Aug. 20, 2007

The start of the 2007 fall sports season is just around the corner for Texas A&M International University's Athletics teams. TAMIU Athletics will compete as a second year NCAA Division II provisional member of the Heartland Conference in 2007-08.

All five Dustdevil fall sports squads are eligible to compete for conference regular season and postseason championship honors this season. The Heartland Conference released preseason polls on Wednesday, with TAMIU's teams picked to finish between third and sixth place.

The men's soccer team is picked to finish third in the six-team Heartland. The Dustdevils return six starters from a team that finished with a 7-8 overall record last season.

The volleyball team is picked to finish fifth in the Heartland after posting a 12-2 record against conference opponents last season. The Dustdevils recorded their best winning percentage in school history with a 24-5 overall record.

TAMIU's women's soccer team is picked sixth in the preseason poll. The Dustdevils return 10 letterwinners from a team that posted a 4-13 overall record last season.

The men's cross country team is picked to finish fifth of seven teams and the women's cross country squad sixth amongst nine teams.

TAMIU will open the home portion of its fall sports season with a soccer doubleheader against Texas Lutheran on Monday, Sept. 3. The women's game will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. with the men's game scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start.