University of Minnesota Duluth junior Drew Bauer, who returns for his third year of starting quarterback duty this fall, has been selected the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in a vote of league coaches. 

Last fall, Bauer completed 202 of 347 passes for 2,403 yards and 25 touchdowns (all career highs) and finished second on the Bulldog rushing charts with a personal-best 983 yards and 13 touchdowns on 202 carries. For his efforts, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native secured All-NSIC North Division second team recognition and was a USA College Football All-American honoree (honorable mention).  Bauer, who will serve as a 2015 Bulldog team captain, has started all 27 outings over the past two seasons, quarterbacking UMD to a 24-3 record during that stretch. Although he's reached just the midway point of his collegiate career, Bauer has already generated the fourth most all-time total yards (5,767) and fifth most passing yards (3,982) in program history. He becomes the second Bulldog to attain the NSIC North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Week citation in as many years (running back Austin Sikorski was the 2014 recipient) and the first UMD signal caller to be so honored since 2011(Chase Vogler).

The NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll was also released today and, for only the second time in the last eight years, UMD was not picked as the team to beat. Minnesota State University-Mankato, which shared the 2014 NSIC title with UMD, earned that distinction, garnering 10 first-place votes and 218 points. The Bulldogs, who were tabbed as the NSIC North Division preseason favorites for the eighth straight time, picked up a pair of first-place votes and 209 points and were followed by the University of Sioux Falls (the remaining four first-place votes and 206 points), Augustana College (169 pts.), St. Cloud State University (161 pts.), Winona State University (157 pts.), Northern State University (133) and Concordia University-St. Paul (133 pts.). The Bulldogs kick off the 2015 season at Minnesota State-Mankato and will pay a visit to Sioux Falls 16 days later. The NSIC is a 16-team circuit and, for football, is broken down into two, eight-school divisions. St. Cloud State and Northern State are both North Division members.

UMD, which rolled up a 13-1 overall record last fall and went 11-0 for the first time ever in league play, has been chosen as the overall NSIC preseason favorite in seven of its previous nine years of league membership (2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2003 -- the Bulldogs belonged to the now-defunct North Central Conference from 2004-07). The seven-time defending NSIC North Division champions return 42 letterwinners from a year ago, including six starters on offense and five on defense, and will open preseason camp on Aug. 15 at James S. Malosky Stadium

2015 NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll