EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After completing last season on a four-game winning streak, the LIU football team is poised to make noise in the Northeast Conference this fall. And the league's coaches clearly believe the Sharks have the talent to compete for first place.

At the NEC Football Media Day on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium, six LIU student-athletes were named to the All-Northeast Conference Football Preseason Team: wide receiver Michael Love, tight end Owen Glascoe, defensive lineman Eric O'Neill, defensive back Larry Elder, place kicker Michael Coney and return specialist Davon Wells.

The six selections marked the most of any team in the conference.

The Sharks received one first-place vote in the preseason coaches poll, which also was released Wednesday. LIU was picked fifth of the eight teams. The full poll:

1. Saint Francis U (5 first-place votes)
2. Merrimack (2)
T3. Duquesne (1)
T3. Sacred Heart
5. LIU (1)
T6. Central Connecticut
T6. Stonehill
8. Wagner 
 
A 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior from Chicago, Love led the Sharks with 702 receiving yards and had three touchdown catches among his 51 receptions in 2022. He was named second-team All-NEC.

Glascoe, a 6-4, 258-pound redshirt senior from Massapequa Park, earned first-team All-NEC honors a season ago. He appeared in all 11 games, tallying 62 receptions for 610 yards and five TDs receiving. He also had eight carries for 34 yards and three TDs rushing.

O'Neill, a 6-3, 240-pound redshirt sophomore from Staten Island, collected a ton of hardware in 2022. That included being selected a Jerry Rice Award finalist, NEC Defensive Rookie of Year, first-team All-NEC and a Stats Perform and Hero Sports FCS All-America Freshman. He produced an NEC-leading 10 sacks as well as 51 tackles (32 solo) and two forced fumbles a season ago.
 
A 6-0, 195-pound junior from Richmond, Va., Elder had a team-leading 71 tackles a season ago. That total ranked fourth in the NEC.

The 6-1, 190-pound Coney, a redshirt junior from Wantagh, completed the 2022 season with 14 field goals, one shy of matching the program's single-season record (Sam Flores, 15, 1982). Coney's total came despite no attempts in the season's final two games. He earned second-team All-NEC honors.

Wells, a 5-10, 170-pound senior from Kissimmee, Fla., led the Sharks and ranked second in the NEC in kick-return average at 20.6 yards. He also led the team and ranked fourth in the NEC in all-purpose yards at 111.1 per game en route to earning second-team All-NEC honors.

LIU opens its 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Ohio University.