FOREST, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women’s Cross Country Team had a breakout year in 2014 and is primed to repeat this fall. Picked to finish seventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference by the league’s head coaches, fourth-year Head Coach Tom Antenucci and his squad are ready to prove that last season’s leap up the conference standings was not a one-time occurrence.

Though the Wasps only return four runners from last year’s team, leading the way is sophomore Meg Greene (Charlotte, N.C.), who was Emory & Henry’s first All-ODAC runner since 1992. Greene finished 10th at last year’s championships with a time of 25:13 and went 45 seconds quicker at the regional meet (24:28).

Also back for the Wasps are junior Elizabeth Wilson (Roanoke, Va.) and sophomores Lindsey Pratt (Marion, Va.) and Kaitlynn Stowers (Round Rock, Texas). Wilson was third on the team at the ODAC Championship meet a year ago while Pratt was fourth-fastest.

“We are going to be the youngest team in the ODAC again this year, with eight of our nine runners as freshmen and sophomores,” Antenucci commented. “Meg (Greene) is poised to make a jump forward in her sophomore season and the addition of five freshmen runners will create a huge depth advantage for years to come.”

Joining E&H this year are five freshmen, three of whom hail from Southwest Virginia. Kayla Mulkey (Wise, Va.) and McKenna Tankersley (Big Stone Gap, Va.) were high school rivals at Wise Central and Union High Schools, respectively, but both will don the blue and gold as teammates this fall. Taylor Henderson (Glade Spring, Va.) attended Patrick Henry High School just a jog down the road from E&H. Kelly Light (Blountville, Tenn.) and Annie Kate Leinius (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) give the Wasps a foothold into East Tennessee from a recruiting standpoint as well.

"We look for one or more of our newcomers to make a significant step with improved training and college-level resources,” said Antenucci. “With a legitimate front-runner and better depth, we will continue to move up the conference rankings."

Bridgewater College is picked to win its fourth ODAC title in five years, earning six first-place votes. Washington and Lee University is close behind in second with three first-place votes, while Eastern Mennonite University rounds out the top three with the final top nod.

Emory & Henry will travel to Salem, Virginia on Tuesday, September 1 to compete against Roanoke College in the New River Trail Time Trial. This year, Bridgewater will be the host of the ODAC Championships which will take place on Saturday, October 31.

For more information about ODAC Women's Cross Country and to learn about each of the league's 10 teams, click HERE.

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-photo courtesy of Sandi Greene