WILMINGTON, North Carolina - Before the hot Carolina sun could peek over the horizon Head Coach Aidan Heaney and his 2011 Seahawks were up and at it Thursday morning signifying the start of training for the upcoming season.

The Seahawks enter the season looking to return to the CAA and NCAA tournaments after coming up short last season. UNCW finished sixth and missed on qualifying for the four-team CAA tournament. The championship has since been returned to a six-team event beginning this season.

UNCW returns five starters in addition to senior midfielders Daniel Roberts and Brian Harrison, who both went down early to injuries and missed a majority of the season. Both were vital cogs in UNCW's run to the title in 2009 and the second round of the NCAA tournament.

While injuries took their toll on the Seahawks, a pair of then freshmen made the most of their opportunities to gain the experience needed to make a stronger impact on the Seahawks this season. Midfielders Andy McDaniel and Michael Parrish both started 16 games as rookies and notched first career-goals.

In goal senior Brandon Miller moves into the starting position following the departure of Brock Duckworth. Miller fashioned a 0.55 goals against average as a junior and posted a pair of clean sheets in five starts.

UNCW's only exhibition game will be on Aug. 20, when it hosts North Florida at 2 p.m.