NEWS | Complete SAC men's XC release
NEWS | Complete SAC women's XC release
 
Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's cross country teams are picked to win the 2026 South Atlantic Conference championship races, league officials announce this week. The Bulldogs are the defending SAC and Southeast Region champions in both men's and women's cross country. The Wingate men won the '25 national championship meet, while the Bulldog women finished a program-best third at NCAAs.
 
The Bulldogs open the 2026 season Friday, September 11, venturing to Charlotte for the Queen City Invitational at McAlpine Creek Park. Wingate hosts the postseason SAC meet Saturday, November 7 at the WU Cross Country Facility.
 
The Converse University Valkyries host the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championships on Saturday, November 21 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The 2026 NCAA Division II national championship meet is Friday, December 4 in Lawrence, Kansas.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head cross country coach Pol Domenech
 
"We're really happy to be recognized as the preseason favorite on both the men's and women's sides, especially knowing that recognition comes from our peers in the conference. It's a reflection of the work our student-athletes and staff have put in and we certainly appreciate the respect. At the same time, rankings aren't what we work for every day. They're a nice starting point, but what matters to us is what we do when the races actually count. Our focus is on being prepared to perform on the days that matter and letting the results speak for themselves."
 
Wingate University men's cross country
SAC coaches' poll/Runners to Watch notes
 
Wingate received 11 of 12 first-place votes and tallied 121 points in voting by the league's head coaches. Anderson earned the other first-place vote and collected 109 points, followed closely by Catawba with 102 points.
  
In addition to the preseason poll announcement, the South Atlantic Conference honored student-athletes from each school as Runners to Watch. Wingate's honorees are:
 
Mohamed Dahmouch, junior
David Holman, senior
 
Wingate University women's cross country
SAC coaches' poll/Runners to Watch notes
 
The Bulldogs collected 11 of 12 first-place votes and earned 121 points in voting by the league's head coaches. Catawba earned the other first-place vote to finish with 109 points. Anderson was next with 103 points.
 
In addition to the preseason poll announcement, the South Atlantic Conference honored student-athletes from each school as Runners to Watch. Wingate's honorees are:
 
Abigail Bester, sophomore
Kiara Bester, sophomore

Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 18 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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