GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Saint Vincent College men's cross country program was selected as the favorite this fall in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll. The results of this year's poll, voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches, were announced along with the PAC's Runners to Watch List Thursday afternoon. 

Saint Vincent, led by first-year head coach Kevin Wanichko, secured six of 11 first-place votes and 103 total points to top this year's coaches' poll. Wanichko has served as the head coach of the women's program since 2016. He replaces Dr. Andrew Herr, who announced his resignation as head coach of the men's program earlier this year. Herr guided the Saint Vincent men to eight PAC championships, including a seven-year run between 2010 and 2016. Herr was named the league's coach of the year seven times. 

Last fall Saint Vincent turned in a runner-up finish at the PAC Championships, posting 46 points with its five scoring runners finishing among the top 13 finishers in the nine-team, 99-runner field. Saint Vincent registered a seventh-place team finish at last year's Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. 

Allegheny College and sixth-year head coach Ben Mourer earned three first-place votes and 93 total points in the poll to finish second. Allegheny was the runner-up at last year's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships, scoring 71 points in the nine-team, 103-runner field. 

Allegheny announced its return to the PAC on August 23, 2021 after a 38-year run as a founding member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Allegheny was a PAC member from 1958 through the spring of 1984 and reentered the PAC as its 11th full-time member on July 1, 2022. 

Allegheny won the 1979 PAC title, edging former league member Case Western Reserve University by two points (53-55). 

Franciscan University and 21st-year head coach Dr. Dan Kuebler were third in this year's poll, claiming one first-place vote and 91 total points. Franciscan won its second-straight PAC team title last season, finishing with 16 points. It was the lowest total of a PAC team champion since Grove City College (15) on October 30, 2004. Franciscan placed its five scoring runners in the top six finishers last fall. Franciscan posted a sixth-place team finish at last season's Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships. 

Washington & Jefferson College and fifth-year head coach Derek Workman were fourth in the poll, securing one first-place vote and 89 total points. W&J was fourth at last year's PAC Championships. W&J claimed its first-ever men's cross country title in 2018. 

Grove City College, winners of a PAC-best 21 conference titles, was fifth in the preseason poll with 79 points. Geneva College finished sixth (63) and was followed by Waynesburg University in seventh (58), Chatham University in eighth (40), Westminster College in ninth (39), Thiel College in 10th (34) and Bethany College in 11th (26). 

A pair of PAC men's programs were recently featured in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic preseason regional rankings. W&J was slotted in the No. 6 spot with Saint Vincent at No. 9. 

This season’s runners to watch list includes four All-PAC First Team selections,  five All-PAC Second Team selections and five All-PAC Honorable Mention selections from last season. 

Franciscan rising seniors Miguel Daez (Sterling, Va. | Holy Family Homeschool) and George Kaftan (Sandusky, Ohio | St. Mary's Central Catholic), along with Saint Vincent rising junior Tim Patterson (Butler, Pa. | Butler), highlight this year's runners to watch list.

Daez was the runner-up at last year's conference championships with a time of 27 minutes, 07.70 seconds. He earned All-Region honors with a 33rd-place finish (25:47.30) at the Division III Great Lakes Championships.

Kaftan was fourth (27:32.22) at the PAC Championships last season. He finished 43rd (25:55.70) at the Division III Great Lakes Championships. 

Patterson was fifth (27:37.01) at the conference championships last fall. He earned All-Region honors at the Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships with a 27th-place finish (27:34.30). It was the highest regional finish for a Saint Vincent runner since Brandon Moretton ran to a 24th-place finish at the 2015 Mideast Championships.  

The runners to watch list includes 17 members of the Fall 2021 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition. 

Last January the USTFCCCA recognized six PAC men's programs as All-Academic Teams. The programs at Allegheny, Chatham, Franciscan, Saint Vincent, W&J and Waynesburg all posted cumulative GPAs of at least 3.1. Four men were also honored by the USTFCCCA as Division III All-Academic Athletes after registering cumulative GPAs of at least 3.3 and finishing in the top 25 percent of their respective regional championship meet. 

In May Saint Vincent rising junior Joey Bujdos (Indiana, Pa. | Indiana) earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III Academic All-District^® Men's Track & Field/Cross Country First Team honors through voting by the region's sports information directors.

