GREENVILLE, S.C. – Lees-McRae women's cross country was voted third in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll. Veronica Cheechov, Rebecca Kleiber, and Megan Knapp were named Athletes to Watch for the upcoming season.
Lees-McRae was picked third with 172 points. North Greenville was voted first with 13 first-place votes and 209 total points. Converse received two first-place votes and 198 total points for second place. Mount Olive and King rounded out the top five, respectively. Southern Wesleyan, Belmont Abbey, UNC Pembroke, Young Harris, and Ferrum rounded out the top for the conference programs.
Lees-McRae women's cross country begins its 2026 season on September 11 at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Players to Watch
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll:
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
North Greenville (13) |
209 |
| 2 |
Converse (2) |
198 |
| 3 |
Lees-McRae |
172 |
| 4 |
Mount Olive |
155 |
| 5 |
King |
150 |
| 6 |
Southern Wesleyan |
140 |
| 7 |
Belmont Abbey |
134 |
| 8 |
UNC Pembroke |
128 |
| 9 |
Young Harris |
110 |
| 10 |
Ferrum |
89 |
| 11 |
Emmanuel |
85 |
| 12 |
Erskine |
65 |
| 13 |
Barton |
63 |
| 14 |
Franics Marion |
57 |
| 15 |
Chowan |
22 |
