The Barton Community College men’s soccer team comes in at No. 3 in the recently released NJCAA preseason poll. 
The Cougars are coming off back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division I national championships. 
Last season the Cougars finished third which followed a seventh place finish in 2009 at the tournament. Barton is the lone Jayhawk conference team ranked in the early poll.  
Barton is no stranger to high competition and continues to play a tough schedule. In addition to conference play, Barton plays three teams in the top 10 ranking and one team who is receiving votes.
Barton’s opening weekend of play will test the Cougars early as they play host to Kansas Wesleyan JV on Aug. 26 followed by No. 7-ranked Otero Junior College on Aug. 28. The following week Barton travels to Tyler, Texas, to take on the No. 1-ranked team in country, Tyler Junior College, followed by No. 9-ranked San Jacinto (Texas) the next day. The Cougars will then start conference play at home on Sept. 8 against Coffeyville Community College and conclude its non-conference portion of the schedule Oct. 11 against national receiving votes Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa. 
The Cougars begin the regular season on Friday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m. against the Kansas Wesleyan junior varsity at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
  In other games that weekend, Otero Junior College will take on Kansas Wesleyan JV on Saturday, Aug. 27, followed by the Barton-Otero match up on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.