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 First-year head coach Dennis Wagner and the Catamounts were tabbed eighth in the SoCon preseason polls. |
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July 23, 2008
Greenville, S.C. - Western Carolina landed three players on the 2008 preseason All-Southern Conference teams as selected by the Southern Conference's nine head football coaches and announced Wednesday morning at the 2008 SoCon Football Rouser presented by the Carolina Ford Dealers. Senior offensive lineman Kevin Wiggins, senior defensive lineman Jeff Bradley and junior linebacker Quintin Phillips were each named to their respective second teams.
Also as a part of the two-day festivities, Western was tabbed eighth out of the nine-team league chosen by both the coaches and the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA).
2008 SoCon Coaches' Preseason Poll 
2008 SoCon Sport Media Association Poll
Three-time defending national champion, Appalachian State, was selected as a near-unanimous choice to repeat as league champions. The Mountaineers garnered eight first-place votes and 64 total points in the poll in which coaches were not permitted to vote for the own team. Elon earned one first-place vote and 47 total points to sit in the second slot, followed by defending co-champion Wofford (45 points) in third, Georgia Southern (44) fourth and Furman (41) was tabbed to place fifth.
Rounding out the coaches' preseason tab was The Citadel (37) in the sixth spot, followed by Chattanooga (19), Western Carolina (17) and SoCon-newcomer Samford (10).
ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards was the coaches' selection as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year. His teammate, senior linebacker Pierre Banks, was tabbed as the coaches' Defensive Player of the Year. A league-high 12 Mountaineers were named preseason All-SoCon, while defending co-champion - and recipient of the '07 automatic bid to the post-season - Wofford and Elon both put eight on the honorary squads.
2008 Coaches' Preseason All-Southern Conference Teams
Wiggins has started every game for the Catamounts on the offensive line for the past two seasons (22-consecutive). The Charlotte, N.C., native will anchor WCU's line from the center position. Two seasons ago, Wiggins led an offensive front that allowed former running back Darius Fudge to rush for 1,000 yards.
Bradley, a senior from Lewisville, N.C., was tabbed second team all-conference by the SoCon Sports Media Association a season ago after ranking second in the league - and 28th nationally - with a team-best 15.0 tackles for loss. He was also tied for third in the conference with 4.5 sacks. For his career, Bradley has 73 total tackles, including 43 solo stops and 19 tackles for loss.
Phillips, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., earned second team All-SoCon accolades from the league's head coaches and a first-team nod from the media after transferring to WCU prior to last season. With five double-digit tackle games including the top two in the conference on the year, he finished with 127 total tackles - the sixth-best, single-season in school history - and the most for a Catamount defender since 1997. He additionally ranked second in the SoCon and tied for 10th nationally. His seasonal performance earned him two weekly conference honors, as well as an honorable mention on The Sports Network's All-America squad.
Western Carolina opens the first season under head coach Dennis Wagner against Shorter College on Thursday, Aug. 28 under the lights at 7:00 pm at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field.
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