COLONIA, NJ (Dec. 2, 2024) - Track and Field season is right around the bend with the first meet of the year happening this week. Ahead of that, the East Coast Conference (ECC) has released their 2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll and Preseason Athletes of the Year. A reminder once again that Georgian Court competes in the ECC during the indoor track and field season as the CACC does not sponsor the indoor portion of the season.
This season, Georgian Court is in the top-five on the men's side as they were picked to finish fourth with 47 points. The women were picked seventh with 53 points. The ECC is home to nine Men's Indoor Track and Field teams and 11 on the women's side. In addition to GCU, Holy Family and Felician are other CACC members who are affiliates of the ECC for Indoor Track and Field. The league is also home to Daemen, District of Columbia (women only), D'Youville (women only), Molloy, Queens, Roberts Wesleyan, St. Thomas Aquinas and Staten Island.
Sitting ahead of Georgian Court in the preseason poll on the men's side are defending four-time champions, Holy Family. They earned 69 points and got five first-place votes. Roberts Wesleyan, the ECC Cross Country champions are second just two points back with 67 and three first-place votes. Felician took the final first-place vote and are third with 51 points.
Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas tied for fifth while Staten Island, Daeman and Queens round out the rest of the poll.
Georgian Court also had a pick for co-Preseason Athlete of the Year. Junior
Mark Linton took home the honors. He finished third last season in the weight throw and sixth in the shot put at the conference meet. Linton also had three top-four finishes at the CACC Championship meet outdoors including winning the discus.
Linton shares the Preseason Athlete of the Year tab with Holy Family's Javon Bowen.
Over on the women's side where GCU was picked seventh, Roberts Wesleyan is atop the poll with 102 points and four first-place votes. District of Columbia got three first-place votes for second place with 97 points. Felician and Holy Family each were picked with two first-place votes. Felician sits third with 85 points and HFU is fourth with 83. Molloy and D'Youville are also ahead of the Lions in the poll while Staten Island, St. Thomas Aquinas, Daemen and Queens are behind.
Kayla Cooper of the University of the District of Columbia repeats as the ECC Preseason Athlete of the Year.
The season starts for the Lions this Friday afternoon, Dec. 5 at the Fastrack Season Opener held at Ocean Breeze. After that though, GCU takes the rest of the holiday season off. They won be back in action until Jan. 16.
Fiveof the Lions seven meets will be held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, including the ECC Championship meet, Feb. 15. GCU will also compete at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in Lancaster, PA and the Alvernia PLEX Shootout in Reading, PA.
