Associated Press
ROCK HILL, S.C. ó Defending champion Carson-Newman has been picked by South Atlantic Conference coaches to win the Division II league again.
The conference announced its preseason coach’s picks Thursday. The Eagles had won a share their 20th SAC title last fall and are runaway favorites to do it again, gaining six of the league’s eight first-place votes.
Catawba and Mars Hill received the other first-place votes.
Carson-Newman also led the way on the coach’s preseason all-conference team with 11 players named to the first and second squads.
Newberry, a co-champion last season, had nine players picked for the all-league teams. The SAC consists of eight Division II schools in North Carolina, South C