ROCK HILL, S.C. - After winning the last two Food Lion SAC Women's Cross Country Championships, Anderson has been voted No. 1 in the 2012 preseason coaches' poll, as released by the league office released on Thursday.
Despite losing last year's SAC Championship individual runner-up Whitney Bishoff to graduation, Anderson received five first-place votes in the poll and had three student-athletes named to the 2012 preseason All-SAC Team, led by first-team pick Hannah Robles.
The preseason All-SAC Team is determined by results from the 2011 SAC Championship.
Just behind the Trojans in the preseason poll was Wingate, which earned the other five first-place votes. The Bulldogs finished third at the 2011 SAC Championship, and place three runners on the preseason All-Conference Team, led by first-teamers Brianna Stevens and Keeley Wood.
Wood finished third in the individual standings at the 2011 SAC Championship, while Stevens placed 10th.
No. 3 in the poll is 2011 SAC Championship runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears face a tall task in 2012 in replacing All-American and two-time individual conference champion Kate Griewisch, but do return two members of the preseason All-SAC Team, including Ashley Kale, who placed sixth at last season's SAC Championship.
Carson-Newman is No. 4 in the poll, followed by No. 5 Mars Hill, No. 6 Lincoln Memorial and No. 7 Brevard.
Included on the preseason All-SAC Team were two runners apiece from Carson-Newman and LMU, and one from both Brevard and Mars Hill.
LMU's Sofia Lopez Mimendi, C-N's Hanna Reese and MHC's Jessica Viscusi -- who finished fifth, seventh and eighth respectively, at the 2011 SAC Championship -- were all named to the preseason First Team.
Catawba and Newberry tied for eighth in the preseason poll, while Tusculum was voted No. 10.
Anderson opens its 2012 campaign at USC Upstate's Eye Opener on Aug. 31.
Team Points (1st-place votes)
1. Anderson 76 (5)
2. Wingate 73 (5)
3. Lenoir-Rhyne 66
4. Carson-Newman 55
5. Mars Hill 48
6. Lincoln Memorial 39
7. Brevard 35
8. Catawba 24
Newberry 24
10. Tusculum 10
PRESEASON ALL-SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE TEAM
First Team
Name School
Kale, Ashley Lenoir-Rhyne
Mimendi, Sofia Lopez Lincoln Memorial
Reese, Hannah Carson-Newman
Robles, Hannah Anderson University
Stevens, Brianna Wingate University
Viscusi, Jessica Mars Hill College
Wood, Keeley Wingate University
Second Team
Name School
Canale, Angela Brevard College
Hazel, Sydney Anderson University
Mahaffey, Amanda Anderson University
Nix, Meredith Carson-Newman
Rhyne, Laura Lenoir-Rhyne
Stoerp, Amber Lincoln Memorial
Varnadoe, Taylor Wingate University
