DOYLESTOWN (PA) – The Delaware Valley College football team is ranked fifth in Division III in the annual Lindy's college football preseason publication while senior offensive lineman John Lavelle has been named to the magazine's All-Division III First Team.

It marks the fourth straight year that the four-time defending Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) champion Aggies have been listed in Lindy's top 25 as they were fourth in 2009, seventh in 2010 and 25th last season. Seventeen starters (nine offense, six defense, two specialty) are back from a 2011 squad that posted an 11-1 record (10-0 in regular season, 9-0 in MAC) with the conference crown and a third straight trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Lindy's provides one line of information on all of the top 25 teams and writer Dominic DiRienzo stated the following about Delaware Valley: “5. Delaware Valley – With nine starters back on offense, the favorite for fifth straight MAC title.”

Lavelle was the lone returnee on the Aggie offensive line last year and one of just two starters back on that side of the ball. He helped mentor the newcomers and the line paved the way for Delaware Valley to average 35 points and 439.6 total yards per contest. The Aggies went over the 50-point plateau on four separate occasions, including a season-best 62 in a win over Norwich University in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Lavelle picked up his second straight, all-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) first-team accolade and capped the honors when he was a third team pick on the D3football.com All-America Team.

Archrival Widener University is ranked sixth in Lindy's Top 25 poll. The Pride and the Delaware Valley battled for the MAC's automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs in last year's regular-season finale and the host Aggies notched 42 unanswered points to turn a 28-14 deficit into a 56-28 victory. The two will cap the regular season once again in 2012, this time on Widener's home field on Saturday, November 10.

National runner-up Mount Union tops the preseason poll while three-time defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater is listed third. 2011 national semifinalists Wesley and St. Thomas are second and fourth respectively.

Delaware Valley will open the 2012 campaign on Saturday, September 1 (1:00 p.m.) when it travels to Rowan University as part of the MAC-NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference) Challenge.