The Westminster College Blue Jays football team has been selected to finish fifth in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference this season in the preseason coaches' poll released Tuesday.
Westminster and head coach John Welty - finishing 3-6 overall and 3-5 in the UMAC last season - earned 35 points in the poll. Martin Luther was picked to win the UMAC championship with 61 points and six first-place votes, followed by Northwestern in second place with 54 points and two first-place votes.
MacMurray came in third with 49 points and St. Scholastica was fourth with 47 points and one first-place vote.
The Blue Jays' offense will be fueled by senior running back Kalyn Davis, who topped the conference in carries last season and was second in rushing with 645 yards. Davis was chosen to the all-UMAC second team.
Junior wide receiver Alec Fleetwood - a Fulton graduate - is Westminster's top returning pass-catcher with 10 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns in 2018.
The Blue Jays return eight starters from last year's defensive unit that was ranked second in the conference. Leading the way will be junior defensive end Ben Holt, who logged 5 1/2 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2018 and was also named to the all-UMAC second team.
Westminster opens the 2019 season at Nebraska Wesleyan at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. The Blue Jays then play their home opener against Millsaps at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.
Westminster travels to Iowa Wesleyan for its UMAC opener at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.