W&J men and women picked as division favorites
Washington & Jefferson completed a rare sweep last season as both the men and women won Presidents’ Athletic Conference basketball championships. The W&J men went 23-7 advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament, while the women had a 22-7 record and also advanced to the NCAAs.
So it came as little surprise that both W&J teams were picked to win the PAC’s South Division title this year when the preseason poll was released Wednesday.
The W&J men, who won the school’s first NCAA tournament game in 32 years last season, received seven of 13 first-place votes and 67 total points. The Presidents edged second-place Franciscan by four points. The Barons received the other six first-place votes in the division.
Chatham was picked to finish third, followed by Saint Vincent, Bethany and Waynesburg.
St. Francis, which is reclassifying from Division I to Division III, was not included in the poll. The Red Wolves will play each South Division rival twice and North Division foes once this season but the results will not count in the standings.
Westminster received 12 first-place votes and is the favorite in the North Division. Grove City was picked second followed by Allegheny, which received the remaining first-place vote, Geneva, Thiel and Hiram.
The women’s poll for the South Division was not as close as the men. Two-time defending champion W&J received nine first-place votes and 68 points. Second-place Saint Vincent had 58 points and third-place Chatham received 53. The Bearcats and Cougars each received two first-place votes.
Rounding out the South poll were Bethany, Waynesburg and Franciscan.
Grove City, with nine first-place votes, is the favorite to win the North. The Wolverines were followed by Allegheny, Westminster, Geneva, Hiram and Thiel. Allegheny garnered three first-place votes and Hiram had one.
Most PAC teams begin their seasons this weekend. The W&J men open Saturday (6 p.m.) at home against Lancaster Bible. Waynesburg will host a tournament Friday and Saturday. The Yellow Jackets will play Elmira on Friday at 5 p.m. The other first-round matchup has Otterbein playing Misericordia.
The W&J women will be hosting a tournament Friday and Saturday. The Presidents will face Transylvania Friday at 8 p.m. and battle Case Western Reserve on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Waynesburg women play Friday night at Mount Aloysius.