The Endicott College football team has been picked to finish fourth in the New England Football Conference Boyd Division according to the 2009 NEFC Preseason Poll released by the conference office.  The Gulls (3-7) will attempt to work their way back to the top of the division that saw Endicott finish with a 7-3 record in 2005.  Curry College was selected as the favorite in the Boyd Division while Bridgewater State College was selected as the preseason favorite in the Bogan division.

Curry received six first place votes in the Boyd Division followed by Plymouth State University, the 2008 Boyd Division Champion, which had two.  In the Bogan, Bridgewater captured five first place nods, with the other three going to 2008 Division Champion Maine Maritime Academy.

13 of the 16 conference coaches put forth their selections for the eventual Conference champion with Curry receiving nine votes, Plymouth State receiving two votes, and Maine Maritime and Bridgewater State each being named on one ballot.

2008 was a difficult year for the Endicott football team as the Gulls were extremely young in comparison to the other teams in the NEFC.  Fortunately, the Gulls won the final game of the 2008 season, 39-18, over MIT to snap a four game losing streak.  Endicott hopes that the experience gained from last season while also returning a pair of Rookie of the Years will catapult them to the top of the division.  Endicott’s Mike Lane (Medfield, Mass.) was honored as the NEFC Boyd Division Offensive Rookie of the Year while Kevin Eagan (West Hartford, Conn.) was named the NEFC Boyd Division Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Gulls will open their 2009 season with a home game against Framingham State on September 5 in Beverly, Mass. at 5:00 p.m.  The NEFC will kickoff the 2009 season on Thursday, September 3 when Massachusetts Maritime Academy hosts SUNY Maritime at 7:00 p.m.  The Conference championship game, pitting the champions of the Bogan and Boyd Divisions, will be held on Saturday, November 13 at 12:00 p.m.  at the site of the Boyd Division Champion.