KILLINGWORTH, CONN. — The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) announced its 2023 preseason poll on Thursday, as voted by the league's five head coaches.
Reigning ECFC league champions, Gallaudet, earned the top spot with 18 points and two first-place votes.
Anna Maria pulled in 16 points, including one first-place vote, to earn the second spot in the poll. Alfred State and Vermont State University Castleton (VTSU Castleton) each received 15 points and are slated to finish third.
Dean garnered the final first-place vote and 11 total points to take the fifth spot in the poll.
Complete 2023 ECFC Coaches Preseason Poll
|
|
|
TOTAL POINTS |
|
#1 |
Gallaudet University (2) |
18 |
|
#2 |
Anna Maria College (1) |
16 |
|
T -#3 |
Alfred State College |
15 |
|
T -#3 |
Vermont State University Castleton (1) |
15 |
|
#5 |
Dean College (1) |
11 |
| (first-place votes in parentheses) |
2023 KICKOFF
The season officially kicks off on Saturday, September 2 with each team taking on a non-conference opponent to begin their seasons. Gallaudet will begin its quest to defend its title against former ECFC member Keystone College at noon. Anna Maria will take on Westfield State, while Dean will face Fitchburg State, also slated for 12 PM starts.
VTSU Castleton will kick its season off against Plymouth State and Alfred State will take on Misericordia, both set for 1 PM kickoffs.
League play begins on Saturday, October 14 and runs through mid-November. The ECFC champion will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA postseason.
The conference Media Day is scheduled for Tuesday, August 22 and will include season previews of all five member institutions.
About the ECFC
The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference was formed in the spring of 2009 as an NCAA Division III single-sport football conference. The conference, named after the geographic location of the institutions began competition in the fall of 2009.
Current members are Alfred State College (Alfred, NY), Anna Maria College (Worcester, MA), Dean College (Franklin, MA), Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.), and Vermont State Castleton (Castleton, VT.)
The mission of the conference is to:
- Promote intercollegiate varsity football as an integral part of the educational experience of all competitors.
- Establish a conference schedule and determine a conference championship that will represent the conference as the automatic qualifier to the NCAA national tournament.
- Adopt sportsmanship, fair play, moral integrity, and competitive excellence as cornerstones of the conference.
