ROCK HILL, S.C. – Coming off their second national championship in the past three years, the Wingate Bulldogs were voted the preseason favorite in the SAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced by the league today.
Wingate placed five runners inside the top 30 en route to claiming its second NCAA Division II title at the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championship. The Bulldogs garnered 11 of the 12 first-place votes and topped the poll with 121 points.
Anderson, which finished one point behind Wingate at the 2025 SAC Championship, earned the final first-place vote and finished second in the poll with 109 points.
Catawba came in third with 102 points, followed by Lincoln Memorial in fourth with 92 points.
Lenoir-Rhyne was fifth with 70 points, while Emory & Henry was sixth with 61 points.
Mars Hill narrowly edged Tusculum by one point to earn seventh place, while the Pioneers came in eighth.
UVA Wise, Carson-Newman, Newberry and Coker rounded out the 12-team poll.
In addition to the coaches’ poll, each program highlighted two runners to watch.
2026 SAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll
- Wingate (11) — 121
- Anderson (1) — 109
- Catawba — 102
- Lincoln Memorial — 92
- Lenoir-Rhyne — 70
- Emory & Henry — 61
- Mars Hill — 56
- Tusculum — 55
- UVA Wise — 52
- Carson-Newman — 36
- Newberry — 28
- Coker — 11
Runners to Watch
Anderson
Grayson Gibbons, Will Cronin
Carson-Newman
Bryson Burkett, Wesley Thomas
Catawba
Ian Pierce, Seth Caudill
Coker
Jake Popkowski, Nathan Allen
Emory & Henry
Davis Norman, Aidan Trautman, Tyler Davis
Lenoir-Rhyne
Ilias El Khattabi, Preston Sangely
Lincoln Memorial
Jaxson Branham, Conner Chandler
Mars Hill
Sean Sanchez, Brandon McNulty
Newberry
Camden Longdon, Drew Benson
Tusculum
Bernardo Pancas, Conan Harper
UVA Wise
Dylan Colander, Patton Shortt
Wingate
Mohamed Dahmouch, David Holman