Four was the number associated with the University of Maine men’s football team Thursday as the Black Bears were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll and four Maine players were named to the preseason all-conference team.

Seniors Dennis Dottin-Carter, Matt Hammond, and Millinocket’s Pete Richardson were named to the first team while junior running back Marcus Williams made the second team.

Maine receive four first-place votes, but finished behind favored Northeastern, which received nine first-place votes, Delaware (eight) and Massachusetts (eight). The vote was conducted by a poll of coaches and media members at the conference’s media day in Philadelphia Thursday. Sixth-place Hofstra received one first-place vote, but still trailed No. 5 Villanova in the poll.

“We’re kind of in the same place again here. Our goal as a program was to change how we were looked upon as a team, from the lower echelon to one in the upper echelon, and I would consider where we are this year in that category,” said Maine coach Jack Cosgrove. “I’ve never been insulted when we were ranked near the bottom or pressured when we were near the top.

“The guys know how we view these polls. They don’t carry a lot of weight because it’s the poll at the end of the year that counts the most.”

Dottin-Carter, a team co-captain, is also a preseason All-America selection by Street and Smith magazine. He was a first team All-Atlantic 10 pick last year and a member of the New England Football Writers I-AA All-Star team after totaling 91/2 sacks and 45 tackles.

Hammond has started every game the last two seasons and Richardson is a two-year starter who was a second team All-Atlantic 10 pick last year.

Williams. 12th among UMaine rushers with 1,579 career yards, was a second team all-conference pick in 2002.

Maine finished as the conference co-champions last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

The Black Bears kick off their 2003 season with a home game against Montana on Aug. 30.

Atlantic 10 Conference

2003 preseason poll

(Vote of coaches and media, first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Northeastern (9)

2. Delaware (8)

3. Massachusetts (8)

4. Maine (4)

5. Villanova

6. Hofstra (1)

7. William & Mary

8. James Madison

9. Richmond

10. New Hampshire

11. Rhode Island