11/12/2009 -

Junior Dino Johnson averaged 125 points per game last season.

Clifton Park, N.Y. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Men’s Basketball team has been selected to finish sixth in the Skyline Conference according to the league’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll that was released on Thursday morning. The Dolphins received 54 points in the poll voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.

2008-09 NCAA Division III Elite Eight participant Farmingdale State headlines the poll after receiving 95 total points and six of the 11 possible first place tallies. The Rams narrowly beat out Old Westbury for the league’s top spot with the Panthers garnering 87 points and the remaining five first place nods.

Maritime, who defeated the Mount in last season’s Skyline Conference Tournament quarterfinals, is third in the poll with 78 points with Purchase following closely in fourth with 73 tallies. St. Joseph’s-L.I., who captured the league championship a season ago, received 69 points from the league’s coaches which was good enough for the fifth position with the Dolphins rounding out the top half of the league in the sixth slot.

Rounding out the 11 team field in the conference is Yeshiva in seventh place (52), Mount Saint Mary in eighth (38), NYU-POLY in ninth (24), Skyline Conference newcomer Sage in tenth (20) and Bard in eleventh (15).

The Dolphins are coming off a 2008-09 season that saw them finish with a 12-14 record overall and a 9-9 mark in the league under first year head coach Brian Nigro ’00. Mount Saint Vincent returns four starters from last season’s squad, including leading scorer Nick DiMaggio (Croton, N.Y.) who was good for 17.6 points per game and 3.5 assists.

The Dolphins will kick-off the season on Tuesday, November 16 when they open the brand new Peter Jay Sharp Center against Lehman. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

2009-10 Skyline Conference Preseason Poll
1. Farmingdale St., 95 (6)
2. Old Westbury, 87 (5)
3. Maritime, 78
4. Purchase, 73
5. St. Joseph’s-L.I., 69
6. Mount Saint Vincent, 54
7. Yeshiva, 52
8. Mount Saint Mary, 38
9. NYU-POLY, 24
10. Sage, 20
11. Bard, 15