By: James Garcia, Sports Information Director
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University football team was picked to finish fifth in the 2021 Mountain East Conference preseason poll. The annual poll is determined by a vote of the league's coaches.
After a shortened season in the spring, the MEC returns to a full schedule this fall that includes a 10-team conference slate with teams in a single set of standings. MEC squads will face non-conference opponents or be idle in week one and then play the remainder of their schedule against conference opponents.
Notre Dame finished atop the poll with 119 points and had 10 first-place votes. Meanwhile, Charleston finished second in the poll with 112 points and had two first-place votes.
Frostburg State was picked to finish third in the poll collecting 101 points. UNC Pembroke was fourth in the poll with 91 points and will be entering its first full season of competition in the Mountain East Conference.
West Virginia State was slotted fifth in the poll with 79 points, followed by Fairmont State (62), Wheeling (55) and Glenville State (54). West Liberty checked in at ninth (44 points), with Concord (43), Alderson Broaddus (19) and W.Va. Wesleyan (13) rounding out the poll.
The Yellow Jackets' last full season was completed back in 2019. West Virginia State finished tied for second in the league standings that year with a 7-3 record in the MEC and played for a share of the MEC Championship in the season's final game.
WVSU went 2-2 during the shortened spring season and returns 14 starters, seven on offense and seven on defense, from that squad. Fifth-year fullback
Dant'e Jones, senior defensive back
Ibrahim Sesay, sophomore wide receiver
Barry Hill and sophomore offensive lineman
Andres Sagastume are among the All-MEC selections returning for the 2021 campaign.
Head Football Coach
John Pennington will lead the Yellow Jackets for the fifth year. His head coaching record stands at 21-16 overall, 19-15 in league play since assuming his current role.
The Yellow Jackets will kick off the 2021 season at Shippensburg on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m. (View the full schedule
here.)
2021 MEC Preseason Football Poll
1. Notre Dame (10) -- 119
2. Charleston (2) -- 112
3. Frostburg State -- 101
4. UNC Pembroke -- 91
5. West Virginia State -- 79
6. Fairmont State -- 62
7. Wheeling -- 55
8. Glenville State -- 54
9. West Liberty -- 44
10. Concord -- 43
11. Alderson Broaddus -- 19
12. West Virginia Wesleyan -- 13
()
Indicates first-place votes
*
Coaches not permitted to vote for own team
