TRAFFORD, Pa. (Nov. 6) – Coming off its second Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship in the last three seasons, the Saint Vincent College men's wrestling team has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026-27 PAC Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll, released by the conference Friday morning.
The Bearcats, under the direction of second-year head coach Colin Johnston, received four of the seven first-place votes and totaled 34 points to claim the top spot in the poll.
Thiel College was picked second with 31 points and two first-place votes, while Washington & Jefferson College rounded out the top three with 28 points and the remaining first-place vote. Hiram (19), Waynesburg (16), Bethany (13) and conference newcomer Chatham (six) rounded out the seven-team poll.
Saint Vincent enters the 2026-27 campaign looking to defend its PAC championship after capturing the conference crown last February at Hiram College. The Bearcats totaled 118.5 points at the championship meet, led by four individual champions and seven additional All-PAC honorees, to secure their second conference title since the program's reinstatement in 2023-24.
Along with earning the top spot in the preseason poll, five Saint Vincent wrestlers were named to the conference's Wrestlers to Watch list, including three defending individual PAC champions.
Sophomore Logan Connolly, junior Anthony Orlandini and senior Logan Bechtold headline the Bearcats' returning group after capturing PAC titles at 133, 149 and 165 pounds, respectively, last season.
Joining the trio on the Wrestlers to Watch list are senior Chase Brandebura and sophomore Jonah McCoy. Both earned Second Team All-PAC honors a season ago, with Brandebura finishing as the conference runner-up at 174 pounds and McCoy placing second in the heavyweight division.
The Bearcats are also set to host the 2027 PAC Men's Wrestling Championships on Saturday, February 13, beginning at 11 a.m. The championship will feature double-elimination brackets across all 10 weight classes, with each participating institution permitted to enter up to two wrestlers per weight class.
