GREENVILLE, S.C. – Defending champion Converse University has been picked to take the title again in the Conference Carolinas Women's Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
 
The conference office officially unveiled the preseason poll on August 28. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Converse won their first-ever Conference Carolinas crown in 2023 and are picked to repeat that feat in 2024 as they sit atop the poll with 195 points and 13 of the 15 first place votes. UNC Pembroke, the 2023 runner-up checks in a second with the final two first place votes and 182 points. North Greenville University claimed 171 points in third and is followed by Southern Wesleyan University comes in fourth with 143 points. Lees-McRae College rounds out the top five with 140 points.

Belmont Abbey College collected 129 points in the sixth slot and were followed by King University in seventh with 127 points. The University of Mount Olive is eighth with 94 points while Erskine College followed with 82 points. Emmanuel University rounded out the top 10 with 76 points.

Young Harris College came in 11th with 69 points while Francis Marion University followed with 58 points and new member Shorter University checked in with 45 points. Barton College, 40 points, and Chowan University, 24 points, rounded out the poll.
 
The 2024 season gets underway on Friday, September 6. The Conference Carolinas Cross Country Championship is scheduled for Saturday, October 26 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
2024 Conference Carolinas
Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll 
 

	School	Total (First Place)
1	Converse	195 (13)
2	UNC Pembroke	182 (2)
3	North Greenville	171
4	Southern Wesleyan	143
5	Lees-McRae	140
6	Belmont Abbey	129
7	King	127
8	Mount Olive	94
9	Erskine	82
10	Emmanuel	76
11	Young Harris	69
12	Francis Marion	58
13	Shorter	45
14	Barton	40
15	Chowan	24

 

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2024 Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country
Players to Watch
 
Barton

• Emma Dalton, Jr., Vinton, Virginia
  Ansley Whilden, Fr., Morrisville, North Carolina
  Evet Jones, Fr., Suwanee, Georgia

 Belmont Abbey

• Savannah Willis, Sr., Flowery Branch, Georgia
• Elizabeth Young, Fr., Frederick, Maryland
• Mia Zuniga, Sr., Springs, Texas

Chowan

• Olivia Mock, So., Diamond, Ohio
• Fedi Rodriguez, Sr., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Converse

• Lauren Beatty, Jr., Winchester, Virginia (2022 & 2023 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
• Ruth Spijker, Jr., Sint Pancras, Netherlands (2022 & 2023 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
• Ashley Sosa, Sr., Gainesville, Georgia (2023 All-Conference Carolinas first team)

Emmanuel

• Gracie Woods, So., Royston, Georgia
• Makayla Jones, Fr., Cleveland, Georgia
• Paola Rubio, Sr., Hartwell, Georgia

Erskine

• Vivian Bryant, Jr., Summerton, South Carolina
• Raleigh Faulkner, Jr., Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Brooklyn Ricker, So., Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Francis Marion

• Emily Gaines, So., Taylors, South Carolina
• Jordyn Perry, So., Florence, South Carolina
• MacKinley Perry, Jr., Florence, South Carolina

King

• Ermay Vazquez Adame, So., Commerce, Georgia (2023 All-Conference Carolinas second team)
• Morgan Whitley, Sr., Danville, Virginia

Lees-McRae

• Campbell Dille, Jr., Cary, North Carolina
• Kaylee Kraver, Jr., Merritt Island, Florida
• Megan Knapp, Fr., Seville, Ohio

Mount Olive

• Natalie Baldwin, Jr., Greenville, North Carolina
• Alex White, Fr., Longview, Washington
• Alyssa Callihan, Fr., Leland, North Carolina

North Greenville

• Cecily Anderton, So., Sullivans Island, S.C. (All-Conference Carolinas first team)
• Riley Shope, So., Fort Mill, South Carolina (All-Conference Carolinas second team)
• Riley Nicholson, So., Anderson, South Carolina (All-Conference Carolinas second team)

UNC Pembroke

• Moureen Kimaiyo, So., Eldoret, Kenya (2023 Conference Carolinas Freshman & Runner of the Year, 2023 USTFCCCA All-Region)
• Jackline Kosgei, Sr., Eldoret, Kenya (Two-time Conference Carolinas Runner of the Year, three-time All-Conference Carolinas selection)

Shorter

• Lucía Centeno González, Fr., León, Spain

Southern Wesleyan

• Macey Morgan, Sr., Simpsonville, South Carolina (2022 All-Conference Carolinas third team, 2021 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
• Divinity Ervin, So., Kings Mountain, North Carolina
• Merritt Smith, Jr., St. Petersburg, Florida (2023 All-Conference Carolinas third team)

Young Harris

• Emily Baars, So., Lilburn, Georgia
• Emma Shanklin, Fr., Marietta, Georgia