Lennart Granzow Named Co-Defensive Preseason Player of the Year, Bulldogs Tabbed Second in Big South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - UNC Asheville senior defender Lennart Granzow was named the Co-Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while the Bulldogs were tabbed second in the Big South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced by the league today (Wednesday, Aug. 12).

Granzow appeared in 15 matches making 12 starts in his first season in Asheville. He scored three goals for six points on the year, while also totaling 11 shots from the back line. He scored his first goal of the season at East Tennessee State (Sept. 16), while also scoring a goal against Radford (Sept. 27) and at Winthrop on Oct. 25. Granzow totaled 1,158 minutes on the pitch including playing all 90 minutes in 12 straight matches to end the season. He was an All-Conference First Team At-Large selection, named to the 2025 Big South Conference All-Academic Team and was also a 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.

Granzow is a native of Hamburg, Germany and is a business administration major.

The poll was topped by defending league champion High Point with 64 points, while Asheville was picked second with 49 points and USC Upstate was slated third with 48 points. Gardner-Webb was picked fourth with 39 points, while Longwood was picked fifth with 33 points and Presbyterian was slated sixth with 26 points. Winthrop (19 points) and Radford (10 points) rounded out the poll.

The Bulldogs open the 2026 campaign next Thursday (Aug. 20) at home against Northern Kentucky for the Greenwood Beach Party. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. from Greenwood Field, with video and live stats available at www.uncabulldogs.com.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Lennart Granzow Named Co-Defensive Preseason Player of the Year, Bulldogs Tabbed Second in Big South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

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