On Saturday, Oct. 29 Saint Vincent will host this year's PAC Championships. The women's 6,000-meter race will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter race at 12 p.m.

The 10 Division III regional championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 12. Bethany, Chatham, Geneva, Grove City, Saint Vincent, Thiel, W&J, Waynesburg and Westminster will compete in the Mid-Atlantic region, while Allegheny and Franciscan will compete in the Great Lakes region. Susquehanna University will host the Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships at Lock Haven University's West Branch Cross Country Course. Hope College will host the Division III Great Lakes Championships at the West Ottawa Golf Club in Holland, Mich. 

The Division III Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 in Lansing, Mich. Olivet College will host the national championships at Forest Akers East Golf Course. 
 

2022 PAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2021 Conference finishes
1. Saint Vincent College (6)	103	2nd (of 9) at PAC Championships, 46 pts.
2. Allegheny College (3)	93	2nd (of 9) at NCAC Championships, 71 pts.
3. Franciscan University (1)	91	1st (of 9) at PAC Championships, 16 pts.
4. Washington & Jefferson College (1)	89	4th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 112 pts.
5. Grove City College	79	3rd (of 9) at PAC Championships, 103 pts.
6. Geneva College	63	7th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 197 pts.
7. Waynesburg University	58	5th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 134 pts.
8. Chatham University	40	6th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 188 pts.
9. Westminster College	39	9th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 244 pts.
10. Thiel College	34	8th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 201 pts.
11. Bethany College	26	Individuals only at PAC Championships

2022 PAC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch

Allegheny College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Sean Heintzleman	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Winchester Thurston
Peter Lantz	Jr.	Lewisburg, Pa. | Lewisburg

 

Bethany College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Sebastian Ballestero Farias	So.	Alexandria, Va. | T.C. Williams
Dylan Wise	Sr.	Berkeley Springs, W.Va. | Berkeley Springs

 

Chatham University
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Ben Brown	So.	Indiana, Pa. | Indiana
Jack Matics	So.	King of Prussia, Pa. | Upper Merion
Brandon Romell	Gr.	Milan, Ohio | Edison

 

Franciscan University
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Miguel Daez	Sr.	Sterling, Va. | Holy Family Homeschool
Danny Donovan	Sr.	Manchester, N.H. | Trinity
George Kaftan	Sr.	Sandusky, Ohio | St. Mary's Central Catholic

 

Geneva College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Kevin Arseneaux	So.	Yarmouth Port, Mass. | Dennis-Yarmouth Regional
Evan Freil	Fr.	Hanover, Pa. | South Western
Josiah Helmer	Jr.	Hummelstown, Pa. | Lower Dauphin
Michael Hernandez	Sr.	Lewisburg, Pa. | Lewisburg
Karter Reath	Fr.	Fayetteville, Pa. | Chambersburg

 

Grove City College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Jonah DeWitt	So.	Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley
Nathan Striebel	So.	Midland, Mich. | Midland
Max Thomas	So.	Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan

 

Saint Vincent College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Joey Bujdos	Sr.	Indiana, Pa. | Indiana
Jeremy Capella	Sr.	Levittown, Pa. | Conwell-Egan
Aiden Jackson	So.	Carroll, Ohio | William V. Fisher
Joey Jafarace	So.	Conneaut, Ohio | Edgewood
Tim Patterson	Jr.	Butler, Pa. | Butler

   

Thiel College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Quintin Weaver	Sr.	Rimersburg, Pa. | Union City

   

Washington & Jefferson College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Paul Collier	Sr.	Heath, Ohio | Heath
Aden Dressler	Sr.	Evans City, Pa. | Butler
Julian Paul	So.	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Montour
Brock Pennington	So.	North East, Pa. | North East
Jake Sinclair	So.	Beallsville, Pa. | Bethlehem-Center

 

Waynesburg University
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Jac Cokley	Sr.	Cochranton, Pa. | Cochranton
Nolan Curran	So.	Ellwood City, Pa. | Ellwood City
Andrew Kasper	Jr.	Orchard Park, N.Y. | Orchard Park
Luke Whisel	So.	Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway

 

Westminster College
Name	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Caden Harsh	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin
Ian Jackson	Sr.	Neshannock, Pa. | Neshannock