The Redhawks received seven of nine first place votes cast, leading with a total 76 points. UNLV, with one first place vote and 68 points, finished second, while Bakersfield (58 points) rounded out the top three. San Jose State (50 points), Air Force (45 points), and Kansas City (39 points) finished in the middle of the pack in the fourth, fifth, and sixth place spots. Rounding out the list were Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word (33 points), tied for seventh, Grand Canyon (31 points and one first place vote) in ninth, and Utah Valley (17 points) in tenth place.
Sophomore Kyle Bjornethun (Snohomish, Wash.) represented Seattle U on the 12-member Preseason All-WAC Team. Bjornethun was the 2013 WAC Freshman of the Year, was named to the All-Tournament Team, and received Second Team All-Conference honors in his first collegiate season.
SU returns seven starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2013 squad that went 7-0-3 in conference play, winning the WAC regular season and tournament titles, and recording the program’s first NCAA Division I tournament win at Creighton. The Redhawks also welcome 13 newcomers to the team in 2014.
The top six eligible teams will advance to the 2014 WAC tournament, hosted by Seattle U, on Nov. 13-14, 16. Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word will not be eligible for the tournament this season due to Division I reclassification rules.
Earlier this month, the Seattle U women’s soccer team was also chosen to repeat as WAC title winners in 2014. Both squads went undefeated in conference play, winning identical regular season and tournament titles, in 2013.
After winning both exhibition matches to start the season, Seattle U heads to Charleston, S.C. to open the regular season at the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Soccer Classic at Charleston. They face Furman University on Friday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. and host College of Charleston on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 11:30 a.m.
The Redhawks will return to Seattle to face Washington at Husky Soccer Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 4, broadcast on the Pac-12 Network, before their regular season home opening weekend vs. UPenn (Sept. 12) and UConn (Sept. 14).
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Stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com, Seattle U Athletics and Seattle U Men’s Soccer on Facebook, @su_athletics and @seattleu_MSO on Twitter, and su_redhawks on Instagram for all the latest updates on the team throughout the 2014 season.