Jeffery Named Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference

Aug. 16, 2011

EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. - SIUE senior Benny Jeffery was listed among the all-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason selections in a league release Tuesday.

Jeffery, of Florissant, Mo., led the Cougars in assists last season with six and was named a member of the All-Tournament team at the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament.

As a team, MVC coaches selected SIUE to finish fifth in the league standings during the 2011 season. SIUE finished second last season and was the runner-up at its first MVC Tournament.

"Last year was a step in the right direction for the program. It was a fantastic team with great leadership. This new class of leaders is ready to see how far they progress," said SIUE Head Coach Kevin Kalish.

Creighton earned six first-place votes and was selected to win the MVC title. The Bluejays also will be the host institution for the 2011 State Farm MVC Championship Nov. 9-13. Defending champion Bradley was picked second followed by Missouri State, Drake, SIUE, Evansville, and Central Arkansas.

"We're excited for the challenge again with the Missouri Valley. We're going to focus on ourselves and see how good we can become," said Kalish.

The Cougars are coming off a 1-0 exhibition victory over Northwestern. SIUE travels to Saint Louis University for a 7 p.m. exhibition matchup Friday with the Billikens.

The regular season begins Aug. 27 at Tulsa. SIUE's first regular season home contest is Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. against Green Bay at Korte Stadium. -siue cougars-

Preseason MVC Preseason Poll (vote of coaches) 1. Creighton (6) 48 2. Bradley 34 3. Missouri State (1) 33 4. Drake 30 5. SIUE 26 6. Evansville 15 7. Central Arkansas 10

Preseason All-Conference selections Dion Acoff (CU) Gerard Barbero (MSU) Ethan Finlay (CU) Bryan Gaul (BU) Jose Gomez (CU) Brian Holt (CU) Benny Jeffery (SIUE) Greg Jordan (CU) Heath Melugin (MSU) Thomas Ostrander (DU) Tyler Polak (CU)