Sports
The Dartmouth men's soccer team following an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen at the 2008 NCAA Championships rounds out the top 10 teams nationally in a preseason poll by College Soccer News.
Midfielder and captain Craig Henderson '09, who will return for a final season in the fall, was selected to the preseason All-American team.Both Henderson and head coach Jeff Cook said that, although the rankings provide recognition for past efforts, what happens during the season is most important to the team.
"To be honest, preseason rankings don't mean much for us," Henderson said.
Although Cook said he doesn't generally look at rankings, he added that the Big Green has not gotten the recognition the team feels it deserves over the past several years.
Henderson, who will play this coming season after missing his sophomore season due to an injury, is one of the best collegiate players in the country, Cook said.
College Soccer News said that "it would be a mistake to underestimate the Big Green in 2009" in its ranking, as 10 starters from last year's team are returning.
The team, which shared the Ivy League title with the University of Pennsylvania last season, hopes to top the league again and advance further into the NCAA tournament this year, Henderson said.