Listen Up

The Ivy League isn’t scheduled to release its preseason football poll until Aug. 4, but two of its three out-of-conference opponents have had their preseason league polls released. New Hampshire chosen fifth of 14 teams in the CAA poll and Fordham was eighth and last in the Patriot League.

CAA

1. Rhode Island (8 first-place votes)

2. Monmouth (4)

3. Villanova (2)

4. Stony Brook 

5. New Hampshire

6. Towson 

7. William & Mary 

8. Elon

9. Maine  

10. Campbell

11. Hampton

12. UAlbany

13. Bryant 

14. North Carolina A&T

Head coach Ricky Santos from a UNH release (LINK):

"It's probably the youngest team that I've ever been a part of. There are some unknowns, there is some uncertainty but I think when you go into a season like that, it's really exciting and we look at it as an opportunity for growth.

 

"Through spring practice and what we've been doing in the summer has been elite and I've been really happy with it. Some young guys are gonna step up and some transfers we brought in are going to vie for meaningful positions as well."

New Hampshire had no players named to the All-CAA preseason first team and wide receiver Caleb Burke was the only played named honorable mention. Find the full CAA release HERE.  

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Patriot League

1. Lehigh (13 first-place votes)

2. Richmond (3)

3. Holy Cross

4. Bucknell

5. Lafayette

6. Georgetown

7. Colgate

8. Fordham

Fordham had three players named to the All-Patriot League preseason team: linebacker James Conway, defensive back Alex Kemper and kicker Will Haslett. Find a Fordham release HERE.

The Patriot League release is available HERE.

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As is the case with the Ivy League, the Northeast Conference will reveal its preseason poll on Aug. 4. Dartmouth opponent Central Connecticut tied for the NEC title last year with a 5-1 record.

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The new Teevens Center at Dartmouth, which a college release says "will serve as a cross-disciplinary research and programming hub focused on student well-being, leadership, and performance,” has named Duncan Simpson, a PhD in sport studies and sport psychology, as its first director. Find the story HERE.

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Thanks to a good friend from the left coast who shared the link, and probably to the chagrin of the college and athletic department, Dartmouth has a lofty place in the “College Football Mascot Power Rankings.” And as you have probably guessed, it’s not a “Big Green,” or a Moose that earns Dartmouth the distinction. Click HERE to check out the rankings.

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EXTRA POINT

From the “go figure” department:

I’ve probably hiked my local mountain trail at least 1,000 times since we moved to our Vermont hillside home, and that’s not an exaggeration. Earlier this week, for the first time in all those trips up, over and around the mountain, I came across this guy:

For what it’s worth, I knew it wasn’t a box turtle (because I had one as a kid), and I knew it wasn’t a snapping turtle. With a little Googling I discovered it’s a Wood turtle, appropriately enough.

Although I hung around a bit, he was too shy to stick his head out of his shell, so this was the best I could do:

So why the “go figure” tease?

Because tonight, at Lake Morey Resort, the free concert series is featuring the band Trampled by Turtles, which I’ve been hearing about since before That Certain Nittany Lion ’16 saw them perform at Red Rocks in Colorado. Trampled by Turtles is on a national tour with tickets for a show in Maine next week going for more than $200 on the resale market, for $81 to an upcoming performance in Spokane and $70 for a concert in Bend, Ore., next week.

The price tonight in Fairlee, Vt.? FREE.

Here’s a video viewed more than 14 million times of a song from Trampled by Turtles, which has performed at Coachella, Bonnaroo,Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, and after tonight at a little town in Vermont.