BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Perennial NCAA Division II gridiron power Notre Dame (Ohio) has been installed as a prohibitive favorite to win its fourth consecutive Mountain East Conference title in balloting by the league football coaches.
    The annual preseason coaches' poll was revealed on Tuesday afternoon during the MEC's annual Football Media Day, which was conducted remotely via Zoom.
    Coming off an abbreviated spring season due to COVID protocols, the MEC returns to a full schedule this fall featuring a 10-game conference slate with most teams opening the season with a non-league foe in early September.   
    The three-time defending champion Falcons, who have won 23 of their last 24 conference games, received 10 of the 12 first-place votes and 119 points to lead the voting. Charleston was second with two first-place votes and 112 points with Frostburg State third at 101.
    North Carolina-Pembroke, an affiliate MEC member in football along with several other sports, had 91 voting points at No. 4 with West Virginia State (79) rounding out the top five.
    West Liberty was part of a five-team logjam in the middle of the conference pack behind the projected front-runners. Fairmont State (62) was sixth, followed by Wheeling (55), Glenville State (54), the Hilltoppers (44) and Concord (43).
    Alderson Broaddus (19) and West Virginia Wesleyan (13) rounded out the list.
    Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers posted a 2-2 record during the abbreviated spring campaign, highlighted by blowout road wins at Alderson Broaddus and Glenville State. With the NCAA granting eligibility waivers for the spring games, Waialae and his staff took advantage of the chance to evaluate dozens of newcomers under actual game conditions.
    "We played as many guys as we could in as many games as we could this spring," Waialae said, "and I think that decision really paid off. Not only did we have several young guys establish themselves as impact players, it was a great learning experience for all the new guys. We've only been outside twice this month but we've already seen a big difference in how quickly the newcomers are picking up the system compared to previous years.
    "We added a few more quality transfers over the summer and also have several starters back on the field at 100 percent after not playing at all in the spring. I'm pretty excited to see our guys back out on the field and I'm really looking forward to playing a full season this fall."
    Waialae's Hilltoppers kick off the 2021 campaign on Sept. 2 when they host Walsh (Ohio) in a non-conference game under the Thursday night lights at West Family Stadium.
    1. Notre Dame (10)               119
  2. Charleston (2)                    112
  3. Frostburg State                 101
  4. UNC Pembroke                  91
  5. W.Va. 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. W.Va. Wesleyan               13