BROOKVILLE, N.Y.— Tedi Kushi will help anchor the LIU football team's offensive line again this season. Tight end Owen Glascoe will look to build on the 555 receiving yards he amassed in 2021. And Shemar Paul again should prove electric on kick returns.

That trio was recognized on Wednesday by being named to the All-NEC Preseason Team as selected by the league's head coaches.

The Sharks officially reported on Sunday and began practicing Monday in preparation for the Sept. 1 opener at Toledo, although 70 of the student-athletes already had been participating in summer workouts on campus.

"We've put a lot of work in every day, all summer," said Kushi, a 6-foot-7, 305-pound redshirt sophomore from Staten Island. "We still have work to do. As a unit, we have a lot of young guys. If we put all of it together, we can be a good team."

Glascoe, a 6-4, 258-pound redshirt junior from Massapequa Park, appeared in all 10 games last season, recording 36 receptions and three TDs.

Kushi started every game on the offensive line.

The 5-10, 180-pound Paul, a redshirt sophomore from Miami, led the Sharks in return yards with 502 while averaging 17.93 per return.

"It means a lot to me," Paul said of his preseason selection. "We've been here working hard all summer, so this is a testament to that."

Said Glascoe: "It's an honor. It shows that people respect the work I've put in. I'm hoping that I keep getting better."
 
LIU was picked to finish tied for sixth in the preseason NEC coaches' poll released Wednesday.

Sacred Heart, which received five first-place votes, was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by Duquesne (three first-place votes), Saint Francis U, Central Connecticut and Merrimack. LIU and Wagner were picked in a sixth-place tie, followed by newcomer Stonehill in eighth.
 
Stonehill, rising from Division II, will not be eligible for the NEC title until 2024.

LIU is led by first-year coach Ron Cooper.