Aug. 17, 2009

 

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's cross country team was predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 by a vote of the league's head coaches, announced Monday by the conference office.

The Explorers return several sophomores who made an impact on the team last year as rookies. Stephanie Bearish led all Explorer women at the Atlantic 10 Championship in Charlotte last November with a 37th place finish, followed by then-rookie Samantha Gallagher.

Rising sophomore Caitlin Storbeck was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week last September for her strong race at the William & Mary Invitational.

Also joining the Explorer women for the 2009 season is a group of distinguished runners, including Meghan McGlinchey out of West Deptford, NJ. McGlinchey placed second in the NJSIAA Group 2 Championship and 13th at the Meet of Champions, which includes runners from all enrollment divisions. Incoming freshman Elizabeth Walker also joins the squad from Sayre, PA, after a fourth place finish in the mile at the PIAA Class AA Championship.

Around the Atlantic 10 Conference, Richmond was selected to repeat as champions. The Spiders return junior All-Conference runner Nicol Traynor and 2008 Most Outstanding Rookie Katrina Spratford. Charlotte was picked to finish second, led by 2008 individual champion Amanda Goetschius. Dayton, led by junior All-Conference performer Maureen Bulgrin, rounds out the top three.

The rest of the predictions are: Duquesne (4th), La Salle (5th), Xavier (6th), Massachusetts (7th), Saint Joseph's (8th), Saint Louis (9th), George Washington (10th), Fordham (11th), Rhode Island (12th), Temple (13th) and St. Bonaventure (14th).

The Explorer women kick off their season on Tuesday, September 1st, when they head to nearby Haverford College for the Haverford Time Trials.