I had found that solution in a previous post and tried it -- no luck.
Here is my opening select code and the first option code:
<select class="formMenufield_Medium" name="leagueName" id="leagueName" rel="<?php echo((isset($_GET["leagueName"])?$_GET["leagueName"]:"")); ?>" tabindex="1" title="Please enter a value.">
<option value="">Select a League</option>
The last item in the dynamic array is still what shows as the default. .