Emmanuel Chosen to Repeat in Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Emmanuel, led by reigning Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Luke Gaddis, has been picked to repeat as Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country champions as they claimed the top spot in the Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
The conference office officially unveiled the preseason poll on Aug. 18, 2022. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The Lions collected 143 points and 11-of-13 first-place votes to better 2021 Conference Carolinas runner-up UNC Pembroke, who tallied 133 points and one first-place nod. Mount Olive, who had won eight straight conference titles from 2012-2019, was picked third with 108 points and the remaining first-place tally.
North Greenville and Lees-McRae tied for fourth with 104 points followed by Belmont Abbey (84), Erskine (79), Converse (65), King (59), Barton (45), Southern Wesleyan (41), Francis Marion (31) and Chowan (18).
Teams begin competition on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022 and will have two months before the 2021 Conference Carolinas Championship on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2022 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
| School |
Total (First Place) |
| Emmanuel |
143 (11) |
| UNC Pembroke |
133 (1) |
| Mount Olive |
108 (1) |
| North Greenville |
104 |
| Lees-McRae |
104 |
| Belmont Abbey |
84 |
| Erskine |
79 |
| Converse |
65 |
| King |
59 |
| Barton |
45 |
| Southern Wesleyan |
41 |
| Francis Marion |
31 |
| Chowan |
18 |
2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country
Runners to Watch
Barton
- Deshawn Owens, Sr., Pikeville, North Carolina
- Amando Robles, Jr., Wilson, North Carolina
- Justin Marshall, So., Nashville, North Carolina
Belmont Abbey
- Zachary Knott, So., Wilmington, North Carolina
- Nick Berrios, Jr., Daphne, Alabama (Fall 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Brian Sause, So., Durham, North Carolina
Chowan
- Christopher Breeden, So., District Heights, Maryland
Converse
- Luis Rios Brena, So., Gray Court, South Carolina
- Nathan Lucy, So., Markleysburg, Pennsylvania
- Jaxon Wright, Fr., Mauldin, South Carolina
Emmanuel
- Alexander Andrade-Sosa, Sr., Gainesville, Georgia (Fall 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Zac Wright, Sr., McBee, Georgia
- Brandon Martin, So., Commerce, Georgia (Fall 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Erskine
- Angel Galan Redondo, Fr., Madrid, Spain
- Reilly Gobin, Jr., Summerville, South Carolina
- Joshua Meadows, Jr., Anderson, South Carolina
Francis Marion
- Cullen Dore, Jr., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Logan Zeis, Jr., Winchester, Virginia
- Zachary Patrick, Fr., Winston-Salem, North Carolina
King
- Jordan Keith, Jr., Laurel Blommery, Tennessee (Spring 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Josh Booher, Sr., Bristol, Virginia (Spring 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Mason Sanders, So., Kingsport, Tennessee
Lees-McRae
- Max Geckler, So., Wake Forest, North Carolina (Fall 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Ian Kelbert, So., St. Augustine, Florida (Fall 2021 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Brennen Pierce, So., Wilmington, North Carolina (Fall 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Mount Olive
- Ashton Olmstead, So., Garner, North Carolina (Spring 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Mattia Marci, So., High Point, North Carolina (Spring 2021 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Aman Tsegay, So., Castelfranco Emilia, Italy
North Greenville
- Jacob Holcombe, Sr., Walhalla, South Carolina (Fall 2021 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Hayden Goode, Jr. Lyman, South Carolina (Fall 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Southern Wesleyan
- Thomas Mccagg, So., Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Ronan O’Neill, Fr., Pendleton, South Carolina
- Drew Jones, Fr., Riverview, Florida
UNC Pembroke
- Joshua Chepkesir, Sr., Eldoret, Kenya (Fall 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas, Conference Carolinas Individual Champion, Conference Carolinas Runner of the Year, USTFCCCA All-Region, NCAA All-American)
- Delsin Burkhart, Jr., Fayetteville, North Carolina (Fall 2021 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Hunter Levy, Sr., Concord, North Carolina (Fall 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)