STANDISH, ME - The St. Joe's Women's Cross Country team, GNAC Champions in each of the last two seasons, returns 14 runners from last year's squad, which captured the conference crown by 22 points on the shores of Sebago last November.

Head Coach Tom Dann (12th season, 14th overall) looks to top returners Shannon Marden '10 (Dover-Foxcroft, ME), Mary Casinghino '10 (Manchester, NH) and Katie Murphy '11 (Baileyville, ME) - all three being GNAC All-Conference honorees in 2008 - to lead the way as the women seek their third concecutive conference crown. Sarah Banks ‘10 (Swans Island, ME), Christina Meehan '11 (Nashua, NH), Serena Foley '11 (Swampscott, MA) and Allison Pearsall '12 (West Newbury, MA) will also be major contributors in 2009.

The Monks lost four athletes to graduation, including 2009 Most Valuable Runner Alysn Ludwig. Dann expects several freshmen, including Lauren Tidd (Walpole, NH) and Lauren Mills (Mattapoisett, MA), to help fill the void left by the quartet of graduates.

St. Joe's will host the Runnin' Monks Early Bird 5K on September 4th to kick off the 2009 campaign and will travel to Biddeford to participate in the University of New England Invitational on September 12th.