Olivet College football team picked second in MIAA preseason poll

FREELAND, Mich. – The two-time defending Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champion Olivet College football team has been picked second in the 2017 preseason poll. In voting by the seven league coaches, the Comets received two first-place votes and 14 total points.

Hope College was chosen the preseason favorite with three first-place votes and nine points. Adrian College was third with one first-place vote and 16 points. Trine (Ind.) University received the last first-place vote and notched 17 points. The rest of the voting was Alma College in fifth-place with 24 points, Albion College in sixth-place with 33 points and Kalamazoo College in seventh-place with 34 points.

In 2016, Olivet won an outright MIAA title with a perfect 6-0 record. The Comets finished the year with a 9-2 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for only the second time in school history. In 2015, Olivet shared the MIAA title with a 5-1 record and had a 9-1 overall record.

Under the leadership of first-year head coach Dan Musielewicz, the Comets welcome back approximately 95 players from last year's team. Musielewicz was promoted to the head coach position in January following the departure of Dan Pifer.

On offense, three All-MIAA players are back. They are senior running back Jerome Washington, senior wideout Kornelius Saxton and junior offensive lineman Jakeup Stuller. Washington led the Comets in scoring last year with nine touchdowns and 54 points. He ranked second with 422 net rushing yards. Saxton was second with 49 catches for 695 yards and four touchdowns.  Stuller was the starting center on the offensive line.

On defense, five All-MIAA players return. They are senior defensive backs Walter Love III and Javon Walker, senior linebacker Chase Cavric, and senior defensive linemen Robert Cuba and Tyler Douglas. Love III tied for the team lead with 67 total tackles and was third with 8.5 tackles for loss. Walker ranked third with 55 tackles. Cavric and Short each finished with 42 total tackles. Short led the Comets with five interceptions and 16 pass break-ups, and was second with 30 solo tackles.  Cuba and Douglas registered 39 and 35 tackles, respectively. Cuba tallied the second-most tackles for loss with 11.5 and quarterback sacks with six.

The Comets host Heidelberg (Ohio) University Saturday, Sept. 2, for their season- and home-opener. Kick-off inside the Cutler Athletic Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m. Olivet begins defense of its MIAA title Sept. 30 when Hope College visits the Cutler Athletic Complex for a 2 p.m. Homecoming contest.