NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Bethany College women's soccer team has been selected eleventh in the 2026 Presidents' Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Bison sit at eleventh with 27 points after being predicted to finish ninth in last season's poll. Grove City (Pa.) College, which won its third straight PAC Championship last year, was picked first with 132 points and 11 first-place votes. Saint Vincent (Pa.) College received 115 points to finish second while Waynesburg (Pa.) University received the final two first-place votes and 111 points to place third. Allegheny (Pa.) College was selected fourth and the Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) was selected fifth with 90 points and 84 points, respectively. 

Bethany had five players that were named PAC Preseason Players to Watch including senior Academic All-PAC forward Brionna Bash (Niles, Ohio/Niles McKinley), senior Academic All-PAC midfielder Angelina Clayborn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), senior All-PAC goalkeeper Hope Fair (Dunnville, Ontario/Lakeshore Catholic), senior Academic All-PAC forward Jordan Palmer (East Liverpool, Ohio/Beaver Local), and freshman defender Ava Wilson (Toronto, Canada/Lakeshore Catholic).

Head coach Olivia Wilkerson comes off her first season as the Green and White's head coach and returns 11 upperclassmen, including nine letterwinners, one All-PAC selection, and eight Academic All-PAC honorees from last year's team that finished with an overall record of 2-14 and a 1-10 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

2026 PAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll                                                 
School - Points (First Place Votes)
        1. Grove City - 132 (11)
        2. Saint Vincent - 115
        3. Waynesburg - 111 (2)
        4. Allegheny - 90
        5. Franciscan - 84
        6. Chatham - 82
        7. Westminster - 65
        8. Washington & Jefferson - 62
        9. Geneva - 52
        10. Hiram - 37
        11. Bethany - 27
        12. Thiel - 13
        Saint Francis - Ineligible for PAC Championship as school transitions from Division I

The Bison open the 2026 season on Tuesday, September 1 as they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) University in a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m. at the Mount Sports Complex.