College Men: Washington is picked to defend Pac-10 crown

Washington, which captured the 2000 Pac-10 title and advanced to its sixth straight NCAA Tournament, has been picked to defend its Conference championship by the Pac-10 men’s soccer coaches. The Huskies garnered 22 points, narrowly edging second-place UCLA (21 pts.). The Huskies and Bruins received two first-place votes each, while Stanford under new coach Bret Simon yielded the other. Oregon State finished fourth in the poll and California was fifth. Washington won the Pac-10 title with a 7-1-0 league mark last season. Stanford finished second at 6-2-0, while UCLA compiled a 3-5-0 league record to finish third. The Huskies, Bruins and Cardinal advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Stanford and Washington reached the second round, with the Cardinal advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. The poll with points (5-4-3-2-1) and first-place votes in parentheses: 2001 Pac-10 Preseason Poll