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BRIDGEPORT-- Head coach Mike Jacobs and his Notre Dame College football team was selected to repeat as champions of the Mountain East Conference after a vote by league coaches at the annual media day held Tuesday afternoon.
NDC picked up the maximum 10 first-place votes and finished with 100 points to top the poll ahead of runner-up Fairmont State, which had one first-place vote and 91 points.
The Falcons of coach Jacobs finished with an undefeated regular season en route to claiming their first MEC championship and advanced to the Division II national semifinals.
Notre Dame will be led by tailback Jaleel McLaughlin, who set an NCAA record for rushing yards (2,421) as a freshman. The defense is spearheaded by Sha'Haun Williams, an All-American who had 20 sacks a year ago.
"I'm humbled to go last," quipped coach Jacobs while at the podium. "That means there are high expectations. It doesn't matter where you start, but where you finish.
"Last year we were a pretty young team. We're looking to continue to grow. For us, complacency will kill. We certainly believe we have enough talent to compete with anybody."
The Fighting Falcons of seventh-year head man Jason Woodman return 10 starters on offense and seven on defense from their 9-2 squad.
"Rankings don't really matter to us," Woodman stated. "We feel like we got a lot to prove."
W.Va. State (75) edged the University of Charleston (74) by a single point in the poll and they were followed by fifth-place Urbana (64).
West Liberty (52) was picked to finish sixth while first-year Glenville State College head coach Mike Kellar's Pioneers had 50 points and checked in seventh.
"The thing about Glenville, we went through spring ball with a little less than 50 players and we're bringing in 70 players," noted Kellar, who inherits a team which went 5-6 last fall but returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense.
"I'm just trying to get this plane off the ground. I thought spring ball went well. We're looking to see some good competition. I'm excited about being back at Glenville and about the future of Glenville and the direction we are headed. Hopefully, we can get some wins this year."
Not only do the G-men return starting quarterback Jaylen McNair, but leading rusher and first team all-MEC pick Mario Pender is back at running back after rushing for 1,065 yards as a junior. GSC also returns second team wideout Javon Butler, who had 50 catches for 825 yards and eight scores.
Glenville State's defense returns its top two leading tacklers in Dom Cizauskas (134) and Wil Mayes (77). Ciszuskas earned first team all-MEC as too did punter Justin Watts.
Rounding out spots eight through 11 were Concord (37), first-year member Frostburg State (26), W.Va. Wesleyan (23) and Wheeling (13).
Former Parkersburg Big Red Tony Testa has taken over the reigns of his alma mater the Wesleyan Bobcats, who finished 1-10 last year.
"We lost a lot of close games, especially early," Testa said of the 2018 campaign while noting the biggest factor for his team to have success this season is "coming more together as a family."