CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The two-time defending Big South champion Coastal Carolina University women's indoor track & field team has once again been picked first in the conference's annual preseason poll, based on voting from the league's nine head coaches and announced on Thursday.

The Chanticleers were tabbed as the preseason favorite over Liberty for the third straight year, this time garnering six first-place votes and a total of 78 points. The Flames claimed two first-place votes and were picked second with 73 points. Campbell notched the other first-place vote and placed third with 62 points, followed by High Point in fourth (51 points) and Charleston Southern (47 points) in fifth.

Coastal will compete in four indoor meets this season, beginning with the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 16-17 and concluding with the Big South Championships on Feb. 26-27, this year being held in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Jeff Jacobs takes over as head coach of the Chanticleer women, who return six all-conference student-athletes from last season, led by three-time honoree and Big South 400-meter record-holder Christal Green. Joining her are triple jump champion Amirah Al-Bayyinah, 5,000-meter champion Letitia Saayman and two-time all-conference members Camille Hurley, Teka Simpson and Kyla van Graan.

2014-15 Big South Women's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Coastal Carolina (6) - 78 points
2. Liberty (2) - 73
3. Campbell (1) - 62
4. High Point - 51
5. Charleston Southern - 47
6. Radford - 32
7. Winthrop - 25
8. Gardner-Webb - 23
9. UNC Asheville - 14