LATROBE, Pa. (Aug. 6) – For the 17th consecutive season, Saint Vincent College played host to the annual Presidents' Athletic Conference Football Media Day.
 
The 11 PAC football-playing institutions were each represented by their head coach and one student-athlete at the event, held in the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion on the SVC campus. Other attendees in the crowd of more than 100 included media members along with athletic directors and sports information personnel from the PAC institutions.
 
Saint Vincent head coach Aaron Smetanka was joined by rising senior linebacker Wiley Purry, who earned All-PAC accolades in 2023 after amassing a program-record 111 tackles.
 
"I think our guys experienced a lot of growth after facing adversity last season," Smetanka told the crowd. "We faced a number of injuries, beginning with preseason camp. We entered our last game with 24 players out due to injury, and many were significant players. It gave our younger guys an opportunity to see the field earlier than expected.
 
"We didn't have the season we expected to have, but we finished strong with a good win and our players carried that momentum and mentality into winter conditioning and lifting, into spring practice, and into the classroom. I'm excited to see where this growth will take us in the new season."
 
Last season was Purry's first with the Bearcats after transferring from West Los Angeles Junior College, and he made it one to remember, after leading the PAC in tackles while also picking off a pair of interceptions and playing nearly every snap on defense. Despite his strong debut with the Bearcats, Purry told the attendees that he was disappointed with his performance.
 
"I would grade my performance last year as a D-minus," he said. "I could have done better in coverage, and I could have made more tackles."
 
Saying that he's humbled to be viewed as a leader by his teammates and coaching staff, and his only goal for his upcoming senior campaign is for the team to be a winner.

"It's a great honor to be trusted by my coaches and teammates," he said. "I just try to bring accountability every day, and spread it to the whole team. We need to always be accountable for our actions, and especially accountable for our mistakes.
 
"My only goal for the season is to help get my team to the top."
 
Prior to the on-stage interviews with the coaches and student-athletes, the event started with a brief welcome from PAC commissioner Joe Onderko, which was followed by Bob Barrickman being honored posthumously as the 2024 recipient of the PAC's Dow Carnahan Media Award. Carnahan, the longtime play-by-play announcer for Saint Vincent College football and basketball, passed away unexpectedly in 2016. The award is presented annually to a distinguished member of the media or on-campus representative for their exceptional coverage and promotion of the PAC and its student-athletes and institutions.
 
An award-winning journalist and broadcaster, Barrickman was a household name for over 40 years in the greater Pittsburgh area before he passed away in December, 2022. He worked as a sportswriter for the Beaver County Times, and also was employed with the Pittsburgh Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In addition, he worked with local radio stations, including WBVP, as well as the MSA/TribLive Network, where he covered local high schools, as well as Geneva College athletics, for more than four decades.

PAC Media Day wrapped up with the release of the league's preseason poll, voted upon at the event by coaches, media members and sports information directors.
 
Defending PAC champion Grove City, which advanced to the 2023 NCAA Division III Quarterfinals, topped the poll with 444 total points and 29 of a possible 42 first-place votes.
 
The Bearcats were tabbed eighth in the poll, with 154 points.
 
Saint Vincent will open the 2024 season on Saturday, Sept. 7, traveling to Washington & Jefferson for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

2024 PAC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
 

Team	2023 Rec.	Pts. (1st place votes)
1. Grove City	11-1	444 (29)
2. Carnegie Melllon	10-1	417 (8)
3. Washington & Jefferson	9-2	378 (3)
4. Case Western Reserve	7-3	335
5. Westminster	6-4	310 (2)
6. Allegheny	3-7	219
7. Geneva	4-6	192
8. Saint Vincent	3-7	154
9. Waynesburg	2-8	133
10. Thiel	3-7	129
11. Bethany	0-10	61