Generals Top Women’s Cross Country Poll

Lynchburg, Bridgewater Corral Top Votes

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University received seven first place votes towards 63 total points to lead the 2011 ODAC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll.  Lynchburg College grabbed one top nod on its way to 67 tallies, and Bridgewater College collected the remaining first place tab and 52 points to secure the third position in the annual coaches’ survey (full poll below).

The 2010 ODAC Championships proved one of the most dramatic races in recent memory as Washington and Lee edged Lynchburg for the conference crown by one point.  The Hornets’ Jennie Pernisi secured her second straight individual title (and her fourth first team honor) as she out-paced the field by 22 seconds (results).

Pernisi (22:32) turned her ODAC victory into a fifth place showing at the South/Southeast Regional in Memphis, Tenn.  Teammate Krystal Foster (23:01 – 14^th) and Bridgewater’s Olivia Mills (22:39 – 6^th) joined Pernisi in qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships.  Mills led the trio with a 96^th-place finish (22:23.5) at the national event hosted by Wartburg College, while Pernisi (22:30.3) and Foster (23:23.5) chimed in 111^th and 231^st, respectively.

Entering the 2011 season, three ODAC schools are ranked regionally the by United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  Bridgewater is rated sixth in the USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Preseason Poll.  Lynchburg is one spot lower in seventh, while Virginia Wesleyan College sits in 10^th position.

Washington and Lee returns three runners from the 2010 ODAC Championships including All-ODAC First Team qualifier Lauren Schultz (23:48 – 5^th at the 2010 ODAC Championships).  All-ODAC Second Team finisher Annelise Madison (24:18 – 11^th) is joined by All-ODAC Honorable Mention athlete Molly Ortiz (24:39 – 15^th).

Foster (23:44 – 4^th), an All-ODAC First Team finisher, leads a group of five returning Hornets from last year’s conference meet.  Second team harriers Molly Galloway (24:04 – 8^th) and Kiley Trennepohl (24:14 – 10^th) are joined by Naomi Tice (25:48 – 24^th) and Suki Hoffman (26:21 – 28^th).  Galloway also won the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

Bridgewater welcomes back all but one of its athletes that competed in the ODAC meet.  Mills (23:20 – 2^nd) is joined by fellow first teamer Molly Smith (23:59 – 7^th).  Katie Notarangelo (24:33 – 14^th) was a second team qualifier, while Samantha Hancock (24:56 – 17^th) earned honorable mention recognition.  Stephanie Breen (25:57 – 25^th) and Rachel Cerrone (26:06 – 26^th) are also back in Bridgewater.

Other top returning runners include five athletes that received all-conference accolades last season.  Roanoke College boasts three of them, including All-ODAC Second Team qualifier Lauren Kennedy (24:30 – 13^th).  She’s joined by honorable mention duo, Emily Reichenbach (24:46 – 16^th) and Stephanie Spickard (25:30 – 21^st).

The remaining all-conference returners wear Virginia Wesleyan colors.  Kelly Fauth (23:52 – 6^th), an All-ODAC First Team member in 2010, is joined by honorable mention runner Katie Bennett (25:16 – 18^th).

Listed below is the 2011 ODAC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools’ websites, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook by clicking HERE.  You can also follow the ODAC on Twitter by clicking HERE. 

2011 ODAC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes