Saint Vincent looks to continue to grow in PAC; Westminster picked 1st in preseason poll

If Brady Walker has anything to say about it, the Saint Vincent football team will be hoisting up the Presidents’ Athletic Conference trophy at the end of the season.

The veteran quarterback, a four-year starter from Gateway, completed 192 of 323 passes for 2,738 yards and 22 touchdowns in helping the Bearcats to a 5-6 record, their third season of at least five wins since the program returned in 2007 and second ECAC Bowl appearance.

“We have high expectations for this season,” Walker said. “We have a lot of players returning, and there will be a little bit more pressure on us. Our motto is ‘Rise Together’ as a team.”

Bearcats coach Aaron Smetanka said having Walker back for a fourth season is huge.

“He’s used to the system, and we let him take control of the offense,” Smetanka said. “We expect him to be even better this season. We have a lot of experience around him.”

While Walker is expecting big things, the PAC coaches and sports information directors along with media members selected Westminster as the preseason favorite, followed by Washington & Jefferson, Carnegie Mellon, Grove City, Case Western and then Saint Vincent. The final five are Geneva, newcomer Allegheny, Waynesburg, Bethany and Thiel.

CMU, Waynesburg, Bethany and Thiel have new coaches. Ryan Larson replaced the retired Rich Lackner at CMU, Dr. Cornelius Coleman replaced Chris Smithley at Waynesburg, Brandon Robinson replaced Bill Garvey at Bethany and Sam Bauman replaced Mike Winslow at Thiel.

“The top of the conference is loaded,” Smetanka said. “There are so many good players in the conference. Making the bowl meant a lot to the program. These players have put in a lot of work. I’m excited to see what type of work they put in during the summer.”

Westminster and Carnegie Mellon tied for the top spot in the conference in 2021. CMU was awarded the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs but could not play because the team was exposed to covid.

Westminster, W&J, Grove City and Saint Vincent played in ECAC postseason games.

Allegheny returns to the conference after spending the past 37 years in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The move should benefit all programs at Allegheny. Gone are overnight trips to Ohio and Indiana.

“We’re excited,” Allegheny coach Rich Nagy said. “Hopefully, we’ll develop rivalries with Thiel, Westminster and Grove City and the rest of the teams in the conference.”

Coaches speak:

Allegheny, Rich Nagy: “It is just an exciting time for us. It’s so much fun to be part of the conference again.”

Bethany, Brandon Robinson: “We have to be better in our process. It will be a big role in our overall success.”

Case Western, Greg Debeljak: “Last season was a challenge because of the tough covid policies. We’re looking forward to getting back to Case Western football. Having quarterback Drew Saxton back is a big help.”

Carnegie Mellon, Ryan Larsen: “We’re looking for players from all over the country. I want selfish players. Coach Lackner built a strong foundation at CMU.”

Geneva, Geno DeMarco: “We want to try to get an attacking defense. We have depth at all levels of the defense.”

Grove City, Andrew DiDonato: “We want to continue the success we had last year. … What we’ve noticed is we’ve had a few guys who don’t just get it right, really. They never get it wrong.”

Thiel, Sam Bauman: “We want to try to get better every day. That’s how I’ll measure our success.”

Washington & Jefferson, Mike Sirianni: “The team was disappointed in the 2021 season, and I didn’t do a good enough job as a coach. I’m going to make sure Justin Huss (Derry) touches the ball a lot this season.”

Waynesburg, Dr. Cornelius Coleman: “I’m glad to be back at the school that helped shape me as a person. Things won’t change overnight. I’m just excited about the challenge that faces us.”

Westminster, Scott Benzel: “We have to continue to get better if we hope to win our third consecutive conference title. We were careless with the football in a couple key games last year.”