The Ashland University football team looks to bring in new faces and talent to its fresh squad in the coming 2023-24 campaign.
However, one thing that has not changed this season is the high praise for the program, coming in the form of preseason poll votes.
In the most recent Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) poll, the Eagles were voted to finish in first place at the end of the season. With newly anointed Head Coach Doug Geiser entering his first year at the helm, the team was given 78 points in the poll and six first-place votes out of 10.
After finishing the 2022-23 season in first place, another finish in that spot would mark two straight seasons of taking home the conference championship. They finished the previous season with an overall record of 10-2, going 7-1 in conference play.
The team’s one loss in conference play came against Hillsdale College on the road in a mid-season outing. They only put up 20 points, while allowing 36 to the Chargers.
However, bouncing back, they would go on to take down Kentucky Wesleyan two weeks later en route to clinching first place in the conference.
Not only did the Eagles get voted to win the G-MAC but they were also recognized to be one of the top teams in all of Division II.
In the first American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll of the season, the Eagles were ranked No. 12 in the entire country.
The high placement comes after the team went 1-1 in the playoffs and 3-1 in total against opponents outside of the G-MAC.
In the opening round of the 2022 NCAA D-II Postseason Tournament, the Eagles knocked down Notre Dame College in a 20-13 victory. Showcasing poise under the bright lights, the Eagles travelled to Indiana, Pa., to take on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
On the road in the second round of the postseason tournament proved to be tough for the Eagles as they ended up falling in a nail-biting affair to IUP, 19-13. The Eagles ultimately finished the season in the No. 13 spot in the AFCA poll.
Fortunately for the Eagles they will have an opportunity to travel on the road to IUP once again, this time in the season opener to kick off the 2023-24 season with a bang. While IUP went further than the Eagles in the tournament, they sit four spots behind the Eagles as a 16th ranked side.
The Eagles take on IUP in hopes for revenge to start the season on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. at the George P. Miller Stadium.
