Football team picked preseason favorite to win 2003 MIAA title

The Olivet College football team was selected as preseason favorite for the 2003 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title at the annual MIAA Football /Fall Sports Media Day held at Kalamazoo College. In voting by the coaches and media, the Fighting Comets received six first-place votes to edge defending MIAA champion Alma College by a point. The last time Olivet was picked to win the MIAA was in 1975.

This year, Olivet returns 46 lettermen, including 14 starters, from last year's team that ended the 2002 season with a 5-4 overall record and 3-3 MIAA mark. The winning season was the first since 1998 and only the third in the last 25 years. Leading the way for Olivet this year will be captains Mick Faasen (Belding High School), Mike Hall (Middleville High School), Andy Storey (Battle Creek/Harper Creek High School) and DeShaun Warren (Detroit Denby High School).

"I am surprised a little bit," said second-year Head Coach Irv Sigler. "The MIAA is such a balanced league this year. We can not take any team lightly."

The Comets will open the 2003 season at home on Sept. 6 against non-conference foe Defiance (Ohio) College at 1 p.m. at Griswold Field.

1. OLIVET (6) 54
2. Alma (6) 55
3. Hope (3) 57
4. Albion (2) 61
5. Adrian (2) 78
6. Kalamazoo (1) 82
7. Wisconsin Lutheran 129

KEY: number of first-place votes in parenthesis