WALESKA, Ga. – The Appalachian Athletics Conference has announced its preseason women's soccer preseason poll, and the University of Pikeville was picked ninth in the 14-team field.
 
The Bears will be led this season by first-year Coach Shane Taylor.
 
The poll, which was voted on by the head coaches in the conference, has Truett McConnell (Ga.) University as a solid favorite to win the league. TMU received 11 of the 13 first-place votes.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan University was picked second, getting two first-place votes and finishing 11 voting points behind TMU.
 
The two tied for the regular-season title in 2024 with identical 12-0-1 records. When the teams met in the conference championship, they proved their equality when they ended the second overtime tied at 1-1 before TMU outscored TWU 5-4 on penalty kicks to claim the title.
 
Reinhardt (Ga.), Milligan (Tenn.) and Montreat (N.C.) round out the top five in the preseason poll.
 
Johnson (Tenn.) and Columbia International (S.C.) were tied for sixth, with Columbia (S.C.) finishing eighth.
 
UPike was ninth with 85 voting points. Last season, the Bears finished eighth in the league standings with an overall record of 9-7-3 and a 6-5-2 worksheet in the league.
 
They hosted Union Commonwealth in the opening round of the AAC tournament and picked up a thrilling win in penalty kicks. The teams finished regulation and two extra periods in a scoreless tie, and, after the five rounds of kicks were still tied, 3-3.
 
In the sixth round, senior goalkeeper Millie Conod turned away the Bulldog attempt before Jayla Boyd found the net for the first postseason win in school history.
 
Boyd, a junior from Beavercreek, Ohio, is returning this season for the Bears.
 
The poll, in its entirety, is as follows:
 
2025 AAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Truett McConnell (11) - 180
2. Tennessee Wesleyan (2) - 169
3. Reinhardt - 148
4. Milligan - 137
5. Montreat - 109
T6. Johnson - 107
T6. Columbia International - 107
8. Columbia - 91
9. UPike - 85
10. Spartanburg Methodist - 74
11. Brenau - 60
12. Union Commonwealth - 47
13. Bryan - 30
14. Bluefield – 21