None of the three teams that accounted for Mid-Con regular-season or tournament championships in 2000 was predicted to finish atop the conference standings in the preseason coaches poll. Instead, UMKC, which finished third in the Mid-Con race last year, is the preseason choice to win the Mid-Con league title. The Kangaroos garnered three of six first-place votes. With a team heavy on newcomers last season, head coach Rick Benben led UMKC (8-10, 2-3 Mid-Con last year) to a tie for third place in the Mid-Con standings After starting the conference season with two straight wins, the Kangaroos dropped their final three league games. However, UMKC did post wins over nationally ranked Marquette and 1999 College Cup runner-up Santa Clara during the 2000 campaign. UMKC returns all 11 starters from last year’s team, including four all-conference selections. Last season, head coach Eric Johnson’s Western Illinois squad shocked the Mid-Con by winning a share of the regular-season crown after being predicted to finish in a tie for fifth. The Leathernecks (10-7-1, 4-1 Mid-Con) received two first-place votes in the preseason poll, and were tabbed to finish second in the league standings. Johnson, who was honored as the Mid-Con Coach of the Year last season, returns nine starters from last season’s team, including 2000 Newcomer of the Year Justin Langan, one of three returning all-conference selections for the Leathernecks. After being picked to finish first in the Mid-Con race last season, Oakland obliged, tying Western Illinois for the regular-season title. The Golden Grizzlies (12-6-1, 4-1 Mid-Con), who reached the Mid-Con Tourney championship game but failed in their attempt to win their first-ever league postseason crown, have been chosen to finish third in the league this season. Oakland lost five all-conference selections off of last season’s team but returns four others who were honored with all-conference accolades. It’s not often that the previous season’s champion is picked to finish in the bottom of half of the league standings, but that’s where IUPUI (11-9-2, 2-3 Mid-Con), which was picked fourth in the poll, has been slated to finish this year. Head coach Steve Franklin’s Jaguars got hot at the right time last year, pulling off two upsets in the Mid-Con Tourney, including a triple-overtime thriller in the title game against Oakland. The Jaguars then beat Marist in an NCAA play-in match to earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Goalie Armando Femia, last year’s Mid-Con Tournament MVP, returns for IUPUI this season. Though it finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Mid-Con last season, Oral Roberts (7-9-1, 2-3 Mid-Con) missed out on the Mid-Con Tournament thanks to a tiebreaker. The Golden Eagles of head coach Steve Hayes have been chosen to finish fifth in the league standings this season, but hope not to repeat last season’s effort. After winning four of five matches to start the year, Oral Roberts hit a rough stretch, losing four straight matches, and did not make it over the .500 mark in league play all season. Head coach Mis Mrak’s Valparaiso team was picked to finish in a fifth-place tie last season, and the Crusaders (5-10, 1-4 Mid-Con) finished sixth, the same place they’ve been predicted to end up this year. Valparaiso does return 10 starters from last year’s team, so things could end up a bit brighter for the Crusaders in 2001. The top four finishers in the Mid-Con regular-season race will participate in the 2001 Mid-Con Men’s Soccer Tournament, which will be held on the campus of the top seed. The tourney champion will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.