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South Atlantic Conference

Wingate Voted as Favorites in Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll

March 20, 2026

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

  1. Wingate (11) – 132
  2. Catawba – 110
  3. Carson-Newman (1) – 109
  4. Lenoir-Rhyne – 104
  5. Anderson – 103
  6. Mars Hill – 72
  7. Newberry – 71
  8. Lincoln Memorial – 65
  9. Tusculum – 54
  10. UVA Wise – 43
  11. Coker – 35
  12. 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