ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Big South Conference has released their 2026 Preseason Men's and Women's Cross Country Poll, with Winthrop Men's and Women's squads both checking in at sixth place.
The sixth-place mark is the highest for the men's squad since 2023, tying for sixth, while the women's squad reached sixth in 2024.
For the Eagles, the men's side features ten new runners while the women host nine new runners.
Anna Conrad highlights the returning runners for both sides, as she was placed on the Big South Conference All-Academic Team, leading the Eagles to two meet wins over the 2025 season.
Winthrop opens the season on the road at the Elon XC Opener in Elon, N.C. on Sept. 4.
The full results to the polls can be found below:
2026 BIG SOUTH WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
High Point (6) |
76 |
| 2 |
Charleston Southern (3) |
69 |
| 3 |
UNC Asheville |
65 |
| 4 |
Radford |
53 |
| 5 |
Longwood |
49 |
| 6 |
Winthrop |
35 |
| 7 |
USC Upstate |
25 |
| 8 |
Gardner-Webb |
20 |
| 9 |
Presbyterian |
13 |
2026 BIG SOUTH MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Charleston Southern (6) |
78 |
| 2 |
High Point (3) |
75 |
| 3 |
UNC Asheville |
61 |
| 4 |
USC Upstate |
47 |
| 5 |
Radford |
41 |
| 6 |
Winthrop |
37 |
| 7 |
Longwood |
33 |
| 8 |
Presbyterian |
18 |
| 9 |
Gardner-Webb |
15 |
