The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Soccer Picked to Repeat as SEC West Champions
8/24/2001 | Soccer
Aug. 24, 2001
OXFORD, Miss - The two-time defending Southeastern Conference Western Division champion Ole Miss soccer team has been tabbed to do it again. The Rebels and the Florida Gators were chosen to win their respective divisions, and UF was picked to claim the overall conference title, as voted on by the league's 12 coaches and announced by the SEC office on Friday.
Ole Miss was the overwhelming favorite to three-peat as West champions with 63 points and eight first-place votes. Auburn sits second in the poll with 48 points and three first-place votes, followed by Mississippi State with 42 points and one vote for first place.
The Rebels return six starters from last year's 13-6-1 squad including juniors Kristin Chapman and Anna Sanders and senior goalkeeper Melinda Smith. Chapman was a 2000 All-SEC defender, while Sanders was among the conference leaders in assists. Smith is the Rebels' all-time leader in shutouts and goals-against-average.
Coming off a fifth straight SEC title in 2000, Florida earned nine votes for the Championship, topping Tennessee who received three. The Gators, who return five All-SEC players, were selected as tops in the East with 64 total points.
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division, though each coach was not allowed to vote for his or her own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
The 2001 season begins Aug. 31, with Ole Miss opening its campaign Sept. 1 at preseason No. 4 ranked Virginia. The Rebels' home-opener comes Sept. 14 when they host Jacksonville State in a 7 p.m. faceoff.
