Story courtesy of the Presidents' Athletic Conference
Photo courtesy of Thomas More Athletics
LATROBE, Pa. - Four-time defending conference champion Thomas More College has been picked to again capture the 2012 football championship in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), according to the preseason poll released at the 2012 PAC Football Media Day at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Voters in the polls included conference head coaches, sports information directors (SIDs), and members of the media present at the conference media day.
The Saints of sixth-year head coach Jim Hilvert return 17 starters and 46 lettermen from last year's team which finished 9-2 overall, including a 7-1 mark against conference competition. Thomas More earned 23 of 25 total first-place votes and 223 points in the conference poll to top second place Washington & Jefferson (188), followed by Waynesburg (165), Bethany (117), Saint Vincent (114), Geneva (105), Westminster (101), Grove City (79) and Thiel (32).
"It is a privilege and an honor to be preseason number one. It is a credit to our past and present players' and coaches' hard work to get the Thomas More football program to this point," said Hilvert. "I am a firm believer that preseason polls do not mean anything. It is about the championship intensity that we have to have every day to achieve the lofty goals that the football team has set in 2012.."
In the 2011 postseason, Thomas More fell to Franklin 24-21 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, while Saint Vincent and Waynesburg both competed in ECAC bowl games. The Bearcats dropped a 23-15 decision at Lebanon Valley in the 2011 ECAC Division III Southwest Bowl, while the Yellow Jackets were defeated 48-27 at Widener in the 2011 ECAC Division III South Atlantic Bowl.