LATROBE, Pa. (Aug. 4) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) held its annual football media day on Tuesday at the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion on the campus of Saint Vincent College. Waynesburg University was represented by first-year head coach Larry Wilson and graduate student offensive lineman Kory Ansell (Mt. Pleasant, Pa. / Southmoreland)
 
The day was highlighted by the unveiling of the 2026 preseason poll. Waynesburg was predicted to finish seventh for the upcoming season after tallying 222 points in the poll. Washington & Jefferson was predicted to repeat as PAC champions after garnering 497 total points and 37 first-place votes. Grove City, which joined W&J as an NCAA Division III tournament qualifier, grabbed the number-two spot with 453 points and five first-place votes. Westminster took the third spot with 395 points and three first-place votes.

For a complete look at this year's poll, click on this link for a complete rundown.
 
The afternoon opened with remarks from PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko, who is entering his 21^st year in the position. He introduced Saint Vincent President Father Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., Ph.D., who welcomed the dozens of players, coaches and media assembled for the day. The highlight of Onderko's time at the podium was the presentation of the 2026 Dow Carnahan Media Award. This year's recipient was Ed Mailliard, who has been an ardent supporter of Allegheny College athletics since the 1970s.
 
PAC Associate Commissioner, Director of Communications Brian Rose took over master of ceremonies duties and welcomed the head coaches and player representatives from the league's 12 football-sponsoring institutions for interviews in front of the crowd.
 
It was a historic start to this portion of the day, as Saint Francis, which has begun a widely publicized move from Division I to Division III, introduced itself to its new league mates as the first team on the stage. Head coach Chris Villarrial and junior defensive back Campbell Melzer represented the Red Wolves.
 
Waynesburg was the eighth team to take the microphone. Wilson, who was known for his offensive prowess during his decades as an assistant in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), which is one of the elite conferences in the Division II ranks, gave a peek into what the Yellow Jacket attack could look like this fall.
 
"We are kind of a west coast, air raid type of offense," Wilson said. "However, when we get out of camp, we are going to put our players in the right place to succeed. If we need to go under center more, we will. At the end of the day we are going to put our kids in the best places to succeed."
 
With Wilson heading the offense, he made sure to give time and recognition to the defensive staff that includes defensive coordinator Matt Tobey, defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator Jaylin Kennedy and defensive line coach Logan Danielson.
 
Coach Wilson concluded his time at the microphone by giving his honest thoughts on expectations.
 
"I'm not a guy that is about outcomes. I'm excited to see the growth and what it can potentially be. Other than that, I have no expectations," Wilson said. "We are going to bring some belief back in to Waynesburg and I'm excited for camp.
 
For Ansell, his final season, ironically, takes him all the way back to before his first day of college football, which was at PSAC member California (Pa.).
 
"This is a full circle moment for me. Coach recruited me at Cal," Wilson said. "What he brings to the table is being gritty and working hard. I believe in everything he's pushing and as long was we can win one day at a time, we'll be just fine."
 
He also credited his family for his long, successful collegiate career both as a player and a student who was named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Teams.
 
"My family really pushed me growing up to work hard," Ansell said. "My mom always told me to put the student first before the athlete"
 
With media day in the rearview mirror, Waynesburg's attention turns to camp, which opens later this month. The 2026 campaign opens on Saturday, Sept. 5, with a non-conference game against Capital. PAC play gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a home game against Westminster.