FINDLAY, OHIO - McKendree University, which went unbeaten in Mid-States Football Association Midwest League play last season, has been selected as the pre-season favorite to claim its second straight championship in a vote by the league's eight coaches.

           McKendree (7-0, 9-2) garnered five first-place votes and 55 points, finishing five points better than Grand View University (6-1, 8-3) and St. Ambrose University (4-3, 6-4) which shared second place. Grand View, in its first season of Midwest League competition, finished as the 2009 runner-up. St. Ambrose, which had won the three previous MWL titles and placed fourth a year ago, Grand View and Quincy University each received one first-place vote.

           Finishing fourth in the balloting was William Penn University (5-2, 7-5) with 41 points, followed by Quincy (3-4, 4-7) with 38 points, the University of St. Francis (2-5, 3-8) of Joliet, IL with 30 points, Iowa Wesleyan College (1-6, 2-9) with 13 points and Waldorf College (0-7, 1-9) with 11 points.

           One new coach joins the MWL with Kent Anderson taking over the Iowa Wesleyan program.

McKendree (7-0, 9-2), 5 first-place votes, 55 points

Grand View (6-1, 8-3) 1 first-place vote, 50 points

St. Ambrose (4-3, 6-4) 1 first-place vote, 50 points

William Penn (5-2, 7-5) 41 points

Quincy (3-4, 4-7), 1 first-place vote, 38 points

St. Francis (2-5, 3-8), 30 points

Iowa Wesleyan (1-6, 2-9), 13 points

Waldorf (0-7, 1-9), 11 points