Wingate Voted as Favorites in Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll
ROCK HILL, S.C. (March 2026) – The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) has announced the 2026 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll and Athletes to Watch, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Coming off an Indoor season that saw Luca Poppe crowned a National Champion in two different events, Wingate has been selected as the preseason favorite, earning 11 first-place votes and 132 total points. Catawba, who boasted a National Champion of their own in sprinter Miles Stephens, was chosen second with 110 points, while Carson-Newman picked up one first-place vote and finished third with 109 points.
Lenoir-Rhyne (104 points) and Anderson (103 points) rounded out a tightly contested top five. Mars Hill, Newberry, and Lincoln Memorial followed in the middle of the poll, while Tusculum, UVA Wise, Coker, and Emory & Henry completed the rankings.
The Outdoor season is set to open this weekend and the SAC Outdoor Championship will be held at Emory & Henry for the first time in conference history.
2026 SAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll
- Wingate (11) – 132
- Catawba – 110
- Carson-Newman (1) – 109
- Lenoir-Rhyne – 104
- Anderson – 103
- Mars Hill – 72
- Newberry – 71
- Lincoln Memorial – 65
- Tusculum – 54
- UVA Wise – 43
- Coker – 35
- Emory & Henry – 27
The SAC also released its list of Athletes to Watch, highlighting top performers from each institution expected to make a significant impact this season.
2026 SAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes to Watch
Anderson – Elliot Dotson, Lambdin Hardy, Brayden Anderson, Spain Vaughan
Carson-Newman – Rylan Jordan, Amine Kasmi, Carlos Kouassi, Verrol Sam
Catawba – Victor Smith, Miles Stephens, Seth Caudill, Jayden Bennermon
Coker – Quincy Byrd, Mason Green, Jeffrey Stiles, Keaten Peagues
Emory & Henry – Hayden Pugh, Barlowe Branch, Gavin Lee
Lenoir-Rhyne – Havyn Spain, Tobechukwu Nwokocha, Antonyio Davis
Lincoln Memorial – Luis Boerkey, Joel Boerkey, Jackson Clonce, Vincent Quilici
Mars Hill – Jesse Shelton, Will Wainwright, Eli Taylor
Newberry - Dwayne Weiters, Ryan Wright, LAndon Tucker, Addison O'Cain, Timothy Hartman
Tusculum – Chazz Alexander, Tinotenda Musariri, Nour Nabi, John Ross
UVA Wise – David Williams, Bobby Cline, Jonah Adams
Wingate – David Holman, Luca Poppe, Deon Sumpter, Dequan Thompson, Micah Walker