Community Bulletin
Since joining Vandalia Health, the former Davis Health System has widened access across central West Virginia. Primary care remains the front door — now at five clinics, including Buckhannon Medical Care, backed by a 190-location network. Read more →
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FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Frostburg State University, the reigning Mountain East Conference co-champion, has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2026 season following a vote of the league’s head coaches.
The Bobcats finished the 2025 season 11-3, advancing to the NCAA Division II Football Championship quarterfinals. Frostburg State earned eight of the nine first-place votes.
Frostburg State was ranked 14th by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and 20th by D2football.com. The Bobcats led the MEC in scoring defense, allowing only 21.3 points per game. They also topped the league with 27 sacks and 15 interceptions.
Frostburg State returns multiple key players, including honorable mention All-American Owen Doyle and first-team All-MEC selections Max Heineman, Rainer Halveland and Carter Mazalewski.
Charleston, picked second in the preseason poll, shared the 2025 MEC championship with Frostburg State after finishing 8-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Golden Eagles return first-team All-MEC selections Jamarious Pegues, Nesta Owens and Caleb Barringer. Charleston led the MEC in scoring offense, averaging 36.2 points per game.
Fairmont State, picked third in the preseason poll, returns starting quarterback Nino Marzullo, who posted a passing efficiency rating of 132.6 last season. The Falcons also welcome back first-team All-MEC kickers Emmanuel Richardson and Ethan Vargo-Thomas.
After the top three, West Virginia State was picked to finish fourth, followed by Wheeling, Glenville State, Concord, West Liberty and West Virginia Wesleyan.
| 2026 MEC football preseason poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | School (first-place votes) | Points |
| 1 | Frostburg State (8) | 64 |
| 2 | Charleston (1) | 57 |
| 3 | Fairmont State | 41 |
| 4 | West Virginia State | 39 |
| 5 | Wheeling | 36 |
| 6 | Glenville State | 32 |
| T-7 | Concord | 22 |
| T-7 | West Liberty | 22 |
| 9 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 11 |
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
