ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Anderson University women's and men's track and field teams were picked to finish fourth and 10th, respectively, in the preseason South Atlantic Conference coaches' poll, the league released on Tuesday (Mar. 22).
Queens was picked to win the women's poll, as Lenoir-Rhyne placed second with 120 points and two first-place votes. Wingate took the No. 3 spot with 115 points, while Anderson came in fourth with 99 points. Carson-Newman rounded out the top five with 87 points.
Limestone took the No. 6 spot with 86 points and at No. 7 was Catawba with 71 points. Tusculum earned 58 points to come in at No. 8, while Lincoln Memorial finished at 55 points in ninth. Coker had 45 points in the No. 10 spot, followed by Newberry in the No. 11 spot with 34 points. Mars Hill rounded out the poll with 23 points at No. 12
Queens was also picked to win the men's poll Wingate placed second in the poll with 116 points. Limestone took the No. 3 spot with one first-place vote and 113 points, while Lenoir-Rhyne came in fourth with 104 points. Carson-Newman rounded out the top five with 93 points.
Tusculum landed at the No. 6 spot with 81 points and at No. 7 was Catawba with 71 points. Lincoln Memorial earned 58 points to come in at No. 8, while Newberry finished at No. 9 with 51 points. Anderson edged out Mars Hill for the No. 10 spot with 40 points, and the Lions took the No. 11 spot with 39 points. Coker rounded out the poll with 26 points at No. 12.
Whitney Hanson and Regan Appleby were named preseason players to watch, with Spain Vaughan and Simeon Respress being selected for the men.
The Trojans are coming off hosting their first ever outdoor track meet held on campus this past weekend, finishing with some impressive times at the 2022 Trojan Opener. Whitney Hanson won the 800m in a time of 2:17.71, as well as winning the 1500m at a pace of 4:41.27. Elise Matthews won the 5000m (17:59.79, while Regan Appleby won the shot put with a distance of 12.54m. For the men, freshman Simeon Respress set a new Anderson school record in the shot put (6.87m).
"It was a great weekend for our program," said coach Kevin Eagle. "It meant a lot to our coaches, athletes, and administration to host our first track and field meet. Our focus now turns to the Raleigh Relays next weekend."
The Trojans will be back in action on Thursday (Mar. 24) as they will travel to Raleigh, N.C. for the Raleigh Relays. Live results can be found at www.autrojans.com.
