Senior center Dylan Edgar was named to the All-PSAC Eastern Division Preseason Team and the Shippensburg University men's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the PSAC Eastern Division Preseason Coaches Poll released by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.

West Chester received five first-place votes and sits atop the poll while defending divisional champion East Stroudsburg received three first-place votes and sits second. Millersville is third and Bloomsburg is fourth while No. 5 Mansfield received the additional first-place vote. Lock Haven, Cheyney, Kutztown and Shippensburg round out the poll.

Joining Edgar on the All-PSAC East Preseason Team is Bloomsburg's Dontahe Jordan, Mansfield's Joe Bell, Lock Haven's Wali Hepburn, East Stroudsburg's Whis Grant and West Chester's Cory Blake.

Shippensburg is coming off a 7-20 season in which it went 5-17 in the PSAC yet snuck into the conference playoffs as the Eastern Division No. 6 seed. Four starters return from that team – Edgar (an All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team pick last season), junior Sam Pygatt and sophomores Tony Ellis and Joe Lococo.

"We have a great young bunch of talent here and there's a hunger and an enthusiasm and we've had a fantastic preseason, guys have been working their tails off and I think that they feel as though they have a lot to prove," first-year head coach Chris Fite said. "All these guys are seasoned and have now had some good quality experience in the conference and know what it takes to win and what level we have to play at."

Edgar is the leading returning score and rebounder at 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game (seventh in the PSAC). Lococo is the second-leading returning scorer at 12.3 points per game as a rookie while Ellis was the second-leading rebounder last season at 5.3 rebounds per contest. Pygatt shot 44.6 percent from the floor in 2012-13 and averaged 8.4 points per game, starting all but two games on the season.

Defending PSAC champion IUP received seven first-place votes in the Western Division and ranks atop the poll, followed by Gannon and Slippery Rock (one first-place vote each), California (Pa.), Pitt-Johnstown, Mercyhurst, Seton Hill, Edinboro and Clarion.

The Raiders open up the season at home on Nov. 15-16 with the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic from Heiges Field House. SU will face Alderson-Broaddus and Shepherd in the season-opening tipoff classic. Mercyhurst will be the fourth team participating in the tournament.

2013-14 PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll

Eastern Division
1. West Chester (5)
2. East Stroudsburg (3)
3. Millersville
4. Bloomsburg
5. Mansfield (1)
6. Lock Haven
7. Cheyney
8. Kutztown
9. Shippensburg

Western Division
1. IUP (7)
2. Gannon (1)
3. Slippery Rock (1)
4. California (Pa.)
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Mercyhurst
7. Seton Hill
8. Edinboro
9. Clarion

(First-place votes in parentheses)