TRAFFORD, Pa. – A pair of major award winners highlighted the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team's representation on the 2024-25 All-Presidents' Athletic Conference teams and award winners announced Tuesday evening by the league office.

The all-conference teams, as well as the PAC's yearly award winners, are determined by vote of the league's 11 head coaches.

Sophomore forward Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) secured PAC Defensive Player of the Year while freshman Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) was voted Newcomer of the Year. In addition, Plotner earned a spot on the All-PAC Second Team while junior guard Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) was listed as an Honorable Mention selection.

Plotner becomes W&J's first Defensive Player of the Year since its inception in 2022-23. He finished the season as the PAC's block leader and ranked 10th nationally with 70 blocks. Plotner added 55 steals, which ranks eighth most in the conference. The sophomore also cleaned up on the glass, ranking second in the league with 9.4 rebounds per game. He pulled down 174 rebounds on the defensive end. Plotner averaged 14.4 points per game to go along with his PAC-best 62.6 field goal percentage. He finished the campaign with nine double-double performances. He posted 29 points and 21 rebounds in a non-conference win over Baldwin Wallace on Nov. 12. He posted five games with five blocks or more including a seven-block game versus Franciscan on Nov. 20. Plotner also earned selection to the PAC All-Tournament Team.

Rowell emerged as a pivotal force in the Presidents' return to the PAC title game. The freshman averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game over 28 games (five starts). His 60 steals ranked second on the team. Rowell added 34 assists and 15 blocks to his stat totals. Rowell scored in double figures 14 times including a season-best effort of 21 points in a win over Bethany on Feb. 1. He poured in 19 points in a win over Saint Vincent in the PAC Tournament Semifinals on Feb. 27. Rowell earned PAC Newcomer of the Week three times throughout the course of the season. Rowell becomes the first W&J player to win Newcomer of the Year since Michael Bigley did so in 2021-22.

Seidl remained a steady presence as a leader in the W&J lineup. He averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Seidl led the team with 85 assists and 65 steals. In a road win at Thiel on Feb. 19, the junior became the 27th player in W&J men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Seidl recorded 20 points or more in six separate games during the season. He posted a team-high 20 points in the PAC Tournament finals versus Chatham on March 1. This marks the second time Seidl has earned All-PAC honors, as he was listed on the Second Team as a freshman in 2022-23.

W&J finished the season with a 21-7 overall record. The Presidents were 15-5 in PAC play. W&J advanced to the PAC title game for the second time in four seasons. The 21 wins were a 12-win improvement from a season ago.

Freshman guard Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) represents W&J on the PAC Sportsmanship Team. Burlenski was another major freshman contributor for the Presidents. He averaged 9.0 points per game in his rookie season. He scored in double figures 13 times as a freshman.


2024-25 All-PAC Men's Basketball Teams

First Team
Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown/High School
Diaun Pinkett	Chatham	G	Jr.	McKees Rocks Pa./Montour
Lovenson Xavier	Chatham	G	Jr.	Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples
Sawyer Butler	Franciscan	G	So.	Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area
Ryan Rachic	Geneva	F	Gr.	Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert
Dev Ostrowski	Saint Vincent	G	Jr.	Niantic, Conn./East Lyme

 

Second Team
Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown/High School
Luke Barker	Allegheny	G	Sr.	New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)
Chase Yarberough	Grove City	G	Sr.	Lititz, Pa./Warwick
Mike Iuzzolino	Saint Vincent	G	Sr.	Sewickley, Pa./Canterbury (Conn.)
Nathan Plotner	W&J	F	So.	Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South
Antone Baker	Waynesburg	F	Gr.	Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights

 

Honorable Mention
Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown | High School
Cole Dailey	Bethany	G	Jr.	East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool
Josh Zimmerman	Franciscan	G	5th	Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville
Mike Christenson	Grove City	G	Jr.	Oakton, Va./Trinity
Osyon Jones	Saint Vincent	G	Gr.	Orlando, Fla./Bishop Moore
Matt Seidl	W&J	G	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills