CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Two-time defending champion Stony Brook University selected to defend its championship title according to the 2009 America East women’s cross country preseason coaches’ poll. The Seawolves earned all eight possible first-place votes and claimed the top spot with 64 points.
Boston University placed second in the poll, earning the remaining first-place vote and 56 points. University of New Hampshire claimed third with 49 points, ahead of University of Vermont (37), University of Maine (32), Binghamton University (30), University at Albany (27), UMBC (20), and University of Hartford (9).
The Seawolves had four top-six finishers at the 2008 America East Championship, and all will return for the 2009 season. Stony Brook will be led by a strong group of upperclassmen including junior Holly Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate) who finished only 34 seconds out of first place last year. She will be joined by senior Laura Huet (Carrickmines, Ireland/Loreto College Foxrock), and Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand/Wanganui Collegiate), who finished third and fifth, respectively. Sophomore Hayley Green (Wellington, New Zealand/Victoria University), who finished sixth in her freshman season, will also aid the Seawolves in their quest to claim their third title.
Boston University, which claimed second at the 2008 championship and second in this season’s coaches’ poll, is returning two of its three top-ten finishers from last year including two-time America East individual champion graduate student Andrea Walkonen (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) and eighth-place finisher senior Sarah Mosser (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora).
Finishing third last year, New Hampshire is dependent on the leadership of its returning top-ten finisher, junior Erica Jesseman (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough). Jesseman, who finished tenth at the championship, had a strong indoor showing during the 2009 season and will lead the Wildcats in their search for their first championship title since 2003.
Finishing fourth in both the 2008 championship and the coaches’ poll, Vermont lost its top finisher to graduation. The Catamounts will depend on their young talent, led by sophomore Morgan Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio /Indian Hills) who placed 17th in last year’s championship meet. Vermont will host the 2009 America East Championship on October 31.
At fifth in the poll, Maine is returning its top two finishers in sophomores Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) and Hillary Maxim (Old Town, Maine/Old Town). Conner placed 11th at last year’s competition and Maxim placed 31st.
Binghamton lost only two seniors to graduation and will return junior Ashley Horton Candor, N.Y./ Candor), who’s been a top runner for the Bearcats in each of the last two years.
Albany, which finished fifth last year, lost its top finisher to graduation, but is returning a more experienced team led by junior Ally Panos (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) and sophomore Ada Lauterbach (East Berne, N.Y./Berne-Knox-Westerlo).
The Retrievers will gain three freshmen and return senior Sara Parkinson (Lancashire, England/Loughborough University) who finished ninth at last year’s championship and was UMBC’s top finisher in every race in which she competed.
Hartford will add five freshmen to its roster along with a new part-time assistant. Recent Hartford graduate Elizabeth Foster, who led the Hawks by finishing 14th at the 2008 championship, will join the cross country coaching staff.
2009 Preseason Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. Stony Brook (8) 64
2. Boston University (1) 56
3. New Hampshire 49
4. Vermont 37
5. Maine 32
6. Binghamton 30
7. Albany 27
8. UMBC 20
9. Hartford 9