Westminster received 55 points and three first-place votes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference preseason football poll released on Monday. Greenville College (58 points) and College of St. Scholastica (55 points) matched the Blue Jays' first-place vote total but finished first and second respectively.
Westminster went 8-2 overall and 7-2 in UMAC play in the 2011 season, finishing tied for second place with Greenville. Despite losing All-UMAC skill players like running back Zain Gower and receiver Carl Givens, the Blue Jays return 14 starters to a team that averaged 33 points a game on offense and ranked 20th nationally in total defense last season.
The Blue Jays start the 2012 season on the road against Rockford College on Sept. 1.
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.