The Little Giants received 36 points to finish eighth in the ten-team conference pre-season rankings. Ohio Wesleyan received all ten first-place votes to finish first with 100 points. Denison (90 points), Allegheny (78), and Wittenberg (67) were picked second through fourth. Kenyon (52) and Wooster (52) tied for fifth. Earlham received 42 points to finish seventh ahead of Wabash. Hiram (18) and Oberlin (15) rounded out the poll.
Wabash finished tied for sixth with Wittenberg in 2001 after posting a 3-5-1 record against NCAC opponents. The Little Giants finished 5-8-2 overall.
Senior forward Carlos Aguirre (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) is the only returning All-Conference player from the 2001 season for the Little Giants. Aguirre was a Second Team All-Conference selection for the second year in a row after averaging 1.47 points per game last year. Senior defender Casey Gioielli (Cincinnati, OH/Indian Hill) earned All-Conference honors in 2000 and returns for his final season this fall.
Wabash will open the 2002 season at the DePauw Soccer Classic on Saturday, August 31. The Little Giants will face Kalamazoo College at 2 p.m. in Greencastle, IN.