Media Day Set for Aug. 6
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) -- The 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Football Media Day is scheduled to be Tuesday, August 6th in Latrobe, Pa.
For the 17th consecutive year, Saint Vincent College will host the league's media day. The event serves as the PAC's kickoff to the upcoming football season, with player representatives and head coaches from each of the conference's 11 programs speaking to the media and attendees and previewing the upcoming season.
Media Day will begin off just before 2 pm with a brief welcome by PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko. That will be followed by Bob Barrickman being posthumously honored as the 2024 recipient of the Dow Carnahan Media Award.
Carnahan, a longtime supporter and friend of the PAC, passed away unexpectedly on April 29, 2016. The award is presented annually to a distinguished member or members of the media or on-campus representative(s) for their commendable service while covering and promoting the conference's student-athletes, coaches, and programs.
An award-winning journalist and broadcaster, Bob Barrickman was a household name for over 40 years in the greater Pittsburgh area before he passed away in December, 2022. He worked as a sports writer for the Beaver County Times, and also was employed with the Pittsburgh Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In addition, he worked with local radio stations, including WBVP, as well as the MSA/TribLive Network, where he covered local high schools, as well as Geneva College athletics, for more than four decades.
In his career, Barrickman was on the call for more than 70 state championships and was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He also served as the radio voice for Geneva football and basketball for more than 20 years and his game broadcasts were recognized by Achievement in Radio (AIR), an award he shared with the crew he led, which included Van Zanic, Jeff Hatthorn, and Chris Mathews.
Media members in attendance, along with each institution's head coach and sports information director (SID), will participate in a preseason poll to determine the projected conference finish for the 2024 season.
Members of the media interested in attending PAC Football Media Day, an invitation-only event, should contact PAC Associate Commissioner Brian Rose at 724-579-8972 or by email at rose@pacathletics.org.
Expected 2024 PAC Football Media Day representatives:
Allegheny College
Coach: Head Coach Braden Layer (2nd season)
Player: Fifth-year linebacker Zach Altenbaugh (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver)
Bethany College
Coach: Head Coach Brandon Robinson (3rd season)
Player: Senior running back T.J. Owensby (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West)
Carnegie Mellon University
Coach: Head Coach Ryan Larsen (4th season)
Player: Graduate student linebacker Logan Young (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area)
Case Western Reserve University
Coach: Head Coach Greg Debeljak (21st season)
Player: Senior wide receiver Noah Coyne (Painesville, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin)
Geneva College
Coach: Head Coach Geno DeMarco (32nd season)
Player: Junior linebacker Reed Gordon (Boonsboro, Md./Boonsboro)
Grove City College
Coach: Head Coach Andrew DiDonato (9th season)
Player: Senior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)
Saint Vincent College
Coach: Head Coach Aaron Smetanka (6th season)
Player: Senior linebacker Wiley Purry (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic)
Thiel College
Coach: Head Coach Sam Bauman (3rd season)
Player: Senior defensive lineman Luke Faber (Greenville, Pa./Reynolds)
Washington & Jefferson College
Coach: Head Coach Mike Sirianni (22nd season)
Player: Fifth-year linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional)
Waynesburg University
Coach: Head Coach Dr. Cornelius Coleman (3rd season)
Player: Senior safety Brennan Boron (St. Mary's, W.Va./St. Mary's)
Westminster College
Coach: Head Coach Scott Benzel (11th season)
Player: Junior quarterback Ty McGowan (Moon Township, Pa./Moon)
