The PAC hosted its 12th annual Media Day Wednesday afternoon
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LATROBE, Pa. – For the first time since the 2008 season, Washington & Jefferson College has been tabbed as the favorite in the 2013 Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s (PAC) annual preseason football poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media panel. The league’s preseason football poll was announced earlier this afternoon at PAC Media Day, hosted by Saint Vincent College at the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion.
W&J garnered 16 first-place votes and a total of 271 points to headline the preseason poll. Thomas More College was second with 10 first-place votes and 248 points, followed by Waynesburg University in third place with six first-place votes and 233 points.
Grove City College was picked to finish fourth with 159 points, followed by Bethany College (138) and Geneva College (138), who tied for fifth. Westminster College was picked seventh (107), followed by Thiel College (106) and Saint Vincent College (40).
W&J and 11th-year head coach Mike Sirianni earned a share of the conference title in 2012, finishing the season 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the PAC. W&J's 31-14 victory over then nationally ranked Waynesburg University on November 10 allowed the Presidents to share the conference crown with the Yellow Jackets while also securing the league's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division III Football Championship Tournament. Heading into the 2013 season the Presidents have claimed outright or shared a PAC football title a league-best 22 times.
“We are honored to be chosen as the preseason favorite,” said Sirianni. “We expect to win and we’re a confident team. With that being said, our league is so deep from top to bottom. We are very aware of how difficult it is to repeat.”
W&J was picked as the league favorite for the sixth time in the 12-year history of the conference’s preseason football poll.
"Being voted as the preseason favorite only tells us that we have to go out on the field and prove it," said W&J senior wide receiver Alex Baroffio, who enters his final collegiate season with 178 career receptions. "We're ready and excited to get this job done as a team."
The 2013 PAC football schedule kicks off on Saturday, September 7, as all nine teams begin their seasons with non-conference action.
|
2013 PAC Football Preseason Poll |
|
School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2012 Record (PAC) |
|
1. Washington & Jefferson College (16) |
271 |
8-3 (7-1) |
|
2. Thomas More College (10) |
248 |
7-3 (6-2) |
|
3. Waynesburg University (6) |
233 |
10-1 (7-1) |
|
4. Grove City College |
159 |
6-4 (5-3) |
|
T-5. Bethany College |
138 |
3-7 (3-5) |
|
T-5. Geneva College |
138 |
3-7 (3-5) |
|
7. Westminster College |
107 |
3-6 (2-6) |
|
8. Thiel College |
106 |
3-7 (3-5) |
|
9. Saint Vincent College |
40 |
0-10 (0-8) |
2013 PAC Football Players to Watch
Bethany: Matt Grimard – QB (Sr., Lowell, Mass./Dracut); Wyssmy Despagne – DB (Jr., Riverdale, Md./Parkdale); Phil Acrie – RB (Sr., Verona, Pa./Linsly (W. Va.)); Eric Blinn – WR (So., Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver)
Geneva: Dillon Goodell – LB (Sr., Tarpon Springs, Fla./Tarpon Springs), Zack Hayward – QB (Sr., Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk), Rocco Colavecchia – QB (Sr., New Castle, Pa./Shenango), Brandon Martin – OL (Sr., Lakeland, Fla./Lakeland), Rashad Briscoe – DB (Sr., Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn)
Grove City: Brian Pell – QB (Sr., Streamwood, Ill./Wheaton Academy), Anthony Ritchie – WR (Sr., Big Rock, Ill./Wheaton Academy), Chris Gibbs – CB (Sr., Akron, Ohio/Revere), Ben Manwaring – ILB (Sr., Lisle, N.Y./Whitney Point), Joe Diani – FS (Sr., West Leechburg, Pa./Leechburg)
Saint Vincent: Darius McGhee – OL (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), Dan Wirkowski – DB (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler), Darius Brown – DB (Jr., Jeannette, Pa./Jeannette), Matt Duffey – WR (Jr., Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan), Renny LaRue-Holloman – LB (So., Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel)
Thiel: Andrew Smith – QB (Sr., Williamsfield, Ohio/Pymatuning Valley), Rob Edwards – DB (Sr., Poland, Ohio/Struthers), Jason Crystol – OL (Jr., Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), Berend Grube – TE (Sr., Venetia, Pa./Peters Twp.), Cody McClelland – DE (Jr., Sarver, Pa./Freeport)
Thomas More: Alex Taylor – LB (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), Domonique Hayden – RB (Jr., Lexington, Ky./Lexington Christian Academy), Jake McBee – OL (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), Erick Butler – DL (Jr., Eminence, Ky./Henry County), Tyler Combs – DL (Sr., Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands)
W&J: Alex Baroffio – WR (Sr., Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Dion Wiegand – RB (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks), B.J. Monacelli – S (Sr., Cassadaga, N.Y./Cassadaga Valley), Jon Lowery – DE (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny)
Waynesburg: Bryan Gary – DB (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler), Brandon Fedorka – DE (Sr., Clinton, Pa./Hopewell), Rob Kingerski –OL (Sr., Baden, Pa./Ambridge), Carter Hill – QB (Jr., Columbiana, Ohio/Crestview), Ronnie Skinner – LB (Sr., New Salem, Pa./Uniontown)
Westminster: Tyler Banks – RB (Sr., Meadville, Pa./Meadville), Dak Britt – QB (Sr., Battle Creek, Mich./Battle Creek), David Wright – TE (Sr., Solon, Ohio/Solon), Sean Christofferson – DE (Sr., New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington), Aaron Nauer – LB (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler)