HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – In a preseason poll of eight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) men's soccer coaches, Calvin University was predicted to win the conference title for the eighteenth-straight season after receiving six first-place votes and a total of eight points.

PRESEASON POLL BREAKDOWN
Hope College received the two remaining first-place votes and totaled fourteen points for second place in the preseason poll. Trine University rounded out the top three with eighteen points. Albion College totaled 25 points for four place and The University of Olivet (33 points) edged Kalamazoo College (34 points) by a point for fifth place. Alma College claimed seventh place with a total of 45 points, followed by Adrian College in eighth place with 47 points.

CALVIN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS
The Knights were deemed the MIAA champions after finishing the 2023 campaign with a clean record in league play (7-0 MIAA, 18-2-2 overall), prior to winning the tournament title and playing in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

In losing seven-of-eight All-MIAA players from last season, Calvin will look to senior forward Alex White to lead the squad. Along with being named to the All-MIAA First Team in 2023, White was also selected as the MIAA Newcomer of the Year following his first season in the conference. In starting and playing in six league contests, the Knight contributed eight assists and two goals for a total of twelve points.

HOPE COLLEGE FLYING DUTCHMEN
The Flying Dutchmen wrapped up 2023 with a 5-2 mark in league play and an overall record of 11-4-3.

A duo of 2023 First Team All-MIAA selections return to the Hope roster: fifth-year senior and two-time All-MIAA midfielder Matt Wimmer and junior defender and two-time All-MIAA defender Cole Pauly. 

Two-time All-MIAA senior midfielder Mario Hrvojevic, sophomore midfielder Josh Weigel, two-time All-MIAA fifth-year senior defender Jake Lyon, and senior goalkeeper Daniel Hesselbein will also all return to the field this season after earning a spot on the 2023 All-MIAA Second Team.

TRINE UNIVERSITY THUNDER
Trine concluded 2023 as the runner-up with a conference record of 5-1-1 and an overall record of 7-7-3.

The Thunder roster will be headlined by two-time All-MIAA honoree Gavin Hardy. The junior defender received a spot on the First Team last season. In playing all seven regular-season contests, Hardy totaled three goals.

The 2023 Second Team All-MIAA selections returning for Trine include junior midfielder Jarick Aguilar and sophomore defender Liam Zimmerman.

ALBION COLLEGE BRITONS
Albion finished the 2023 campaign with a 3-3-1 mark in league play and an overall record of 9-7-1.

Five seniors and one fifth-year senior will lead the Briton squad, including 2022 Second Team All-MIAA defender/midfielder Brayden Stavros.

THE UNIVERSITY OF OLIVET COMETS
The Comets wrapped up the 2023 season as the MIAA Men's Soccer Tournament runner-up (2-3-2 MIAA, 5-7-6 overall).

Seven seniors and fifteen juniors return to the Olivet roster this year.

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE HORNETS
The Hornets will be led by interim head coach JD Nord in his first season at the helm of the program. The 2018 Kalamazoo alum spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach for the team. The Hornets concluded 2023 with a 2-3-2 mark in league play (7-9-2 overall).

Junior forward Henry Plumstead is expected to lead Kalamazoo after receiving Second Team All-MIAA status last season. Plumstead concluded 2023 in the league's top ten with 13 shots on goal, 1.86 shots on goal per game, 18 shots, 2.57 shots per contest, five goals, two game-winning goals, and 11 points.

ALMA COLLEGE SCOTS
The Scots finished the 2023 campaign with a 1-6 mark in conference contests and an overall record of 4-11-2.

Alma's roster will feature senior forward Ethan Swartzentruber. The team captain concluded his previous season in the league's top ten with 18 shots, nine shots on goal, and three assists.

ADRIAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs look to improve on their 0-7 conference record in the upcoming season. Adrian finished 1-13-2 overall last year.

The Adrian squad will have eleven seniors and four juniors to lead the way for the Bulldogs.

KICKING OFF THE SEASON
The 2024 men's soccer season gets underway Friday, August 30. League play begins on Wednesday, October 9, with Olivet hosting Adrian at 5:00 p.m., Albion hosting Trine at 7:00 p.m., Calvin hosting Hope at 7:00 p.m., and Kalamazoo hosting Alma at 7:00 p.m.

2024 MIAA MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
The first round of the 2024 MIAA Tournament will be held on November 2, the semifinals on November 5, and the championship on November 9.

2024 MIAA MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL

Rank	Team	Points	First-Place Votes
1.	Calvin	8 points	6
2.	Hope	14 points	2
3.	Trine	18 points
4.	Albion	25 points
5.	Olivet	33 points
6.	Kalamazoo	34 points
7.	Alma	45 points
8.	Adrian	47 points

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs.