Princeton Football Picked Sixth In Ivy Preseason Poll

Aug. 9, 2004

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Princeton football team has been picked to finish sixth in the 2004 Ivy League standings, it was announced today during the annual Ivy League Football Media Day. Two-time champion Penn was picked to win the league again, while Harvard and Yale followed closely. "We can certainly use this preseason pick to serve as motivation," Princeton head coach Roger Hughes said. "Top to bottom, this league is as strong as I have ever seen it, and any team can win it this season. A lot of teams have a number of returning players. It will be important to have a good start and to stay healthy throughout the season." Hughes is in his fifth season as head coach, and he carries a number of experienced players into the upcoming preseason, which begins on August 23. Co-captains Jon Veach and Justin Stull lead the way, while first-team All-Ivy returners Zak Keasey and Colin McDonough are among 19 returning starters. Princeton finished its 2003 season with a 2-8 record (2-5 Ivy), but there is plenty of optimism within the program. The Tigers lost three games last season on the final play, including two against highly rated Ivy rivals Harvard and Yale. Princeton returns three defensive starters that sat out last season, and it also had a number of returning starters who excelled in the spring. Offensively, center Jeremy Moore and tackle Dave Szelingowski were among the linemen who improved during the offseason and will be key figures in the trenches. Tight end Jon Dekker, who had a breakout performance against Harvard and improved throughout the second half of the season, also had a strong spring. Defense figures to be the strength for Princeton, especially the linebackers and the defensive backfield. The Tigers lost two All-Ivy players on the defensive line, but the spring play of senior nose guard Peter Kelly gives the coaches reason for optimism on the line. Princeton will open the season at home against Lafayette on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. It will be one of two games televised by CSTV (Nov. 6 against Penn is the other). The Tigers will then begin a three-game road swing the following weekend in San Diego, where Princeton will take on the Jim Harbaugh-coached Toreros. The final two road games of the season, Oct. 30 at Cornell and Nov. 13 at Yale, will both be televised by the YES Network, which is in its third season of covering Ivy League football. 2004 Ivy League Media Poll 1 - Penn (6 first-place votes) 114 points
2 - Harvard (4) 107
3 - Yale (6) 105
4 - Brown 73
5 - Dartmouth 58
6 - Princeton 51
7 - Columbia 46
8 - Cornell 22

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