Mount Olive picked atop 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll

11/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Conference Carolinas men's outdoor track & field head coaches picked the University of Mount Olive to win the conference championship in the 2026 preseason poll released on Tuesday.

The Trojans had their streak of 11-straight Conference Carolinas crowns snapped last year and have collected 189 points and seven first-place votes in the preseason poll. Following their first-ever Conference Carolinas championship, Converse University received 188 points and the seven first-place nods to be picked second. UNC Pembroke received the final first-place votes as the Braves came in third with 172 points, followed by Belmont Abbey College with 151 points. Southern Wesleyan University rounded out the top five with 136 points.

Lees-McRae College earned 123 points to take the sixth spot and was followed by North Greenville University (102), Shorter University (89), Emmanuel University (86), Young Harris College (84), King University (74), Barton College (66), Ferrum College (45), Erskine College (43) and Francis Marion University (27)

The 2025 Conference Carolinas Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held on February 22-23 at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 

2026 Conference Carolinas
Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
 
School Total (First Place)
1 Mount Olive 189 (7)
2 Converse 188 (7)
3 UNC Pembroke 172 (1)
4 Belmont Abbey 151
5 Southern Welseyan 136
6 Lees-McRae 123
7 North Greenville 102
8 Shorter 89
9 Emmanuel 86
10 Young Harris 84
11 King 74
12 Barton 66
13 Ferrum 45
14 Erskine 43
15 Francis Marion 27
 

2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Indoor Track & Field
Athletes to Watch
Barton
  • Jaidan Lee, Jr., Sprints, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Jordan Bobbitt, Jr., Sprints, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
  • Brandon Waller, So., Mid Distance, Cabot, Arkansas
Belmont Abbey
  • Joshua Gulapa, Sr., Multis, Naples, Florida (All-Conference Carolinas first team in the heptathlon, All-Conference Carolinas third team in the 60 meter hurdles)
  • Noah Whack, So., Multis, Summerville, South Carolina
  • Justin Johnson, Fr., Jumps/Sprint, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Converse
  • Dorian Bomar, Jr., Spartanburg, South Carolina (2025 All-Conference Carolinas in 60 meter dash, third team in 4x400 meter relay)
  • Devron Davis, Sr., Columbia, South Carolina (2025 All-Conference Carolinas third team in 200 meters and 4x400 meter relay)
  • Neale Johnson, Fr. Rock Hill, South Carolina
Emmanuel
  • Cam Scott, Sr., Birmingham, Alabama
  • Brando Araujo, Fr., Gainesville, Georgia
  • Josiah Drake, Fr., Grovetown, Georgia
Erskine
  • Nick Jefferson, Sr., Sumter, South Carolina
  • Colby Wines, Jr., Spartanburg, South Carolina
  • Chris Anagnostopoulos, So., Thessaloniki, Greece
Ferrum
  • Jahmal Jones, So., Martinsville, Virginia
  • Andre Lucas, So., Jacksonville, Florida
  • Jordan Smith, So., Martinsville, Virginia
Francis Marion
  • Luis Cedeno, Fr., Distance, Florence, South Carolina
  • Jaysson Howard, Fr., Sprints/Jumps, Anderson, South Carolina
  • Jordan Davis, Fr., Throws, Hartsville, South Carolina
King
  • Lynden Johnson, Sr., Sprints, Freeport, Bahamas (USTFCCCA All-Southeast Region)
    Nate Rosson, So., Pole Vault, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
    Dominick Stevens, So., Sprints, Louisville, Tennessee
Lees-McRae
  • Joshua Ehresman, Sr., Fort Mill, South Carolina
  • Lodrick Scott, Jr., Stone Mountain, Georgia
  • Josh Brett, Sr., St. Augustine, Florida
Mount Olive
  • Travelius Leach, So., Sprints, Rowland, North Carolina (2025 outdoor All-Conference Carolinas third team)
  • Sigursteinn Asgeirsson, Jr., Throws, Thorgautsstadir, Iceland  (Indoor and outdoor All-Conference Carolinas first team, 2024 indoor and outdoor all-conference first team)
  • Evan Hall, Jr., Apex, North Carolina
UNC Pembroke
  • Mekhi Hayes, So., Sprints, Chicago, Illinois (Conference Carolinas 200 meters champion, NCAA Qualifier, Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
  • Gary Parker, Jr., Throws, Bladenboro, North Carolina (Conference Carolinas weight throw champion)
  • Cole Thomas, Gr., Pole Vault, Tallahassee, Florida (All-Conference Carolinas second team)
North Greenville
  • Taylor Campbell, Jr., Throws, Travelers Rest, South Carolina (Six-time All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Bryce Hamby, Sr., Pole Vault, Seneca, South Carolina (Six-time All-Conference Carolinas; two-time Conference Carolinas champion)
  • Joel Herman, Jr., Distance, Lamoille, Nevada
Shorter
  • Paul Schedlbauer, Sr., Distance, Vienna, Austria
  • Landon Richardson, Sr., Hurdles/High Jump/Heptathlon, Rome, Georgia
  • Nakobi Spurrier, Jr., Shot Put, Tucker, Georgia
Southern Wesleyan
  • Happy Lea, So., Sprints/Hurdles, Woodruff, South Carolina (2025 Outdoor: Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, all-conference first team 110 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles, USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field All-Region in 110 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles)
  • Ronan O'Neill, Sr., Distance, Pendleton, South Carolina (Indoor: 2025 Conference Carolinas Track Athlete of the Year, All-Conference Carolinas first team in 3000 meters and 5000 meters, Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2024: all-conference third team in 3000 meters, first team in 5000 meters, 2023: all-conference third team in 3000 meters and 5000 meters, Outdoor: all-conference second team in 5000 meters and 10,000 meters, 2024: all-conference second team in 5000 meters and 10,000 meters, 2023: all-conference second team in 5000 meters and 10,000 meters)
  • Ethan Shoemaker, Jr., Jumps, Seneca, South Carolina (2025 Outdoor: All-Conference Carolinas first team in the high jump)
Young Harris
  • Wyatt Whipp, Sr., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Ryland Hunley, So., Locust Grove, Georgia
  • Aidan Vrazel, So., Atlanta, Georgia