FOREST, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team has been picked to finish seventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference this year, ODAC officials announced Monday. The league's eight head coaches are the voters in the poll.

RELATED – ODAC Preseason Poll

"I think we were picked where we were based on last season," commented Head Coach Curt Newsome, now in his fifth year. "[Polls] are usually based on last year and who you have coming back. I feel a little better about who we have coming back than some of the other coaches (in the league) do, but that's why you play on Saturday. We are excited about this year's team, we are off to a really good start and I hope we can prove folks wrong."

E&H, which went 3-7 a season ago, returns seven starters both on offense and defense and four specialists. The Wasps have eight All-ODAC performers back this year including 2017 first-teamer Josh Fleenor (Christiansburg, Va.), who was a preseason All-America selection by D3football.com.

Washington and Lee University and Randolph-Macon College are the co-favorites to win the league this year. The Generals earned four of the eight first place votes and have won two of the past three championships while the Yellow Jackets took home two top nods and claimed the other recent title. Hampden-Sydney College is third while league newcomer Ferrum College is tied for fourth with Shenandoah University. Both HSC and FC picked up a first-place vote.

Emory & Henry is set to begin the season on Saturday, September 1 when it visits Ferrum College. It will be the 12th year in a row that the Wasps and Panthers have opened the season with one another but marks the first time that the squads have squared off as league opponents. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

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