HobbsDailyReport.com
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A year after moving up three spots in the women’s cross country standings, Lenoir-Rhyne University is predicted to finish fifth this season in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC).
The Bears, sixth last season, were picked to finish behind Queens, Wingate, Anderson (S.C.) and Catawba in voting by league head coaches released on Wednesday by the conference.
LRU — which opens its season on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Appalachian State Covered Bridge Open — received 59 points in the voting.
Queens gained nine first-place votes and 99 points, Wingate (90) and Anderson (84) each received one first-place vote.
Queens is the defending regular-season SAC champion and ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region of NCAA Division II.
Junior Audra Yarber of Abingdon, Va., leads LRU this season. She was all-region last season and won LRU’s Invitational title. Other key juniors returning for the Bears are Blakely Gantt of Advance and Erin Illich of Waco, Tex.
SAC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
1. Queens (9) 99
2. Wingate (1) 90
3. Anderson, S.C. (1) 84
4. Catawba 69
5. LENOIR-RHYNE 59
6. Carson-Newman 56
7. Lincoln Memorial 49
8. Mars Hill 36
9. Tusculum 24
10. Coker 21
11. Newberry, S.C. 14