TOWSON, Md. --- The 2017-18 Moravian College women's indoor track and field team has been picked to finished first in the Landmark Conference preseason poll as chosen by the Landmark coaches.
The squad returns 36 competitors from last year's team that was the runner-up at the Landmark Conference Championships as well as adding 19 new student-athletes. The Hounds garnered 58 points, which was two ahead of defending conference champion Elizabethtown College, and the Greyhounds received five first-place votes. Moravian won the first nine Landmark Conference titles before being edged by four points by the Blue Jays.
Seventh-year Head Coach Jesse Baumann returners a veteran group of competitors led by eight returning All-Conference student-athletes. Senior Casie Cronk returns to defend her title in the high jump while senior Beth Ann Davies looks to win the pole vault again this winter. Senior Melissa Cheong aims to win the long jump title once again while junior Amari Schooler looks to defend her title in the 60-meter hurdles. Cheong was also the runner-up in the high jump last winter while senior Carly Thorpe took second in the triple jump. Cronk, junior Anna Osman and sophomores Lily Cooper and Carly Danoski all had All-Conference honors in the 4x400-meter relay as the quartet finished second.
"Our coaches can't wait for this season to start," stated Baumann. "We feel that by outdoors, this women's team may have the best potential we've had in my time here to be represented at NCAAs. Our horizontal jumps crew is the deepest in my time here. Mel and Casie can both challenge for NCAAs in the high jump, we have some high level short sprinters with Cam, Lily, and junior transfer Jordan Luciano just to name a few. Getting Sarah Hughes back in the distance events will be a huge boost. Amari is looking better than last year when she flirted with NCAAs. Layne and Maggie can really carry our women's throwers this season. I know I'm missing a lot of key names for our team who will be big impacts not only at Landmarks, but hopefully in Alabama, but on paper we just have such strong depth as long as everyone stays healthy. Again, this is a season our coaches couldn't wait to start because of how much potential we feel this group has."
The Greyhounds are slated to start the indoor season at Lehigh University Opener on Friday, December 1.
To view the full 2017-18 Landmark Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll, visit http://www.landmarkconference.org/sports/track/2017-18/releases/11212017wtrackpreseason.
