Conference Carolinas Men’s Track & Field Coaches Vote Mount Olive Preseason Favorite

High Point, NC> Mount Olive College takes the 2012 Preseason Coaches’ Poll after winning the 2011 Conference Carolinas Men’s Track and Field Championship in just their fourth year of sport sponsorship. The Trojans collected 212 points at last year’s championship, finishing 75 points ahead of the nearest competitor.

Mount Olive returns four All-Conference Carolinas First Team honorees, including 2011 Men’s Track Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year Dalton Souza and Men’s Field Athlete of the Year Joey Murphy. Decardo Cole and Caleb Henderson also took home First Team honors with event wins while the Trojans also bring back three All-Conference second team athletes.

The Trojans were ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region throughout most of 2011 and were ranked in the top two the entire season.

The Limestone College men’s track & field team has been selected to finish second in the 2012 Conference Carolinas Coaches Preseason poll, and enters the season after a second place showing at last season’s conference meet. The Saints and Head Coach Kevin Vees return a strong core of last season’s team and look to build upon a successful 2011 campaign.

The Saints will ask sophomore Tim Foster and junior Scott DiCrescenzo to provide leadership as they try to capture the conference crown. Foster won the Conference Championship in the 100-meter dash with a mark of 11.01 in his first year on campus. DiCrescenzo is a two-time Conference Champion in the javelin throw and set a personal best 57.79 meters at last year’s championships.

Lees-McRae College is picked to finish third this season after placing third at last spring’s Conference Carolinas Championships. The Bobcats return a gifted core of athletes in all competitions, with juniors Bradley King, Brandon Williams, along with sophomores Eric Cloy, Evan Webb, and Devan Mackey leading the charge for Lees-McRae. Head coach Ley Fletcher also welcomes a strong recruiting class into the fold as the Bobcats look to vault back to the top of the conference.

Rounding out the women's track & field preseason poll 4-8 is: King, Queens, Belmont Abbey, North Greenville, and Barton respectively.