ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The South Atlantic Conference has announced its preseason coaches polls for the 2019-20 men's and women's indoor track & field season.

The Tusculum women were picked to finish fourth and the Pioneer men were chosen sixth by the conference's head coaches, mirroring their finishes in last year's SAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

This year's championship meet is scheduled for February 29 and March 1 at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Pioneers will open their 2019-20 indoor season at the ETSU Invitational on Friday and Saturday, January 10-11.

WOMEN'S POLL
The Pioneers finished fourth in the conference last season behind the performance of Nicole McMillen, who won the mile run and finished second in the 3000 meters. She has been identified as a distance runner to watch in the conference this season, after winning the SAC Women's Cross Country championship this fall and earning Women's Track Athlete of the Meet honors at last year's SAC Outdoor Championships.

Sophomore Destini Wilson was named as a field athlete to watch after placing eighth in the high jump and tenth in the long jump at last year's conference indoor meet. The Pioneers' sprinter to watch is freshman Hachlaine Petit, who has career best times of 26.94 seconds in the 200 meters and 57.49 seconds in the 400.

Defending conference champion Queens received nine of 11 first-place votes and took the top spot in the poll with 109 points, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne which had the other two first-place votes and 101 points. Wingate (93 points), Tusculum (77), Catawba (71) and Carson-Newman (69) in sixth rounded out the top half of the survey.

The rest of the poll consists of Coker (54 points) in seventh, followed by Anderson (45), Mars Hill (42), Lincoln Memorial (34) and Newberry (20).

MEN'S POLL
The Tusculum men finished sixth overall at last year's SAC Indoor Championship, and welcome back several scorers including Will Cronin, who was sixth in the 3000 meters and fifth in the 5000 meters and was named an distance runner to watch in the SAC this season.

Jamire Thompson was seventh in the hurdles and Luis Morris placed second in the pole vault for the Pioneers last season, and are joined by junior David Kisotu, a tranfer from Western Kentucky who is a sprinter to watch with career-best times of 49.86 in the 400 and 4:40.53 in the mile.

In the field, freshman Ja'juan McClain posted best marks of 22 feet, 7 inches in the long jump and 46 feet, 6 3/4 inches in the triple jump during his prep career at Hillsboro High School in Nashville, and was named a field athlete to watch for the Pioneers.

Queens, which won the SAC indoor championship last year, took 10 of the 11 first-place votes and grabbed the top spot in the poll with 110 points. Lenoir-Rhyne was second with 98 points, with Wingate capturing the other first-place vote and tallying 89 points to tie for third with Carson-Newman. Catawba was fifth in the rankings with 72 points, with Tusculum in sixth with 65 points.

Rounding out the poll were Coker, in seventh with 54 points, followed by Newberry in eighth with 39 points. Lincoln Memorial (34 points), Mars Hill (33) and Anderson (32) closed out the rankings.

South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field
Preseason Coaches Polls
MEN
Rk Team (1st)       Pts
1. Queens (10)      110
2. Lenoir-Rhyne      98
t3 Wingate (1)       89
t3 Carson-Newman     89
5. Catawba           72
6. TUSCULUM          65
7. Coker             54
8. Newberry          39
9. Lincoln Memorial  34
10 Mars Hill         33
11 Anderson          32


WOMEN
Rk Team (1st)       Pts
1. Queens (9)       109
2. Lenoir-Rhyne (2) 101
3. Wingate           93
4. TUSCULUM          77
5. Catawba           71
6. Carson-Newman     69
7. Coker             54
8. Anderson          45
9. Mars Hill         42
10 Lincoln Memorial  34
11 Newberry          20