Monroe Mustangs Land Four Fall Teams in NJCAA Preseason Polls

HARLOTTE, N.C., August 20, 2019 – The 2018 season saw an unprecedented amount of success for the Monroe College Mustangs fall-sports programs. Last year's accomplishments have led to incredibly high expectations for the Mustangs, as the women's soccer team, men's soccer team, women's volleyball team and football team were all ranked in their respective 2019 NJCAA Preseason Polls, as announced by the NJCAA Monday afternoon. The defending national champion Mustangs women's soccer team enters 2019 as the No. 1-ranked team in the NJCAA. Mustangs men's soccer comes in at No. 4 in the poll after reaching the NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer semifinals a year ago. The women's volleyball team made its third straight appearance in the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championships last year, and enters the season as the No. 15 team in the nation. After reaching the first bowl game in program history a year ago, the Mustangs football team comes into the 2019 campaign at No. 15. No. 1 Monroe Mustangs Women's Soccer The Mustangs were also recently ranked No. 1 by United Soccer Coaches. Monroe went undefeated in 2018, going 16-0-1 en route to its second national title in five seasons. After a challenging pool-play round, Monroe took down Iowa Western Community College, 1-0, in the semifinals, before upsetting No. 1 Tyler Junior College with a 3-1 victory to take the crown. No. 4 Monroe Mustangs Men's Soccer Like the women's team, the Mustangs men's soccer team matched their No. 4 NJCAA ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. The Mustangs finished 2018 with a 12-2-2 overall record and reached the national tournament after winning the District Championship. After upsetting two-time defending champion Tyler Junior College to advance through pool play, the Mustangs' run was halted in a 1-0 defeat by top-seed, and eventual champion, Pima College. No. 15 Monroe Mustangs Women's Volleyball The Mustangs finished the 2018 season 17-13, having claimed their eighth-straight Region Championship and their third-straight District Championship, as well as their third-consecutive appearance in the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball National Championships in Hutchinson, Kan. The Mustangs earned their way into the 2018 National Tournament by finishing as the runner-up at the 2018 District L/M Championships, overcoming four other teams from Alabama before succumbing to District Champion Wallace State in the final match. No. 15 Monroe Mustangs Football The Mustangs competed in The Graphic Edge Bowl to cap off the 2018 season, the team's first-ever bowl-game appearance. Monroe finished 7-2 overall on the season, and twice achieved the highest national ranking in program history at No. 12. The Mustangs finished second in the Northeast Football Conference after defeating ASA College (receiving votes), but falling to champion Lackawanna College (No. 8 in NJCAA Poll). Head coach Terry Karg currently ranks ninth among active NJCAA coaches with a .613 career winning percentage. The 2019 fall campaign kicks off this weekend when the Mustangs men's and women's soccer teams head down to Baltimore to compete in the CCBC-Essex Kickoff Mixer. The volleyball team heads to Arizona later next week to compete in a tournament at Yavapai College, while the football team opens the year at home on Saturday, Aug. 31, against the New Jersey Warriors.