KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday, United Soccer Coaches released the association’s preseason college rankings, sponsored by Verizon, for men’s and women’s soccer in all divisions of NCAA and junior college competition.

Defending men’s national champions Marshall University and 2020 runners-up Florida State sit atop the polls in NCAA Division I to kickoff the 2021 campaign.

At the NCAA Division II level, University of Charleston is No. 1 on the men’s poll and Flagler College is No. 1 on the women’s poll.

Tufts University claims the top spot on the men’s poll at the NCAA Division III level. On the women’s side, Messiah College is in the No. 1 spot.

Iowa Western Community College and Tyler Junior College sit in the No. 1 spots in the Junior College Division I men’s and women’s polls respectively.

At the Junior College Division II level, Southwestern Community College of Baltimore County-Essex is No. 1 on the men’s poll and Phoenix College is No. 1 on the women’s poll.

In NJCAA Division III, Dallas College-Richland claimed the top spot on the men’s poll, while Dallas College-Brookhaven claims the No. 1 on the women’s poll.

United Soccer Coaches Rankings – Aug. 4, 2021

United Soccer Coaches college rankings, released every Tuesday during the regular season, are an indicator of the week-to-week status of qualified programs and in no way should be used as a guide or indicator of eligibility for championship selection. To be eligible for consideration in United Soccer Coaches college rankings, a school must be a member of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program.

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The No. 5-ranked Lander women’s basketball team erased a 13-point second-half deficit and rallied for a 79-74 win at Flagler Wednesday night.

Trailing by five with 2:12 to play, the Bearcats embarked on a 10-0 run as Makaila Cange converted two free throws to pull Lander within three. Zamiya Passmore buried a floater in the key, then drained a mid-range jumper on the ensuing possession to put Lander up 75-74 with 1:05 remaining. An offensive putback from Cangé off a missed three-pointer with 13 ticks remaining gave the Bearcats a three-point lead. Cangé then put the game away, stealing Flagler’s inbound pass and racing the distance for a game-sealing layup with two seconds to go.

Lander was led by 25 points and six assists from Passmore and a 22-point, 14-rebound effort from Cangé, her fifth double-double of the season. Amiaya Melvins added 12 points, while Sarah Crews finished with a pair of steals.

The Bearcats led for just 20 seconds in the first half and trailed by eight midway through the first quarter before a 12-4 run over the final 3:10 tied the score at 22-22. Flagler took a 42-38 lead into halftime and caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring Lander 20-7 over a 5:46 stretch to increase its advantage to 66-53 with 39 seconds left in the quarter. However, Cangé scored the final four points of the period to give Lander life entering the fourth.

Lander’s defense, which entered the game allowing just 50.6 points per contest, took over in the final quarter, holding Flagler to 3-of-15 shooting and forcing five Saint turnovers. Flagler took a 69-59 lead with 9:21 to play, but scored just twice for the remainder of the game.

The Bearcats travel to Young Harris on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.

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AUGUSTA, GA – Coming off back-to-back conference titles, the Flagler Saints have been selected as the 2020 Peach Belt Conference women’s cross country preseason favorites in a poll of the league’s head coaches released on Thursday. The Saints received seven of a possible 10 first-place votes in the poll for 97 points. Augusta and North Georgia finished in a tie for second, each collecting two first-place votes and 88 total points. Columbus State was fourth with UNC Pembroke fifth, Georgia Southwestern sixth and Clayton State seventh. Francis Marion, Lander, Young Harris and USC Aiken rounded out the voting.

Flagler captured their second consecutive PBC Championship in 2019, their third overall, and finished second at the NCAA Regionals, earning a second straight trip to the NCAA National Championships. Two seniors return from that team for the 2020 season led by Malia Cryan, who finished second at the PBC Championship and ninth at the NCAA Regional. Senior Allison Horwitch was also named PBC All-Conference in 2019 as were returning juniors Lindsey Williams and Jessie Mescal.

Augusta finished third at the 2019 PBC meet and were sixth at the NCAA Regional. The Jaguars will have a different look for 2020 following the departure of five seniors and graduates with five freshmen incoming this fall. Miranda Taylor is the lone senior on the team after finishing ninth at the 2019 PBC Championships and earning All-Conference honors. Also back are juniors Madison Congdon and Sarah Davis.

North Georgia has finished in either first or second in the PBC Championship for six years in a row, including a second-place finish in 2019. With new head coach Christopher England at the helm, the Nighthawks are poised to make another charge. UNG brings back five seniors for 2020 along with 2019 PBC Freshman of the Year and All-Conference performer Karmen Leroy. Also back is sophomore Olivia Henry who was named All-Conference in 2019.

The 2020 season will begin on Saturday, Oct. 3. The season has been shortened due to the COVID-19 and all NCAA Championships have been cancelled. Most teams will participate in three meets before running at the PBC Championship, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, and hosted by the University of North Georgia. The PBC meet will be run on the Gainesville campus in Oakwood, Ga.

The preseason poll results are below with first-place votes in parentheses.  Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.

2020 Peach Belt Women’s Cross Country
Preseason Coaches Poll

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