Rock Hill, S.C. - With the 2026 season fast approaching, the Lincoln Memorial University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams find themselves ranked highly in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll, as each team placed fourth in the initial ranking.
Each team finished the 2025 season fourth in the SAC Championship race before placing in the top-10 of the Southeast Regional Championship race, while each squad took home one first-place finish in the 2025 campaign.
On the men's side, this marks the second-consecutive season ranked fourth in the preseason poll after a year where the Railsplitters ranked eighth in the Regional Championship. Seniors Conner Chandler and reigning First-Team All-Conference honoree Jaxson Branham were named Runners to Watch in the preseason poll.
For the women, the Splitters finished the previous season at sixth in the Southeast Regional Championship in a year where LMU earned their highest ever regional ranking, coming in twice ranked at fourth. Returning senior and Second-Team All-Conference runner Weslyn McIntosh was named a preseason Runner to Watch alongside junior Jacie Begley.
The Railsplitters open their seasons by kicking off Labor Day weekend, as the two sides will compete in the Golden Eagle Invitational hosted by Tennessee Tech on September 4th at 10:30 a.m.
Both coaches polls and a full list of the Runners to Watch can be found below.
2026 SAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Wingate (11) 121
2. Anderson (1) 109
3. Catawba 102
4. Lincoln Memorial 92
5. Lenoir-Rhyne 70
6. Emory & Henry 61
7. Mars Hill 56
8. Tusculum 55
9. UVA Wise 52
10. Carson-Newman 36
11. Newberry 28
12. Coker 11
2026 SAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Wingate (11) 121
2. Catawba (1) 109
3. Anderson 103
4. Lincoln Memorial 97
5. Lenoir-Rhyne 76
6. Carson-Newman 73
7. Mars Hill 62
8. Emory & Henry 50
9. UVA Wise 39
10. Tusculum 31
11. Newberry 20
12. Coker 11
Runners to Watch:
Anderson
Men: Grayson Gibbons, Will Cronin
Women: Kennedy Roush, Beth Ludwick
Carson-Newman
Men: Bryson Burkett, Wesley Thomas
Women: Jenna Pittman, Keirieonna Wilson
Catawba
Men: Ian Pierce, Seth Caudill
Women: Hannah Caudill, Morgan Pollard
Coker
Men: Jake Popkowski, Nathan Allen
Women: Amelia Artz, Claire Lowrimore
Emory & Henry
Men : Davis Norman, Aidan Trautman, Tyler Davis
Women: Tess Somervell, McKenzie Tate, Violet Riddle
Lenoir-Rhyne
Men: Ilias El Khattabi, Preston Sangely
Women: Saoirse McNulty, Zoila Sicilia
Lincoln Memorial
Men: Jaxson Branham (Sr), Conner Chandler (Sr)
Women: Jacie Begley (Jr), Weslyn McIntosh (Sr)
Mars Hill
Men: Sean Sanchez, Brandon McNulty
Women: Sophie Ratcliff, Lola Korth
Newberry
Men: Camden Longdon, Drew Benson
Women: Olivia Hare, Alexis Fonseca
Tusculum
Men: Bernardo Pancas, Conan Harper
Women: Jesica Mbhamali, Hannah McLain
UVA Wise
Men: Dylan Colander, Patton Shortt
Women: Alexsis Porter, Shaylen Cannon
Wingate
Men: Mohamed Dahmouch, David Holman
Women: Abi Bester, Kiara Bester
