BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University football team has been picked to finish in third place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) standings as the 2024 MASCAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll was released today by conference director of media relations, Emily Loux.

The Bears received 68 points in the poll including a pair of first-place votes. UMass Dartmouth is the preseason favorite to capture the conference title. The Corsairs paced the field with 76 points with four first-place vote. The Wolves of Western Connecticut State University finished second in the poll with 74 points and four first-place votes. The Bears, Corsairs and Wolves each captured a share of the MASCAC title last season.

Under the guidance of head coach Joe Verria (8th Year), the Bridgewater State football team will look to build on a solid 2023 campaign. The Bears finished in three-way tie for the  MASCAC title a year ago with a 7-1 conference mark (7-3 overall).

Returning All-MASCAC selections Nicolas Canales (Sr., DT, Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), Mark DeGirolamo (Jr., DE, Mansfield, Mass.), Shane Drake (Gr., P, Franklin, Mass.), Joey Naso (Jr., K, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), Anton Vasquez (Sr., C, Nahant, Mass.) and Isaiah Wright (Sr. RS, Worcester, Mass.) will help lead the Bears in 2024. Drake, Naso and Vasquez each garnered All-MASCAC First Team accolades in 2023, while Canales, DeGirolamo and Wright were second team honorees a year ago.

The 2024 campaign gets underway on Saturday, September 7th when the Bears welcome MIT to Mazzaferro Field for a five o'clock kickoff.

Bridgewater State will begin Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play on Saturday, September 14th as the Bears head to Westfield State University to take on the Owls at two o'clock.

The 2024 Homecoming Game on Saturday, October 4th (4:00 PM) will feature MASCAC opponent Worcester State University. Following a bye week, the Bears hit the road for a pair of crucial conference games against fellow defending MASCAC tri-champions Western Connnecticut State University (Sat., Oct. 19) and UMass Dartmouth (Sat., Oct. 26).

The regular season culminates with the annual Cranberry Bowl game versus MASCAC rival Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The 45th version of the Cranberry Bowl will take place at Mazzaferro Field on Saturday, November 16th at noon.

Please check the Bears' online schedule for Live Stats and/or Webcast links for all games.