SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Lindy's Sports has named Slippery Rock University football players Marcus Martin and Shamar Greene to its Preseason All-Division II team and has ranked The Rock No. 9 in the preseason national rankings listed in the annual college football preview issue of the publication that is on newsstands now.
 
This marks the second straight year Slippery Rock is listed in the preseason top 25 by Lindy's after ranking 25th last summer. This also marks the second straight appearance on the All-Division II first team for Martin, while it marks the first appearance on the second team for Greene.
 
The Rock are one of four teams in Super Region One to appear in the Lindy's preseason poll and are one of two teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. National runner-up Shepherd is the highest ranked team from the region at No. 2. Slippery Rock follows at No. 9 to give Super Region One two teams in the top 10. Assumption is ranked No. 14 and Indiana (Pa.) is 15th. SRU played each of those teams last year and posted a 2-1 record with wins over Indiana (Pa.) and Assumption and a loss at Shepherd in the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
Martin, who was also named to Preseason All-America honors by Sporting News, was named the Lindy's Division II National Defensive Player of the Year. He will enter his redshirt junior season this fall needing just one sack to break the all-time career sack record at Slippery Rock. The reigning PSAC Western Division and Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year, Martin opened the first two years of his career on a pace that has never been equaled at any level of college football. He has recorded 31.5 sacks in just two seasons and leads all players in the nation at 1.21 sacks per game. He was named the PSAC West and Super Region One Freshman of the Year two years ago and has been named to a total of eight All-America honors in his career so far.
 
He will anchor a defensive unit that returns most of its starters after leading the nation in takeaways and ranking second against the run in 2015.

Greene earns his first preseason recognition of the year with a nod as the second team running back on Lindy's list. He will enter the 2016 season needing just 179 yards to become the all-time rushing leader in Rock football history.
 
The senior is coming off a pair of seasons in which he rushed for more than 1,450 yards. He missed two-and-a-half games with an injury last season and despite those missed opportunities, still finished the season with the fourth highest total rushing yards of any player in the country with 1,545 yards. Greene ranked eighth in the nation in rushing yards per game at 128.8 and averaged 5.7 yards per carry to go along with 14 rushing touchdowns. He also added two receiving touchdowns.
 
Greene is the only player in Slippery Rock history to rush for more than 1,450 yards in two separate seasons and ranks No. 2 and No. 3 on the single-season rushing ledger with his 2014 and 2015 seasons. After three years, Greene has rushed for 3,754 yards, just 179 shy of breaking Stan Kennedy's (1997-00) record of 3,932 yards.
 
Slippery Rock's offense shattered multiple single-season school records last fall, including rushing yards (3,608), rushing attempts (741), rushing TDs (46), total offense (6,864), all-purpose yardage (8,599), scoring (633 points) and total TDs (87).
 
The Rock finished the 2015 season with a 12-2 overall record, matching the best in school history. Slippery Rock won its second straight PSAC overall title, its third straight PSAC West title and its fourth PSAC West title in the last five years. The team finished the year ranked No. 7 in the American Football Coaches Association's national rankings and made an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
Slippery Rock will officially open the 2016 season Sept. 3 at home against the University of New Haven. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
Below is a look at the Lindy's preseason top 25 and the players from the PSAC that were named to the All-Division II teams. The Rock were also ranked No. 9 in the Sporting News preseason poll. Martin and offensive lineman Joe LoSchiavo were named Preseason All-Americans. To see that information, CLICK HERE.
 
 
LINDY'S SPORTS PRESEASON TOP 25

1. Northwest Missouri State
2. Shepherd
3. Ashland
4. Grand Valley State
5. West Georgia
6. Midwestern State
7. Minnesota-Duluth
8. Colorado State Pueblo
9. SLIPPERY ROCK
10. Tuskegee
11. North Alabama
12. Emporia State
13. Valdosta State
14. Assumption
15. Indiana (Pa.)
16. Sioux Falls
17. Minnesota State
18. Colorado School of Mines
19. Augustana
20. Ferris State
21. Henderson State
22. Central Missouri
23. Humboldt State
24. Texas A&M Commerce
25. Pittsburg State
 
 
LINDY'S SPORTS ALL-DIVISION II TEAM
(PSAC players listed here)
 
First Team Offense
OL – Jordan Morgan (Kutztown)
 
First Team Defense
DL – Marcus Martin (Slippery Rock)
DL – Richard Nase, Jr. (Shippensburg)
DB – Aaron Terry (California, Pa.)
 
Second Team Offense
RB – Shamar Greene (Slippery Rock)
RB – Lawrence Elliott, Jr. (Bloomsburg)
OL – Doug Gilbert (West Chester)

Second Team Defense
DB – Tarique Ellis (Mercyhurst)