Greenville, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to finish third in the preseason Conference Carolinas preseason flag football poll, which was released Wednesday afternoon. Three Bulldogs have been named preseason Players to Watch – Madison Jones, Evonne Bruestle and Addison Cadwell.

Lees-McRae is the preseason favorite, collecting five first-place votes, followed by Barton, who collected one first-place vote. Wingate is third, picking up three first-place votes, with King checking in at fourth, also registering a first-place vote. Ferrum is fifth, with Emmanuel, Mount Olive, Mars Hill, Chowan, Mount St. Mary's and Erskine rounding out the poll.

A trio of sophomores have earned Conference Carolinas Player to Watch accolades. Jones is a wide receiver/defensive back, transferring in from William Woods University. Bruestle is a rush/wide receiver who comes to Wingate after spending a year at William Woods. Cadwell is also a wide receiver/defensive back who transfer to Wingate after a year at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Wingate opens the season Thursday, Feb. 26 at Reinhardt University. The 'Dogs face Ottawa University Friday, while wrapping up their first weekend against Keiser on Saturday. Wingate's first home contest is set for Saturday, March 21, hosting Barton and Mount Olive.
 
Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll

#	School	Votes (1st place)
1	Lees-McRae	79 (5)
2	Barton	73 (1)
3	Wingate	70 (3)
4	King	66 (1)
5	Ferrum	58
6	Emmanuel	55 (1)
7	Mount Olive	50
8	Mars Hill	49
9	Chowan	41
10	Mount St. Mary's	35
11	Erskine	29

  Conference Carolinas Players to Watch

Wingate

• Madison Jones, So., DB/WR, Highlands Ranch, Colorado (KCAC Honorable Mention SB)
• Evonne Bruestle, So., RUSH/WR, Las Vegas, Nevada (KCAC Honorable Mention RUSH)
• Addison Cadwell, So., WR/DB, Arvada, Colorado (KCAC Honorable Mention WR)

Barton

• Valerie Ange-Betta, Fr., WR/DB, Durham, North Carolina
• Zahnia Long, Fr., WR/DB, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Sawyer Rigdon, Fr., QB, Wilmington, North Carolina

Chowan

• Kiara Arguello, Fr., QB, Carpentersville, Illinois
• Neveah Higdon, Fr., QB, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Adriana Lightfoot, Fr., WR/LB, Williamsburg, Virginia

Emmanuel

• Gwen Carter, Fr., WR/RB/DB, Phoenix, Arizona
• Gianna Brown, Fr., WR/LB, Savannah, Georgia
• Lillian Stephenson, So., QB, Evans, Georgia

Erskine

• Kenzie Horton, Fr., QB, Evans, Georgia
• Gabby Villegas, Fr., WR/S, Lakeland, Florida
• Meliyah Butler, Fr., C, Atlanta, Georgia

Ferrum

• Sam Pitzer, Fr., WR/CB, Loomis, California
• Macy Taylor, Fr., RB/LB, Springfield, Oregon
• Breyana Kimmons, Fr., RB/LB, Sacramento, California

King

• Samantha Lee, Fr., QB, Franklin, Tennessee
• Elizabeth Jones, Fr., WR/S, Roseville, California
• Janelle Duval, Fr., WR/S, Waxhaw, North Carolina

Lees-McRae

• Makenzie Hicks, So., QB, Forsyth, Georgia
• Tami Chatwood, Fr., WR/RUSH, Forsyth, Georgia
• Natalia Hernández de León, So., WR/DB, Panama City, Panama

Mars Hill

• Mary Lou Tsunis, Fr., WR, Henderson, Nevada
• Jade Perez, Fr., QB/WR, Longwood, Florida
• Miya Blake, Sr., C, Evans, Georgia

Mount Olive

• Alivia Conticello, Fr., WR/RUSH, Auburndale, Florida (All-County Flag Football)
• Ji'Kayla Marshall, Fr., WR/DB, Macon, Georgia
• ?Jaylianie Lucas, Fr., QB, Auburndale, Florida (2023 Ledger's Girl Flag Football Player of the Year)

Mount St. Mary's

• Alyssa Lane, Fr., S/DB/WR, Dunkirk, Maryland (Five-time champion and two-time team captain, 2025 PSFCA Big 33 Athlete, All-2025, WNFC Varsity Top 100 Player)
• Tabitha Newman, Fr., WR/LB, Rockville, Maryland (Captain of Flag Football as a senior, Dual-sport athlete with track, Rockville record holder for track events)
• Arieon Stokes, Fr., WR/CB, Baltimore, Maryland (Team Captain in multiple sports [flag, cross country/track, basketball], made it to states in numerous sports)