Belton, TX - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team has been picked to successfully defend its American Southwest Conference Championship in the league's 2007 Preseason Coaches and Media Poll. Cru linebacker Jerrell Freeman has also been voted ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in that same balloting. The Cru picked up a league record 24 of the 27 first-place votes and totaled 239 points in balloting of the ASC head coaches, sports information directors and selected media members. Hardin-Simmons University finished second in the poll with two first-place votes and 217 total points. Mississippi College is picked to finish third after totaling 155 points in the poll. Howard Payne is picked to finish fourth with 127 points, six points ahead of fifth-place Texas Lutheran University's 121 point total. Sul Ross State is picked to finish sixth with 116 points and East Texas Baptist is picked to finish seventh with 105 total points. ETBU also picked up the other first place vote. Louisiana College is picked eighth with 90 points and McMurry University is chosen ninth with 45 total points.

Freeman, a senior linebacker from Waco University High School,
was voted ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after helping the
Cru defense lead the nation in rushing defense last season. Freeman led
UMHB with 96 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss. He added 5.5 sacks
and tied for the team lead with four interceptions. Freeman is the first
UMHB player to be voted ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year since
Preston Meyer took back-to-back honors in 2001 and 2002. Sul Ross State
running back T.J. Barber was voted ASC Preseason Offensive Player of the
Year and TLU placekicker and punter Holt Storrie was selected ASC
Preseason Special Team Player of the Year.
The Cru returns 49 lettermen from a team that went 10-3 overall
and 8-0 in the ASC. UMHB welcomes back ten offensive starters and six
defensive starters from a team that won its fourth ASC championship in
the last five years and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA
Division III National Championships. The Cru will report to campus on
Monday, August 13th, and will kick off the 2007 season with a home game
against Christopher Newport University on September 8th.