ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Anderson University Women's Track & Field program was tabbed for fifth with 94 points in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by conference on Friday.
Wingate (1) and Catawba (2) were chosen as the top two teams in the 2026 SAC Women's Outdoor Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs topped the poll with 11 first-place votes, followed by Catawba with a score of 111.
Tusculum sits third with one first-place vote and 106 points in the poll. Seated fourth is Lenoir-Rhyne with a score of 99 followed by Anderson with 94. Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial placed sixth and seventh respectively, while Mars Hill earned the eighth spot.
The ninth spot was given to UVA Wise with 49 points, followed by Newberry with 40 points for 10th. No. 11 Coker and No. 12 Emory & Henry rounded out the poll with 37 and 27 points respectively.
In addition to the preseason rankings, the conference also released the 2026 Outdoor Track and Field Athletes to Watch list. The list mentioned four Trojans including sophomore Avery Marshall (York, S.C.), juniors Maggie Long (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Kennedy Roush (Greer, S.C.) along with senior Emma Whitaker (Inman, S.C).
The Black and Gold officially begin the 2026 outdoor campaign when they travel to Charlotte, N.C. to compete in the Charlotte 49er Classic hosted by UNC Charlotte Thursday, March 19 to Saturday, March 21. Results can be found at AUTrojans.com.
