GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Lees-McRae men’s indoor track & field team has been picked to finish eighth in the 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll, the league office announced on Wednesday. Senior Tristin Bertie and sophomores Camden Donovan and Elkin alumni Christopher Lomax were all recognized as Preseason Athletes to Watch for the spring of 2021.
Mount Olive (78 points), who has won the conference title each of the previous five years, received seven first-place votes to secure the top spot in the poll. North Greenville (68) received the three other first-place votes to sit in second place, while newcomer UNC Pembroke closed out the top-three with 66 point. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Athletes to Watch
Bertie, Donovan and Lomax are all poised to make a statement during this year’s indoor season after closing out the 2019-20 campaign by claiming All-Conference honors at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships on Feb. 23. Bertie and Donovan joined Garrett Ybarra and Joshua Hall to finish second in the 4000m distance medley relay (10:50.67), which broke the school’s indoor record for the event. Donovan posted a third-place finish with a mark of 1.86m in the high jump.
Welcome to Banner Elk
Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach Ley Fletcher announced the addition of 12 newcomers to his 2020-21 recruiting class on Aug. 18. The newest class of Bobcats include Christian Bargaineer, Justice Dorsey, Aaron Kirby, Jeffrey Nickerson, Spencer Piercy, Brian Sims Jr., Rondale Weaden and Cameron Wilson. The recruiting class also includes Walker Cummins and Hunter Sizemore who will also be competing for the cross country program as well.
Returning to the Bobcats
Cooper Abernathy, Silas Arendash, Corimonte Eatmon, Aiden Hall, Keith Holmes Jr., Blake Radder, Ybarra and Elias Zajicek all rejoin the Bobcats for the 2020-21 season and are looking to take the next step toward joining the All-Conference selections.
Looking ahead at the Indoor Season
Lees-McRae is scheduled to open the season on Sunday, Jan. 24 at the JDL Fast is Flat Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Bobcats are next schedules to compete in the Mondo College Invitational and the Winston-Salem College Classic on Jan. 30 and Feb. 14 respectively. The 2021 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 21 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
2020-21 Conference Carolinas Men’s Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll:
Rank Team (1st Place Votes) Points
1 Mount Olive (7) 78
2 North Greenville (3) 68
3 UNC Pembroke 66
4 Emmanuel 57
5 Southern Wesleyan 51
6 Barton 41
7 Belmont Abbey 33
8 Lees-McRae 27
9 King 18
10 Erskine 11
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