FOREST, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women’s Cross Country Team is ready to prove everyone wrong this season. Picked to finish 10th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference by the league’s head coaches, third-year Head Coach Tom Antenucci and his squad are poised to show the conference that a new era of cross country has made it to Southwest Virginia.

The Wasps return three runners from last year’s team which achieved a team score at the ODAC Championship for the first time since 2008, finishing ninth. With the addition of a stellar recruiting class, E&H has a strong chance to move up the ladder in the league.

Leading the charge of the returners are juniors Gabbie Rhodes (Richmond, Va.) and Elizabeth Wilson (Roanoke, Va.). Wilson was the Wasps’ number two runner last year while Rhodes saw significant improvement as a sophomore. Also back is sophomore Natalie Foley (Salem, Va.), who ran between third and fifth on the team before sustaining a late-season injury.

“Both of our juniors will continue to run in the top five, as both have made substantial improvements over the offseason,” Antenucci commented. “Natalie (Foley), our third runner, is still recovering from an injury, but we expect her to be a big contributor as the season progresses.”

Joining E&H this year is a quartet of freshmen which will make an immediate impact. Meg Greene (Charlotte, N.C.) was a 4A All-State performer in the 4x800 relay and earned all-region honors in cross country. Kaitlynn Stowers (Round Rock, Texas) returns to her roots after moving to Texas from Bristol following her freshman year in high school. Lindsey Pratt (Marion, Va.) and Olivia Wyatt (Independence, Va.) will bring depth to the lineup after successful prep careers in Southwest Virginia while sophomore Katherine Ginn (Allendale, Mich.) also joins E&H this season.

"We were very fortunate to bring in some great talent this year on the women's side,” said Antenucci. “We have three individuals who will compete for a spot in our top five immediately and be contenders for some high individual honors in the ODAC."

The Wasps are currently in the middle of their preseason workouts which included a two-night trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina to run on several challenging trails in some of Watauga County’s most beautiful country.

Bridgewater College is picked to win its third ODAC title in four years, earning nine first-place votes. Eastern Mennonite University is second, taking the final first-place vote while Washington and Lee University and Lynchburg College round out the top four.

Emory & Henry will begin the season on Friday, August 29 when it travels to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the annual ODAC Preview Meet. This year, the championships will take place at The Meadows at Guilford College, which will serve as the host of the 2014 ODAC Championships on Saturday, November 1.

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2014 ODAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PRESEASON POLL

(#) Denotes first-place votes