LANCASTER, Pa. --- The Moravian College football team has been picked to finish fifth in the 2017 Centennial Conference Preseason Poll selected by the conference head coaches and athletic communication directors.

The Greyhounds received 104 points while eight-time defending conference champion Johns Hopkins University was a unanimous choice with 162 points and 18 first place votes. Muhlenberg College was second in the poll while Franklin & Marshall College and Susquehanna University rounded out the top five in front of the Greyhounds.

Head Coach Jeff Pukszyn enters his seventh season leading the program with 13 starters returning from the 2016 squad that posted a 5-5 record.

"We've made some very big strides as a program over the last four years, and it is nice to be recognized for that improvement by being in the top half of the conference poll," commented Pukszyn. "Obviously, everyone in the conference is chasing Johns Hopkins and the poll always seems to look at where you finished last year and what potentially will take place this year. We're though the first seven days of preseason camp at this point so we're more focused on getting prepared for the opening week against King's College. We have a goal to exceed this preseason selection in November but we need to build a foundation and continue the improvement on the field."

The Hounds' opener at King's on Thursday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m. is one of 11 games on opening night featuring NCAA Division III schools, and Moravian is only Centennial Conference team to play Thursday night.

To view the entire 2017 Centennial Conference Preseason Poll, visit http://www.centennial.org/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/Preseason-Poll-8-16.