CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb lacrosse team has been selected to finish sixth in the 2026 preseason coaches poll as announced by the league on Tuesday, January 27.
The Runnin' Bulldogs picked up a total of 29 points in the preseason poll for the sixth-place projection. Gardner-Webb finished 2025 in sixth while earning its first trip to Big South postseason play since the 2022 season.
Mercer is favored to win the Big South in 2026 after accumulating seven of the nine first-place votes for 79 points. High Point comes in second place with two first-place votes and 73 points. Furman checked in at third after tallying 62 points while Wofford (48 points) and Winthrop (44 points) follow the Paladins in the standings in fourth and fifth places, respectively. A total of one point separates Gardner-Webb (29 points) and Radford (28 points) in sixth and seventh places. Presbyterian (8th place, 22 points) and Longwood (9th place, 20 points) round out the preseason poll.
Gardner-Webb returns two Big South All-Conference players from last year's team in midfielder Emma Duchscherer and goalkeeper Emma Anderson. The Runnin' Bulldogs will also receive help from defender Abby Consaul.
Duchscherer turned in one of the more prolific offensive seasons in program history after leading the Runnin' Bulldogs with 25 goals and 13 assists for a total of 38 points. The Rosemount, Minnesota native produced five multi-goal performances over the course of the year, including a four-goal game versus Longwood on March 29. Duchscherer also added 25 draw controls, 21 caused turnovers, and 17 groundballs.
Anderson, in her second season with Gardner-Webb, was a staple in net for the Runnin' Bulldogs after finishing the season with more than 900 minutes played and 171 saves. Anderson ranked second in the Big South with 10.06 saves per game as well as third in save percentage at .431. Anderson recorded double-digit saves in nine games over the course of the 2025 season, including a career-high 18 in a narrow loss to Winthrop on April 16.
Consaul was a menace on the defensive side of the ball after setting a new single season program record with 39 caused turnovers which ranked first in the Big South as well as 12th nationally.
The Runnin' Bulldogs kick the season off on Saturday, February 7, traveling to Clarksville, Tenn. to face the Governors of Austin Peay. First draw control is slated for 11 a.m.
