Moon Township, Pa. - According to a poll of Northeast Conference (NEC) head coaches, the Robert Morris University football team has been picked to finish fifth in the NEC in 2009. 

Earning its fourth straight preseason selection to win the conference is Albany, which was a unanimous pick with eight first-place votes. The Great Danes finished the 2008 campaign with an overall record of 9-3, including a 7-0 mark in the NEC. Following the Great Danes in the preseason poll are Monmouth (7-4, 6-1), Central Connecticut State (7-4, 4-3) and Sacred Heart (8-3, 4-3).

Following the Colonials in sixth in the 2009 NEC preseason poll is Duquesne (3-7, 2-5), and rounding out the poll is new league member Bryant (7-4), Wagner (3-8, 1-6) and Saint Francis (0-11, 0-7).

Robert Morris returns 18 starters in 2009, including nine on defense. A pair of those returning starters were named to the 2009 All-NEC Preseason Team, as senior safety Michael Landers (Springdale, Pa. / Springdale) and senior defensive lineman Mark Szymanski (Cadogan, Pa. / Ford City) were each named to the squad.

Landers was the lone Colonial named to the 2008 All-NEC First Team and finished tied for third on the team in tackles last season with 74 while posting five interceptions and an NEC-high 15 passes defended. Szymanski was named to the All-NEC Second Team in 2008 after finishing with 54 tackles, including a team-high 11 for losses that totaled 31 yards. He finished second for the Colonials last year with two and-a-half sacks and enters the 2009 campaign with 10.5 career sacks.

Joining Landers and Szymanski on the 2009 All-NEC Preseason Team is junior punter Nick Schirtzinger (Hurricane, W.Va. / Hurricane). A two-year starter, Schirtzinger averaged 40.1 yards per punt last season, good enough to rank third in the NEC. He enters the 2009 campaign with a career average of 40.8 yards per punt.

"I think we felt much better about ourselves heading into the offseason last year with how we played down the stretch, winning four of our last six games," said head coach Joe Walton. "We're still going to be young, but there's an opportunity for us to turn the corner and continue to get better."