ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The South Atlantic Conference announced its preseason Outdoor Track & Field polls for the 2023 season on Friday.

The Tusculum University men were picked sixth and the Pioneer women were picked ninth in the polling of the conference's 12 head coaches. The selections were made in advance of the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, which will be held May 3-4 at Anderson, South Carolina.

Tusculum's men were eighth and the women took 11th at last year's SAC Outdoor Championship. The Pioneers finished sixth in the men's and ninth in the women's SAC Indoor Championship held last month.

Athletes to watch for the Pioneers are senior Antonio Aparicio and freshman Adrian Gumm for the men, along with senior Aliyah Adderley and junior Emily Coddington for the women.

Aparicio finished second in the 800 meters at the SAC Indoor Championship at 1:54.32, after finishing sixth in the event at last year's SAC Outdoor Championship. Aparicio placed eighth in the 800 at the SAC Outdoor Championship in 2021, and the Paterna, Spain native holds the program indoor and outdoor records in the event.

Gumm took eighth in the shot put at the SAC Indoor Championship with a throw of 13.34 meters (43 feet, 9 1/4 inches). The Maryville, Tennessee native holds the program indoor records in both the shot put (47 feet, 8 1/2 inches) and the weight throw (45 feet, 9 3/4 inches).

Adderley competed in three events at the SAC Indoor Championship, with a ninth-place finish as part of the 4x400 relay. Her best conference finish was sixth place in the 4x100 meters at the 2021 SAC Outdoor Championship. The Nassau, Bahamas native ranks 10th in program history in the 200 meters with a time of 26.56 seconds set at Montreat on March 26, 2022.

Coddington finished fourth in the mile at the SAC Indoor Championship, and is a two-time scorer at the SAC Outdoor Championship in the steeplechase with a sixth-place finish in 2021 and an eighth-place result in 2022. The Acosta, Pennsylvania native holds the school outdoor record in the 800 meters (2:20.97) and ranks second all-time in the 1500 meters (4:48.20) and steeplechase (11:39.55).

The Wingate men were picked as the preseason favorites in the SAC Outdoor Track & Field coaches poll, while Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne shared the top spot in the women's poll.

Tusculum is opening its outdoor season this weekend at the Trojan Opener in Anderson, South Carolina.

2023 SAC MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD PRESEASON POLL

2023 SAC WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD PRESEASON POLL