Carson-Newman Picked to Win South Atlantic Conference
July 18, 2008
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Carson-Newman Eagles, who return 21 starters off last year's team which went 10-1 and shared the league crown, are picked to capture the 2008 championship.
The Eagles have won 19 conference titles under head coach Ken Sparks. Carson-Newman receive six first-place votes and 62 out of a possible 64 total points.
Carson-Newman starts the season ranked in three national preseason polls. The Eagles are ranked seventh in the USA Today poll, while coming in 12th by the Sporting News and 13th by Lindy's.
Newberry College, the 2006 champion, picked up one first-place vote and is picked to finish second with 50 points.
Newberry was picked 20th in the Lindy's preseason poll.
Catawba College, which shared the league championship with Carson-Newman last year, is picked to finish third with 46 points. The Catawba Indians picked up the other first-place vote.
Catawba also received some national attention. They were picked 11th in the USA Today preseason poll, and 19th by the Sporting News. Catawba returns 16 starters from last year's team which went 11-2 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.
Tusculum College is picked to finish fourth with 43 points. The Pioneers return 19 starters from last year's squad which went 6-5 and tied for third in the SAC.
Wingate University is picked to finish fifth with 35 points. The Bulldogs return 14 starters from last year's team which went 7-4 overall and finished fifth in the SAC.
Mars Hill College is picked to finish sixth. The Lions received 23 points. The Lions have 17 starters returning. The Lions finished sixth in the league last year, going 5-5 overall
Lenoir-Rhyne University finished seventh in the preseason poll. The Bears received 20 points. The Bears return 18 starters from last year's team which went 2-9 and finished seventh in the league.
Brevard College received nine points. The Tornados will begin their first season as a full South Atlantic Conference member and are eligible for conference championships. The Tornados went 0-7 against SAC competition last year.
2008 SAC Preseason Poll
1. Carson-Newman (6) 62
2. Newberry (1) 50
3. Catawba (1) 46
4. Tusculum 43
5. Wingate 35
6. Mars Hill 23
7. Lenoir-Rhyne 20
8. Brevard 9
(First place votes in parenthesis)
