LATROBE, Pa. (Aug. 2) – With college football season less than a month away, the Presidents' Athletic Conference its annual preseason football media day on Wednesday afternoon at the Sis and Herman Dupre Science Center, on the campus of Saint Vincent College.
 
This year marked the 12th consecutive year that Saint Vincent College hosted the annual event.
 
The Saint Vincent College football team was selected to finish in seventh place in the PAC, after a vote by the league's 10 head coaches, sports information directors and media members in attendance.
 
Representing the Saint Vincent football program at Media Day was fifth-year head coach Dr. Ron Dolciato and senior offensive lineman Cullen Higgins.

"Our expectation going into the season is always to be the best possible team that we can be," Dolciato said. "We want to compete every day in practice, compete on gameday and win championships." 

Higgins talked about the disappointment of last season and the desire that his senior class shares in turning things around this season. 

"It's incredibly motivating. As a sophomore in 2016, we started the season 4-0," he said. "Everyone was showing up to practice with an incredible edge and excitement level. That's something we want to get back to and is a big selling point this season." 
 
Washington & Jefferson College received 19 of the 30 first place votes (289 points) to earn the status of the PAC preseason favorite. Case Western Reserve University finished second with eight first-place votes and 265 points and was followed by Westminster College in third place with two first-place votes and 234 points. Carnegie Mellon university finished fourth with 220 points while securing the final first-place vote.
 
The preseason poll is calculated from a vote from the league's team 10 head coaches, sports information directors and media members in attendance for the event.
 
Along with the preseason poll, the PAC announced its Players To Watch for each team. The following Bearcats made the list: senior wide receiver Ariel Martinez, senior safety Cameron Mack, junior defensive lineman Izaak Gray, sophomore running back Mike Stasko and sophomore linebacker Hauns White.

Before this afternoon's question-and-answer sessions got underway, PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko and W&J Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness presented Joe Tuscano, assistant sports editor at the Observer-Reporter (Washington, Pa.), with this year's Dow Carnahan Media Award.

The legendary "Voice of the Bearcats" served as the play-by-play broadcaster of Saint Vincent football and basketball, while also working for decades at WCNS in Latrobe. A friend of the PAC, Carnahan passed away unexpectedly on April 29, 2016. The award is presented annually to a member of the local media for his or her commendable service while covering the league's student-athletes, coaches and programs.
 
The Bearcats open the 2018 season when they travel to Ithaca College (N.Y.) on Saturday, Sept. 1 for a non-conference matchup with the Bombers. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Butterfield Stadium.
 
 
2018 PAC Football Media Day Preseason Poll Results
1. Washington & Jefferson (19) - 289 points
2. Case Western Reserve (8) - 265 points
3. Westminster (2) - 234 points
4. Carnegie Mellon (1) - 220 points
5. Grove City - 163 points
6. Geneva - 141 points
7. Saint Vincent - 101 points
8. Bethany - 97 points
9. Waynesburg - 87 points  
10. Thiel - 53 points
 
(Indicates First Place Votes)