Springfield, Mo. (Ozarks Sports Zone)  -- The Great Lakes Valley Conference has released its preseason soccer rankings with Drury picked to finish in sixth place with 160 points.  The defending GLVC regular season champion Rockhurst Hawks are picked to win the conference with 13 first-place votes. The teams picked to finish second through sixth place are all within 19 points of each other.

Drury finished the regular season in seventh place last year but made a surprising run in the GLVC tournament.  They were defeated 2-1 in the finals by Quincy.  Fifteen freshmen or sophomores were in the regular rotation for the Panthers in 2011, so there are high expectations that the experience these players gained will pay off.
Each of the 16 teams will play each other once during the regular season with the top eight teams advancing to the GLVC tournament.

The complete poll is listed below:

1. Rockhurst (222)
2. Quincy (189)
3. Indianapolis (187)
4. Lewis (182)
5. Bellarmine (173)
6. Drury (170)
7. Missouri S&T (151)
8. UMSL
9. William Jewell (109)
10. McKendree (97)
11. UW-Parkside (88)
12. Southern Indiana (79)
13. Saint Joeseph’s (62)
14. Maryville (45)
15. Illinois-Springfield (27)
16. Kentucky Wesleyan (20)