From bottom to top, Middlebury on rise in NESCAC

Williams and Trinity were the last teams standing in the New England Small College Athletic Conference from 2001-06, with Williams bookending Trinity's four-year run from 2002-05.

But Middlebury has been quietly improving, finishing sixth in '05, third in '06, and first last year, its first outright NESCAC title.

The team won a share of the title in 2000.

"We've steadily been building and improving and getting quality kids," said coach Bob Ritter. "We've been able to get the program to where we like it. Hopefully, we stay hungry."

The keys to his team's climb have been defense and special teams.

The Panthers allowed 11.1 points per game last season and came up with key blocked kicks and long returns, Ritter said.

"It certainly has allowed us to be in every game and win some close games," he said. "We've been able to get an edge with defense and special teams. Last year we certainly had some good production."

Quarterback Donald McKillop, the ECAC Rookie of the Year, returns after throwing for 1,379 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"He really had the ability to throw the ball downfield and it really helped our offense because now we're able to stretch defenses," Ritter said.

New England Football Conference After finishing first in the New England Division 3 rankings last season, Curry goes for its fourth straight NEFC title and its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

The task will be made easier by the return of quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen, a North Attleboro native who threw for 2,598 yards and 30 touchdowns with just nine interceptions last season.

He will be without his top target, though, as Felix Borukhov, who caught half of Van De Giesen's touchdown passes, graduated.

Plymouth State, which finished second to Curry, returns dual-threat quarterback John DeMarco, who ran and passed for 10 touchdowns last season. The conference title could be determined when Plymouth hosts Curry Oct. 25.

Empire 8 St. John Fisher (N.Y.) and Ithaca tied for first in the league's preseason poll.

The Cardinals are sixth in the USA Today weekly Division 3 rankings and return two all-league selections (lineman Dan Pollack and linebacker Josh Gottlieb) from a defense that allowed 11.8 points per game.

Ithaca boasts a pair of preseason All-Americans, guard Chris Gray and tight end Brian Weverbergh.

Other New England Following a junior season in which he collected 69 tackles and six interceptions, WPI safety Andrew Sides is the school's first player to be named a preseason All-American, by D3football.com. He earned second-team honors . . . Through four games last year, Husson averaged 28.5 points. In its next five, it exploded for 48.6 per game. The team graduated 13 players, so the offense may not be as productive . . . Becker won its first NCAA Division 3 game last season, a 30-6 romp over Gallaudet, on the way to a 2-7 record . . . Two former Western Connecticut defensive linemen have joined the coaching staff. Greg Schwarz and Greg Boucher played on the line from 1998-2001 . . . Brockton native Mike Landers takes over as coach of Mount Ida.