HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s indoor track & field team was picked third in the 2015-16 Big South preseason poll released Tuesday.
High Point received 36 points to garner the third-place prediction. Liberty (six first place votes) was picked first with 48 points, followed by Campbell with 42 (one first place vote). After HPU, Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb tied for fourth (21), followed by Winthrop (20) and UNC Asheville (8).
HPU returns 24 letter winners from last year’s indoor squad that finished third at the Big South Championship and set a new school record for points scored in a conference indoor meet (131).
Two of HPU’s three individual Big South indoor champions return in 2015-16, including pole vault champion Austin Miller, who kicked off the season by capturing his 14th vault title at the JDL Kickoff Classic. Senior Dennis Crawford also looks to defend his 2015 league title in the 60m hurdles.
Also returning for the Panthers is sophomore sprints sensation James House, who earned a pair of top-3 finishes in the 60m dash and 200m dash at last season’s indoor conference meet. In addition, senior Andrew Kuras is back for the Purple & White after finishing third in the 200m at the 2015 Big South Championship.
Mid-distance standout Paul O’Donoghue, a two-time 2015 indoor all-conference selection, also returns for his senior campaign. O’Donoghue was tabbed the 2015 Big South Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and finished second in the 800m run at the conference meet.
HPU opened the 2015-16 season at the JDL Kickoff Classic Saturday and will return to action Jan. 16 at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem.
2015-16 Men’s Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
1. Liberty (6) – 48
2. Campbell (1) – 42
3. High Point – 36
4. Charleston Southern – 21
Gardner-Webb – 21
6. Winthrop – 20
7. UNC Asheville – 8