PRINT: FMU women's soccer picked 1st, men 2nd in conference preseason polls
The Francis Marion women's soccer team has been picked to finish 1st in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll released Wednesday.
Francis Marion senior outside hitter and reigning Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year Madilyn Gartner returns to a Patriots squad that has been chosen to finish second in the conference preseason poll.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Following consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first-time in program history, Francis Marion University was voted as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Wednesday.
Holmes
The Conference Carolinas East Division Champions earned 220 points and 10 of the possible 15 first-place votes. During the last eight weeks of the 2025 season, FMU was also included in the United Soccer Coaches poll, rising as high as No. 17. The Patriots also made their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.
The 2025 Conference Carolinas Tournament champions Belmont Abbey College received five first place votes and 204 points to land in the second spot. UNC Pembroke comes in third overall in the poll with 192 points.
Fourth-year Francis Marion head coach Sam Holmes welcomes back 24 returners, including ten starters, from last year's historic 17-3-0 team. A trio of All-Americans lead the returnees including the reigning Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year graduate student forward Tehya Dave', first-team all-region senior goalkeeper Erin Grabeel, and Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year junior defender Alana Hunt.
After racking-up 34 points (13 goals, 8 assists), which ranked 12th in NCAA Division II, Dave' also was named the Conference Carolinas 2025 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer and received first-team honors in the region and conference.
Grabeel returns to FMU after ranking first in the league with a 0.403 goals-against average and recording 14 shutouts, which ranked third in the nation. Additionally, she garnered first-team all-conference honors, Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2025 and led the Conference Carolinas with 1786:04 goalie minutes played.
Hunt was a dominant force in the backline and led the country with a .750 shutout percentage while also earning first-team all-region honors. She also garnered College Sports Communicators (CSC) First-Team Academic All-American status for her performance on the field and in the classroom.
Additional Patriots who garnered accolades include first-team all-region senior defender Joy Brockmann (two goals, four assists) and sophomore Madeline Ballard, who earned second-team all-region honors in the midfield.
The Patriots kick off their 2026 campaign at home on Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. with a non-conference match against USC Aiken.
FMU men picked 2ndÂ
GREENVILLE – Francis Marion University, the reigning three-time champions of the Conference Carolinas East Division, were voted second in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday morning.
Rincon
The Patriots tallied 174 total points and three first-place nods as voted on by the league's head coaches. Young Harris College, the defending league tournament champions, was chosen as the preseason favorite in the Conference Carolinas after garnering nine first-place votes and totaling 189 points. Chowan University (169), North Greenville University (161), and Converse University (146) rounded out the top five while each received one first-place nod.
Francis Marion head coach Luis Rincon enters his eighth season at the helm and welcomes back 10 returnees, with nine of those players seeing playing time for last season's 8-4-5 squad. The roster also features the addition of several experienced transfers as the Patriots are determined to make a deep run in the postseason. In 2025, Francis Marion University was selected as the preseason favorite and ultimately claimed the No. 1 seed in the league tournament before suffering a late defeat in the quarterfinals, which resulted in an early exit.
Graduate student defender David Guevara brings a veteran presence to the Patriot backline after starting all 17 matches in 2025, while competing in over 50 career contests with the program. He has had a decorated career at Francis Marion after earning all-region honors for consecutive years, including D2CCA All-Southeast Region First-Team status in 2025.
Graduate student defender Tim Wilkening and senior defender Esteban Quintero also rejoined an FMU defense that held their opponents to just 15 goals (0.88 goals per game) last year.
FMU opens its 2026 season hosting #15 Flagler College on Aug. 27 with the match time set for 4 p.m. on Hartzler Field.
VOLLEYBALL
FMU tabbed 2nd in preseason poll
GREENVILLE – Following an East Division title and boasting the best-record in the conference play, Francis Marion University was picked second overall in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll that was released on Thursday.
Baufield-Edwards
The Patriots totaled 215 total points and six first-place nods as voted on by the league's head coaches. Emmanuel University, the reigning Conference Carolinas Tournament champion, was selected as the preseason favorite after receiving 10 of a possible 16 first-place votes and tallying 216 points.
UNC Pembroke (181) ranked third, followed by North Greenville University (180), Converse University (174) and Shorter University (148).
Francis Marion head coach Lauren Baufield-Edwards enters her 10th season at the helm and returns 10 players, including seven individuals who saw significant playing time from last season's 21-10 squad, which also posted a league-best 18-2 mark in conference matches.
Leading the returnees is the 2025 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year, senior outside hitter Madilyn Gartner, who also earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Team honorable mention. She ranked 15th in NCAA Division II with 462 total kills, while totaling 219 digs, 48 blocks, and 16 service aces.
Also returning, senior outside hitter Allison Miller, who recorded 248 kills and 340 digs in 2025. The Patriots welcome back senior defensive specialists Kayla Clayworth and McKenna Wiseman, both ranked top five on the team in digs last year. Sophomore setter Aubrey Johnson returns to the lineup following a standout freshman campaign after pacing the team with 790 assists and earning league Specialist of the Week twice.
The 2026 roster includes eight newcomers: seven freshmen and one newcomer.
Francis Marion will begin its season against Valdosta State University on Aug. 28 at the Cobra Coker Classic hosted by Coker University in nearby Hartsville.Â
