Coming off its eighth winning season in the past 10 years, the West Liberty University football team checked in at No. 5 here Friday afternoon when the Mountain East Conference coaches revealed their 2015 Preseason Poll.
Defending champion Concord, which went unbeaten in MEC action last fall and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national semifinals in postseason play, was revealed as an overwhelming favorite to defend its title during the league’s annual Media Day event at the Bridgeport Conference Center.
Hilltopper head coach Roger Waialae thinks his young but talented squad has the potential to make some noise in the 11-team conference after winning four of five games down the stretch a year ago to post a 6-5 record, coming up one big play short of a third-place finish.
Waialae, who carries a 62-49 (.559) record into his 11th season at the helm, will welcome back 15 starters and 40 lettermen when WLU kicks off preseason camp at West Family Stadium next week.
A key returnee is junior QB Dakota Conwell, who came on strong last year to earn honorable mention All-MEC honors in his first season after transferring from the University of Arizona. Conwell threw for 1,965 yards and 23 TDs while leading all MEC signalcallers with 386 rushing yards and 3 scores. The 1-2 receiving punch of sophomore WR Anton McCallum and senior TE Daree Goodwin combined for 950 yards and 13 TDs on 52 catches last fall.
Defensively, all four starters return up front, led by vets Quentin Sifford (8.5 TFL) and Darnell Vickers (8.0 TFL), while LBs Marcus Schumacher (79 tackles) and D’Andre Muhammad (49 tackles, 2 interceptions) are back to solidify that unit. Look for transfer CB Solomon Dixon to make an immediate impact in the secondary. He was a 2-year starter at the University of Idaho.
The first three slots in the MEC poll were pretty cut and dried. Concord received all 10 available first-place votes to lead the way with 100 points while perennial power Shepherd picked up Concord’s first-place vote – coaches couldn’t vote for their own teams – to nail down the No. 2 spot with 90 points. Charleston was third at 81.
Glenville State picked up 69 points to squeeze past the Hilltoppers (63) in fourth place. Notre Dame was sixth at 56 points with West Virginia Wesleyan (42) slotting in at No. 7. Fairmont State (36), West Virginia State (30), UVA-Wise (20) and Urbana (18) rounded out the list.
The 2015 MEC season kicks off under the lights on Sept. 3 when Fairmont State hosts West Virginia State and Notre Dame travels to Charleston. The rest of the league swings into action on the afternoon ofSept. 5 with West Liberty welcoming Concord to West Family Stadium for an early-season test.
2015 MEC Coaches’ Preseason Poll
1. Concord (10) 100
2. Shepherd (1) 90
3. Charleston 81
4. Glenville State 69
5. WEST LIBERTY 63
6. Notre Dame 56
7. W.Va. Wesleyan 42
8. Fairmont State 36
9. W.Va. State 30
10. UVA-Wise 20
11. Urbana 18
