Charleston, W. Va – The University of Charleston has been ranked 3^rd in the 2022 MEC Football Pre-Season Poll after coming off an 8-2 record during the 2021 campaign under former head coach, Pat Kirkland. 
 
The Falcons of Notre Dame find themselves at the top of the poll with 10 first-place votes after winning the MEC regular season for the fourth year in a row. Charleston was their only regular-season loss of the 2021 season after the Golden Eagles were able to hold on to a 38-28 victory at home. 
 
Charleston's two losses came from 2021 MEC Co-Champion, Frostburg State, and UNC-Pembroke, who comes into the 2022 season ranked 4^th in the pre-season poll. 
 
First year head coach Quinn Sanders remains unfazed after the release of the pre-season poll. 
 
"It's not where you start in the preseason rankings that matters, but where you finish at the end of the season."
 
The Golden Eagles return seven starters on offense, five on defense, and two specialists. The team finished with very impressive numbers last season on both sides of the ball, averaging 36.1 points per game on offense and only allowing 14.3 points per game on defense. 
 
The Golden Eagles will open up their season on the road against Gannon in Erie, PA on September 1^st at 7:00 PM. The result of this game could potentially play a crucial role for post-season selection as Gannon resides in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, a well-respected conference in the Atlantic Region.