ST. LOUIS – The South Dakota State University football team is picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race, in a preseason poll announced Monday in conjunction with the league’s annual media day.

Defending co-champions Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois were voted as the top two teams. UNI garnered 26 of the 36 first-place votes to finish with 314 points, followed by SIU with nine first-place votes and 281 points. The Jackrabbits tallied 231 points, while North Dakota State picked up one first-place vote and 206 points to finish fourth in the poll.

Rounding out the poll were: Western Illinois, 174 points; Youngstown State, 171 points; Missouri State, 111 points; Illinois State, 90 points , and Indiana State, 42 points. The poll was tabulated on votes by league coaches, sports information directors and media representatives.

Individually, five SDSU players were named to the all-Missouri Valley Preseason Team. Seniors Danny Batten and Jimmy Rogers were honored on the defensive side of the ball, while junior running back Kyle Minett and senior wide receiver Glen Fox represented the offense. Kicker Peter Reifenrath completed the Jackrabbit contingent.

A defensive end from Gilbert, Ariz., Batten was a first-team all-MVC selection during the 2008 season, during which he recorded 75 tackles, including team bests with eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. Batten also has received second-team preseason All-America honors from the Sports Network and has been named to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Rogers, a linebacker from Chandler, Ariz., has led the team in tackles each of the past two seasons, including 93 in 2008, when he earned second-team all-conference honors.

Minett, a Ruthton, Minn., native , was a dual threat in the backfield for the Jackrabbits in 2008, leading the team with 1,289 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 44 receptions for 415 yards and four scores. Six times Minett topped the 100-yard mark in earning second-team all-MVFC recognition last season.

Fox is the team’s top returning wide receiver, recording 66 receptions for 792 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2008. The Fairfax, Iowa, native was a second-team all-conference pick last season.

Reifenrath was a pleasant surprise for the Jackrabbits in 2008, earning second-team all-MVFC recognition after converting 16-of-22 field goal attempts. A junior from Decorah, Iowa, Reifenrath was 5-of-7 on field goals 40 yards or longer en route to 84 total points.

SDSU, coached by John Stiegelmeier, finished the 2008 season with a 7-5 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in conference play to finish third in the Jackrabbits’ inaugural year in the league. The Jackrabbits open the 2009 season Sept. 12 by hosting Georgia Southern in the annual Cereal Bowl game.