ROCK HILL, S.C. – Wingate has been picked to win the 2017-18 South Atlantic Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship in a vote by the league's head coaches, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs picked up eight top votes and received 107 points from the panel.
Queens placed second in the poll with two first-place votes and 102 points, ahead of Coker, which notched 89 points. Lenoir-Rhyne landed at No. 4 with one top-vote and 88 points and Anderson rounded out the top five with 74 points.
At No. 6 in the poll was Carson-Newman with 73 points, while Lincoln Memorial's 44 points was good for the No. 7 slot. Tusculum came in at No. 8 as it picked up 40 points. Mars Hill was selected at the No. 9 position as it received 38 points. Catawba was voted No. 10 with 32 points and Newberry rounded out the list with 27 points.
The 2017-18 South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track and Field season marks the inaugural year for the sport in the South Atlantic Conference. Olivia Evans, Allyson Malone and Haylee Love will compete Friday at the Grand Valley State Holiday Classic in Allendale, Mich., while the season is set to get underway Saturday for many of the league's member institutions, as they will compete at the JDL Kick-off Classic, alongside the Trojans.
PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Anderson
Sprinter: Jasmine Barmore
Field: JoLyn Copeland
Distance: Haylee Love
Carson-Newman
Sprinter: Tia Davis
Field: Tori Gaul
Coker
Sprinter Noelia Leake
Distance: Darroneshia Lott
Lenoir-Rhyne
Sprinter: Sarai Hayes
Field: Haylea Salamon
Distance: Audra Yarber
Lincoln Memorial
Sprinter: Jordan Crawford
Field: Karen Robinson
Distance: Whitney Elliott
Mars Hill
Field: Jordan Bair
Queens
Sprinter: Asia Hart
Field: Aintzane Casterlenas
Distance: Hannah Wolkenhauer
Tusculum
Sprinter: Selena Gauthier
Field: I'Keriah Day
Distance: Alissa Furches
Wingate
Sprinter: Tarah Young
Field: Vanisha Wilshire
Distance: Juliet Salgueiro
2017-18 Women's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll (First-Place Votes) - Points
1. Wingate (8) 107
2. Queens (2) 102
3. Coker 89
4. Lenoir-Rhyne (1) 88
5. Anderson 74
6. Carson-Newman 73
7. Lincoln Memorial 44
8. Tusculum 40
9. Mars Hill 38
10. Catawba 32
11. Newberry 27
