Wingate Selected as Men’s Cross Country Preseason Favorite

ROCK HILL, S.C. (theSAC.com) – Wingate has been voted as the favorite to win the 2025 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country title, the league office announced today.

The Bulldogs, who captured the 2024 SAC Championship, received 11 first-place votes and 110 points in the preseason poll.

Anderson claimed the remaining first-place vote, tallying 97 points to land at No. 2 in the poll. Catawba followed closely in third with 91 points, while Lincoln Memorial was fourth with 80 points.

Lenoir-Rhyne rounded out the top five with 67 points, followed by Emory & Henry at No. 6 with 62 points. Carson-Newman and Mars Hill tied for seventh with 46 points each, while UVA Wise (25 points) checked in at No. 9 and Newberry (19 points) at No. 10. Tusculum and Coker completed the poll at No. 11 and No. 12, respectively.

In addition to the preseason coaches' poll, the SAC also released its 2025 Cross Country Runners to Watch list. Below is the full list of runners to watch by team for the upcoming season.

The 2025 SAC Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, October 25, in Greeneville, Tenn.

2025 SAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

Rank – School (First Place Votes) – Points 

1. Wingate (11) – 11

2. Anderson (1) – 97

3. Catawba – 91

4. Lincoln Memorial – 80

5. Lenoir-Rhyne – 67

6. Emory & Henry – 62

T-7. Carson-Newman – 46

T-7. Mars Hill – 46

9. UVA Wise – 25

10. Newberry – 19

11. Tusculum – 17

12. Coker – 12

2025 SAC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch

Anderson

• Spain Vaughan
• Will Cronin

Carson-Newman

• Andrew Thompson
• Bryson Burkett
• Jase McCloskey

Catawba

• Seth Caudill
• Will Lyons

Coker

• Jake Popowski
• Cody Stewart

Emory & Henry 

• Miles Baldwin
• Sam Tindall
• Davis Norman

Lincoln Memorial 

• Simon Filler
• Jaxson Branham
• Lance Vaster

Lenoir-Rhyne 

• Holden Hamlin
• Chase Bryan

Mars Hill

• Matthew O'Connor
• Eli Taylor
• Sean Sanchez
• Brandon McNulty

Newberry 

• Tyler Shumate
• Drew Benson

Tusculum 

• Harvey Anderson
• Nathan Buckeridge
• Albert Ziegler

UVA Wise

• Jonah Adams
• Dorian Almer
• Chad Douglas

Wingate

• Antonin Saint-Peyre
• Luca Poppe
• Lars Laros
• Joaquin Campos