LATROBE, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College football team secured six place votes and 299 overall points to finish second in the preseason poll at the 2021 Presidents' Athletic Conference Football Media Day in Latrobe on Tuesday afternoon. 
 
The results of the league's preseason poll, voted on by PAC head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media, were announced following the annual season kickoff event, which was hosted by Saint Vincent College for a 14th-straight time.

Veteran head coach Mike Sirianni and senior linebacker Sean Doran (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) represented W&J at the event.
 
"Sean is so well liked by his teammates," said Sirianni. "He brings a certain intensity to our team. You know what you're going to get from him every game. Sean, as a player and as a person, is one of the greatest young men that I've coached." 
 
Westminster collected 21 first-place votes and totaled 316 points to precede W&J in the poll. W&J followed with six first place votes and 299 points to place second. Case Western Reserve, the PAC Champions during the last full season of play in 2019, recorded seven first place votes and 281 points. Grove City rounded out the top four with one first place vote and 229 points. 
 
Carnegie Mellon (213 points), Geneva (156 points), Saint Vincent (144 points), Bethany (113 points), Waynesburg (63 points) and Thiel (56 points) rounded out the poll. 
 
W&J will be looking for its first conference title since 2018 when they won their league-leading 26th PAC title. The Presidents finished the 2019 season with an 8-3 overall record and captured the ECAC Asa S. Bushnell Bowl with a 20-17 road win at Ithaca College. W&J completed the abbreviated spring season of 2021 with a 3-1 overall mark. 
 
W&J opens the 2021 season with a non-conference showdown at John Carroll University on Saturday, Sept. 4. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Don Shula Stadium. 
 
 

2021 PAC Players To Watch - Washington & Jefferson
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Sean Doran	Sr.	LB	New Castle, Pa. | Neshannock
Max Garda	Sr.	DB	Burrell, Pa. | Lower Burrell
Alex Keith	Jr.	DL	Hartville, Ohio | Lake
Keith Knowell	Sr.	DL	McKeesport, Pa. | McKeesport
Joey Koroly	Jr.	RB	Washington, Pa. | Trinity
Andrew Wolf	Sr.	WR	Ashland, Ohio | Hillsdale

 
 

2021 PAC Football Preseason Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2020-21 Record (PAC)
1. Westminster College (21)	316	5-0 (3-0)
2. Washington & Jefferson College (6)	299	3-1 (2-0)
3. Case Western Reserve University (7)	281	Did not play
4. Grove City College (1)	229	2-2 (1-2)
5. Carnegie Mellon University	213	2-2 (1-2)
6. Geneva College	156	2-3 (1-2)
7. Saint Vincent College	144	2-2 (2-1)
8. Bethany College	113	1-2 (1-1)
9. Waynesburg University	63	0-5 (0-3)
10. Thiel College	56	Did not play