BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Notre Dame College has been picked to win the Mountain East Conference title in football following a vote of the league’s coaches. The Falcons have won each of the last four MEC crowns, sharing the 2021 title with Frostburg State.

The preseason poll was released on Wednesday morning prior to MEC Media Day, which will be streamed live on MountainEast.tv. All 12 MEC coaches will meet with members of the media on Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

The 2022 Mountain East Conference schedule 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. (View the composite schedule here)

Notre Dame finished atop the poll with 119 points and had 10 first-place votes. Under first-year head coach Garrett Mack, the Falcons will return to the field in 2022 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs a season ago. NDC has one at least one NCAA playoff game in each season since 2018. The Falcons return nine All-MEC players from a season ago, including 9,000-yard passer Chris Brimm and All-American defensive back Antoine Holloway II.

Frostburg State is picked to finish second in the poll collecting 108 points. The Bobcats received two first-place votes. After winning a share of the MEC crown in 2021, Frostburg State returns five starters on both offense and defense this season, including quarterback Graham Walker (2,381 yards, 25 TD) and defensive lineman Luke Freeman (10.5 sacks). Frostburg State, who went 10-1 a season ago, will be eligible for NCAA Postseason play for the first time in 2022.

Charleston finished third in the poll with 99 points. After going 8-2 a season ago, the Golden Eagles will return seven offensive starters and five defensive starters in 2022. UNC Pembroke was fourth in the poll for the second-consecutive year with 93 points.

West Virginia State was slotted fifth in the poll with 74 points, followed closely by Fairmont State (73) at No. 6. Concord (54) and Wheeling (52) began the second half of the poll with a close vote for seventh and eighth. Glenville State checked in at No. 9 (49 points), followed by West Liberty (39), Alderson Broaddus (21) and West Virginia Wesleyan (11) rounding out the poll.

The 2022 season is slated to start on Thursday, Sept. 1.