Bulldogs Tabbed as Men's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Favorites
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Wingate Bulldogs have been selected as the 2025-26 preseason Men's Indoor Track & Field favorite, according to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll released today.
Wingate claimed the top spot with 10 first-place votes and 131 points, entering the new indoor campaign as the frontrunner for the conference crown.
Carson-Newman earned 110 points to finish second in the poll, while Lenoir-Rhyne secured one first-place vote and totaled 109 points to take third. Catawba also received one first-place vote, landing fourth with 104 points—just ahead of Anderson, which rounded out the top five with 103 points.
Tusculum placed sixth with 72 points, followed closely by Mars Hill at No. 7 with 71 points. Emory & Henry earned eighth with 65 points, while Lincoln Memorial came in ninth with 54.
Newberry (43 points), UVA Wise (35 points), and Coker (27 points) completed the 12-team poll.
The SAC also released its Men's Indoor Track & Field Athletes to Watch list, spotlighting top returning performers and emerging talent across the league.
The 2025-26 SAC Indoor Track & Field season officially begins this weekend and will culminate at the 2026 SAC Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships, held Feb. 28–Mar. 1 at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.
2025-26 SAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Wingate (10) | 131 |
| 2. | Carson-Newman | 110 |
| 3. | Lenoir-Rhyne (1) | 109 |
| 4. | Catawba (1) | 104 |
| 5. | Anderson | 103 |
| 6. | Tusculum | 72 |
| 7. | Mars Hill | 71 |
| 8. | Emory & Henry | 65 |
| 9. | Lincoln Memorial | 54 |
| 10. | Newberry | 43 |
| 11. | UVA Wise | 35 |
| 12. | Coker | 27 |
Men's Indoor Athletes to Watch
Anderson
Elliot Dotson, Lambdin Hardy, Omari Bennett, Avery Butler
Carson-Newman
Andre Morrison, Rylan Jordan, Favour Ekpekpe, Carlos Kouassi
Catawba
Miles Stephens, Jayden Bennerman, Kengel Christopher, Victor Smith
Coker
Donovan Jones, Jeffrey Stiles , Juelz Mickles
Emory & Henry
Miles Baldwin, Will Humphrey, Gavin Lee
Lenoir-Rhyne
Havyn Spain, Ilias El Khattabi, Tobechukwu Nwokocha, Antonyio Davis
Lincoln Memorial
Simon Fillers, Sam Fulton, Avery Hatfield, Mile McLymont
Mars Hill
Jesse Shelton, Sean Sanchez, Luke New
Newberry
Tyler Shumate, Justin Canty, Jhayden Gattison, Timothy Hartman
Tusculum
Ivan Garcia Rubio, Tinotenda Musariri
UVA Wise
Peyton Honeycutt, David Lee Williams, Bobby Cline
Wingate
Dre Davis, Mateo de Castro Navarro, Antonin Saint-Peyre, Dequan Thompson
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