Fall sports teams in the HCAC Preseason Polls

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference released its final round of preseason polls for fall athletics on Friday. Each poll is compiled in a vote among league coaches with the conference facilitating fall preseason polls in men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, football and volleyball. 

Football
Mount St. Joseph, the defending conference champions, received seven out of eight first-place votes in the HCAC Football Preseason Poll after going 7-0 in league play last season and lost in the first round of the NCAA DIII Playoffs. Defiance College, under second-year head coach Bill Nickell, was chosen to finish fifth thanks to a strong finish in 2022 by winning 3 of 4 to close to campaign. Four Jackets landed on the HCAC's watchlist in seniors LB Thomas Coltrain, QB Jordan Ambrose, OL Erick Moultrie Jr. and DB V'Sean Palmer.

Football Poll
1. Mount St. Joseph (7)
2. Rose-Hulman (1)
3. Hanover
4. Franklin
5. Defiance
6. Bluffton
7. Manchester
8. Anderson

Volleyball
Transylvania took the top spot in a fairly contested volleyball coaches' poll. While the Pioneers garnered nine first-place votes, they finished nine digits ahead of second-place Mount St. Joseph with one first-place vote. Transy has won four out of the last five regular-season crowns with four straight tournament championships. Defiance enters the second season with head coach Nick Umbdenstock and slotted 10th after a 4-19 2022 season. Yellow Jackets on the preseason watch list include Kaylynn Wellman (Ayersville), Jaelyn Tomoletz, Hope Yost and Kayla Boettger (Archbold). Fairview graduates Olivia and Paige Ricica hit the list for Anderson.

Volleyball Poll
1. Transylvania (9)
2. Mount St. Joseph (1)
3. Earlham
4. Hanover
5. Rose-Hulman
6. Bluffton
7. Anderson
8. Franklin
9. Manchester
10. Defiance

Men's Soccer
Rose-Hulman earned the top spot in the men's soccer preseason poll and was also the 2022 champion. The Yellow Jackets hold the eighth spot in the coaches' poll and look to build on a 2-12-5 season as head coach Josh Lubich enters his second year at the helm. Defiance has four local products that are all seniors on the HCAC's preseason watch list in Riley Hensley (Swanton), Noah Svanberg (Otsego), Orry Killam (Napoleon) and Joshua Maurer (Springfield).

Men's Soccer Poll
1. Rose-Hulman (7)
2. Hanover (2)
3. Transylvania (1)
4. Anderson
5. Manchester
6. Bluffton
7. Franklin
8. Defiance
9. Earlham
10. Mount St. Joseph

Women's Soccer
Hanover earned the top spot in the HCAC's women's soccer poll with eight first-place votes. The Panthers won the regular-season title a year ago but Rose-Hulman took home to conference tournament crown. Defiance heads into the first year under new head coach Isabelle Danner. The 2022 Yellow Jackets finished 3-14 and were voted to finish 10th. Players to watch for the Yellow Jackets are senior keeper Sarah O'Shea, Sloane Livingston, Christa Phillips and freshman Haley Hughes from Maumee.

Women's Soccer Poll
1. Hanover (8)
2. Rose-Hulman (2)
3. Transylvania
4. Anderson
5. Mount St. Joseph
6. Bluffton
7. Earlham
8. Franklin
9. Manchester
10. Defiance

Cross Country
Rose-Hulman earned eight first-place votes to repeat as men's cross country champion while Hanover took the top spot by just five points over Rose-Hulman in the women's poll. Defiance was chosen to finish 10th in each the men's and women's cross country polls.

Men's XC Poll
1. Rose-Hulman (8)
2. Manchester (2)
3. Franklin
4. Transylvania
5. Hanover
6. Anderson
7. Bluffton
8. Earlham
9. Mount St. Joseph
10. Defiance

Women's XC Poll
1. Hanover (5)
2. Rose-Hulman (3)
3. Franklin
4. Manchester (2)
5. Anderson
6. Transylvania
7. Bluffton
8. Mount St. Joseph
9. Earlham
10. Defiance

-JACKETS-