The Lees-McRae men’s indoor track & field team has been picked to finish eighth in the 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll, the league office announced on Wednesday. Senior Tristin Bertie (Cleveland, Georgia. / White County) and sophomores Camden Donovan (Andover, New Hampshire/ Merrimack Valley) and Christopher Lomax (Elkin, North Carolina / Elkin) were all recognized as Preseason Athletes to Watch for the spring of 2021.

Mount Olive (78 points), who has won the conference title each of the previous five years, received seven first-place votes to secure the top spot in the poll. North Greenville (68) received the three other first-place votes to sit in second place, while newcomer UNC Pembroke closed out the top-three with 66 points.

Athletes to Watch…Bertie, Donovan and Lomax are all poised to make a statement during this year’s indoor season after closing out the 2019 – 2020 campaign by claiming All-Conference honors at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships on February 23. Bertie and Donovan joined Garrett Ybarra (San Antonio, Texas / Earl Warren) and Joshua Hall (Murphy, North Carolina / Murphy) to finish second in the 4000m distance medley relay (10:50.67), which broke the school’s indoor record for the event. Donovan posted a third-place finish with a mark of 1.86m in the high jump. 

Looking ahead at the Indoor Season…Lees-McRae is scheduled to open the season on Sunday, January 24 at the JDL Fast is Flat Classic in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Bobcats are next scheduled to compete in the Mondo College Invitational and the Winston-Salem College Classic on January 30 and February 14 respectively. The 2021 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled for Sunday, February 21 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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