebacking group, while junior Dan Sweetman and senior Zack Workman also return in the secondary to join Armstrong. Seniors Aaron White, Bryan Roberts, Gavin McMackin and Mike Wenzel return up front.

The all-important quarterback position will be a battle between senior Josh Wakefield and junior Brandon Wrobel. They will find a bevy of pass-catchers awaiting them in the shotgun spread offense favored by Alma, as senior Leonard Warren returns after missing 1998 with injury. He is joined by junior Brian Pierce and sophomore Brian Burgtorf. The Scots must also find a capabale replacement for All-America kicker Rick Brands, who graduated.

Adrian (5-4, 3-3): The Bulldogs, the 1997 champs, stumbled a bit in 1998 and look to get back to the forefront. Head Coach Jim Lyall (38-42-1, nine seasons) must replace his three-year starting QB in Dan Hutchison and two-year starting running back Matt Gudorf.

The offensive line is strong, bolstered by four seniors: center Jason Mensing, tackle Jeremy Lewin, guard Kris Hoag and tackle Ed Somerville. Look for junior Joe Davis to assume controls of the offense. On defense, the entire line is back led by senior Tim Moore. Junior Dan Moylan and senior Jay Gilmore return to anchor the linebacking crew.

"We feel we have the components" to capture the MIAA title, said Lyall.

Hope (5-4, 4-2): The Flying Dutchmen will try to turn things around from their disappointing finish in 1998, as they lost 44-0 at Albion and were upset by Defiance 9-7 to end the season.

Head coach Dean Kreps (17-19, four seasons) welcomes 65 freshmen into camp, the school's largest recruiting class ever. The Flying Dutchmen must replace nine starters, including six on defense, as well as starting quarterback Justin Wormmeester. The incumbent at the QB slot is last year's back-up, junior J.D. Graves. He has a talented wide receiver group, led by senior wideout Matt Hanzo and junior tight end Brian Adloff. Senior Dan Wegner returns up front, and will be joined by Tony Petkus, a fifth-year senior who missed all of 1998 with injury. Defensively, senior defensive back Todd Tester is one of only five starters returning.

Kalamazoo (4-5, 2-4): Under the watchful eye of second-year head man Tim Rodgers, the Hornets have built their largest roster and largest recruiting class ever. Its group of 19 returning seniors is also the largest in recent memory. But will these numbers spell a winning season for the Hornets? "We have to be patient," cautioned Rodgers. "We're not going to see instant success, especially in a league this competitive."

Among the top returners is Brian Alexander, as one of the league's premier athletes returns to the quarterback position. Tailback Jason Barnett figures to get the bulk of the carries offensively, although the Hornets figure to put the ball in the air a bit more in 1999. "We will have a few wrinkles. We have a good wide receiver corp, so we have to spread the ball around," said Rodgers. Leading the wideouts is Joe Chrzanowski, Todd Wilson and Jason Charnley.

Nick LaChappelle returns to lead the defensive charge, as he anchors four returning starters on the line. Eric Gerwin boosts the linebackers, while Jeff Dillingham and Eric Soulier return at the corners. The Hornets took some lumps early last season while they played inexperienced players, but Rodgers expects that to pay off in 1999. "Some of them got more experience early than we would have liked, but now we can reap the benefits of that experience."

Defiance (3-6, 1-5): The Yellow Jackets' short stay in the MIAA will come to a close after the 1999 season, as they will make the move to the Heartland Conference in the spring of 2000. Their final year of MIAA football competition will be an odd one, as they play all of their conference games the first six weeks of the season. "Our goal is real simple," related head coach Greg Psconda (7-20, three seasons). "Win our first six games."

While that scenario would garner the Yellow Jackets a playoff berth, a more realistic view sees a solid season from the Yellow Jackets finishing around the .500 mark. Although they finished in last place in 1998, they enter 1999 with a three-game winning streak.

The strange schedule does present a unique challenge for the Yellow Jackets. "It's a little different scenario for us," said Psconda. We need to get off to a quick start."

Psconda does return starting quarterback Kevin Kelly, who will be the first returning starter at that position in the Psconda era and the first non-freshman starter. Benji Brant is back at the running back slot after a successful rookie campaign, and will run behind senior Ben Lewis and junior Tomar Thomas, who return on the line. Their most dangerous offensive weapon is senior Mike Groll, a wide receiver and kick returner who might be the league's best athlete. He led the team with five touchdowns last year. Defensively, junior Jean Ceant returns at the linebacking slot, while junior Adam Baumgartner is the top returner in the secondary.

Olivet (5-4, 2-4): Coming off their first winning seasons in 24 years, the Comets will look for consistency in 1999. After starting 1998 4-0, the Comets dropped their final three games.

Junior Kris Brown is the league's premier runner, as he set an Olivet record with 955 yards in 1998. His top blocker is junior Mike Rautio, the lone returning starter for that unit.

Although head coach Dallas Hilliar (15-39, six seasons) needs to find a new quarterback for 1999, he does return eight starters on a defense that set a new school record with 23 interceptions last year. Four seniors lead the defensive charge: linemen Devon Greiger and Grant Mason and defensive backs Ryan Maynard and Alex Moore. "We hope it (the success of 1998) will carry over. If the newcomers can cathc the flavor of what we're trying to do, we can be successful this season," Hilliar remarked.

Notes: Alma (101), Hope (153), Defiance (103), and Kalamazoo (91) all field their biggest rosters in school history ... 359 freshmen will report in approximately two weeks for preseason camps, which will comprise 43% of the schools' roster ... This season marks the first since 1996 that all of the head coaches return to their respective institutions ... Brown (Olivet) and Whalen (Albion) figure to be the early season front-runners for offensive MVP, while Moore (Adrian) and Rojeski (Albion) are among a host that could win the defensive award ... Hope has an interesting first two weeks, as they will play an exhibition against Quererato (Mexico), a sister school of Hope, and then face former former defensive coordinator Mike Ricketts, Augustana's current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach ... This might be the lone year that the MIAA receives an automatic qualifying bid, as Defiance's exit to the Heartland Conference drops the league below the required seven schools for an automatic bid. Commissioner Sheila Wallace Kovalchik said the league is not too concerned, but is looking at its options. "There is not a sense of urgency (to find a seventh football-playing school), but we'll continue to look."