Aug. 18, 2006

NEC Women's Cross Country Coaches Poll

NEC Men's Cross Country Coaches Poll

The Northeast Conference released their 2006 Preseason Coaches Polls for cross country this week with the Sacred Heart Pioneer women picked second and the men seventh. The Pioneers, who shared the 2005 NEC Championship with Quinnipiac, received three first place votes, with just a single vote seperating the top three teams in the poll. On the men's side, SHU was picked to finished seventh in the 11 team league.

The Sacred Heart women boasts a talented duo as it attempts to maintain its lofty standing in the NEC. Senior Kathleen Duffy (Monroe, CT) raced to a fourth place finish at the 2005 league championships to earn her second consecutive All-Conference honor with teammate and NEC Rookie of the Year Kathleen Henry (Basking Ridge, NJ) right behind in fifth. The Pioneer duo are the top-two returning runners in the league this year.

Also returning to the line-up is senior Anne Duffy (Monroe, CT) and sophomores Caitlin Manchester (Meriden, CT) and Brooke Palmer (Portland, OR).

For the men, SHU will need to replace their top-runner from last season in Tyler Arnett. Primed to follow-up his solid freshman campaign is sophomore Luis German (Southampton, NY) who picked up a NEC Rookie of the Week award last year. Upperclassman, senior Robert McDermott (Lindenhurst, NY) and juniors Stephen Zito (Guilford, CT) and Robert Boerjes (Patchogue, NY) will provide much needed experience and leadership to this year's team.