2014 Pre-Championship Coaches Video

Can the 2014 CAC women's cross country championship race and results match the anticipation for the title chase? 

The results from invitationals the last two months have supported the preseason poll, which had three teams within five points in the chase for the title. 

Defending champion Christopher Newport was the top pick of four of the coaches and compiled 75 points (tour first-place votes) in the preseason poll, but York (74 points, four first-place votes) and Mary Washington (70 points, two first-place votes) were close challengers – just like they were in last year's championship.

Marymount and Salisbury each collected 49 points to tie for fourth place and edge St. Mary's (46) in the preseason poll of CAC coaches, followed by Wesley (27), Frostburg State (25), Southern Virginia (22) and Penn State Harrisburg (13).

Individually, the top six finishers at the 2013 CAC championship were all underclassmen, and most are expected to be in the front of the pack again this year - along with some new challengers.   In all, 15 of the 16 members of the 2013 All-CAC team were underclassmen.  Only 34 seconds separated 2013 individual champion Caroline Delany of York from the ninth-place finisher in last year's championship – certainly one of the closest finishes in CAC history. 

The 2014 individual and team titles will be decided at the 2014 Championship Meet, hosted by the University of Mary Washington, on Saturday (Nov. 1) at the Four Winds Golf Club in Rappahannock Academy, Va.  The men's race will begin at 11 a.m., the women's chase will begin at noon, and the awards ceremony, including the honoring of the CAC's Silver Anniversary squad, will begin at 1:15 p.m.

Here is a look at each team heading into Saturday's championship:

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT enters the CAC Championships ranked seventh in the latest USTFCCCA South / Southeast Regional Rankings. Led by head coach Matthew Barreau, the defending CAC Conference Champions have placed in the top-four in four meets this season, including a victory at the Salisbury Invitational in September. The team is led by senior Julie Machamer, who was honored as the CAC Athlete of the Week earlier this season, and sophomore Logan Harrington, who has paced the squad in each of the last three meets.

FROSTBURG STATE enters the CAC Championships with plenty of momentum on its side having won its last two meets. Junior Gabbi Maher has collected back-to-back top-10 finishes and will look to make it three straight. Senior Brynn Allston posted a runner-up showing at Pitt-Greensburg, while sophomore Casey Columbus was eighth.

MARY WASHINGTON enters the CAC Championship having been ranked in the top 10 in the South/Southeast Region for the entire season, and with several runners with All-CAC selection. Sophomore Teagan Young has been UMW's top finisher in every race this season, having taken three first places, and not finishing outside the top five in any Eagle race this year. Seniors Tara Landy and Lauren Braney, both of whom have won CAC Runner of the Year in the past three years, will look to give the Eagles a strong chance at the league crown.

Junior Payton Bodecker headlines the MARYMOUNT women's squad heading into CAC Championships on November 1st.  The veteran runner has consistently led the Saints this year, with rookie Brooke Saunders never far behind.  Bodecker looks to improve on her 35th place finish from last's year finale, while the Blue and White hope to surpass their fourth place team finish from the 2013 event.

PENN STATE HARRISBURG plans to finish respectively as they prepare for the upcoming CAC championships, November 1^st at the University of Mary Washington. The top finishers for the season thus far have been sophomore Rachel Sechrist with freshman Laura Del Mar Hernandez Perez following just behind her. Sechrist ran a season best of 27:57.6 at the Gettysburg Invitational while Perez also ran a season best of 28:40.3 at the Gettysburg Invitational. Penn State Harrisburg hopes to improve on their 9th place finish from last season.  The Lions best team finish came at their home meet where they took 4th place out of five teams competing. 

ST. MARY'S is working towards just its second top-4 finish in the program's six-year history as well as its first All-CAC selection since 2011. The Seahawks look forward to carrying the momentum from a solid 2014 campaign into the CAC Championships and will be led by seniors Michelle DiMenna and Melissa Bowman as well as juniors Lilly Gaehde and Megan Gerdes and sophomore Grace Humphries.

SALISBURY comes into the 2014 Capital Athletic Conference championships with the goal to improve on last season's sixth place finish in the conference.  Salisbury got a fresh start to its season this year, running with eight freshmen on the roster.  Senior Olivia Cloud has led the young team through the season, finishing in SU's top two runners in each race this season. Coming on strong to begin her career, freshman Jessica Lane has posted Salisbury's top finish this season, placing eighth at the Delaware Invitational, while joining Cloud as one of the Gulls' top two finishers in each race this year.

Picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches' poll, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA has turned some heads this season. The Knights returned only one runner from last season in sophomore Becca Lords, but added a slew of new runners, including former Knight Elle Dryden and freshman Rylee McKeon. Dryden recently returned from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honduras.  McKeon has been a tremendous asset to the program as she has led the Knights in every race and was awarded CAC Athlete of the Week honors last week after placing sixth at the Hornet Harrier Invitational hosted by Shenandoah University.

Dieunise Desir, WESLEY's first-ever All-CAC performer last year leads the Wolverines who should build upon last year's seventh place finish.  Desir, who holds the school-record in the 6K, will have more talent around her as freshman Alyson Davis and Mercedes Myrick are capable of being in the top half of the conference.  The final two scoring spots are up for grabs for the Wolverines with Danae Carter, Chiquita Deline and the Reese trio Miata Reese, Kenya Reese and Alexus Reese in the mix.

YORK heads to the 2014 CAC Championships with high expectations as they are led by the threesome of Jess Miller, Caroline DeLany, and Jenna Roberts. Miller is a returning national qualifier while DeLany won the CAC individual championship last year. The three runners, plus Alicia Dillman and Kathleen Cannon, each return as All-CAC performers from last year after the Green and White finished second at last year's championship. The Spartans have won a pair of team titles as they won the Rich Achtzehn Classic and the CNU Invitational.