LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's cross country program, seeking to three-peat as conference and regional champions, was unanimously voted atop the 2010 PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll released Wednesday morning by the conference. The Rock, Kutztown, Lock Haven and Millerville complete the Top 5.

On Tuesday, Shippensburg was voted atop the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Preseason Coaches Poll, slotting ahead of Kutztown, Slippery Rock, Bloomsburg and Edinboro.

Shippensburg, under the guidance of 13th-year head coach Steve Spence, returns all seven of its runners that competed in the Atlantic Region and NCAA National championships last season. Four of the returning athletes have been All-PSAC competitors in back-to-back seasons.

Junior Neely Spence, the 2009 United States Track and Field (USATF) Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, will be seeking her third consecutive PSAC and Atlantic Region titles this season and leads the Lady Raider pack of returning athletes. Spence was undefeated in collegiate cross country competition last season until the NCAA National Championships, when she battled a virus during the race and ultimately finished 43rd overall. The two-time All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region athlete is also a two-time NCAA national champion in the 5K.

Senior Mary Dell, currently attending SU as a graduate student, will complete her cross country eligibility this season after wrapping up her track competition last season as a national runner-up in the outdoor steeplechase. The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American is seeking to conclude her storied NCAA career as an All-American for the ninth consecutive semester dating back to the 2008 NCAA indoor meet. Dell was SU's lone All-American in cross country last season after finishing 21st at the national meet and finished third overall at the PSAC and regional championship meets.

Another senior, Abby Huber, was the team's No. 3 runner at the PSAC and Atlantic Region championships last season and is back for her final cross country campaign. The three-time All-PSAC cross country runner was an outdoor track All-American in the 1,500 meters last year and was always among the team's Top 6 runners last season.

Redshirt junior Katie Frey was primarily the No. 4 runner for Shippensburg last season and earned All-PSAC accolades for her performance in addition to finishing in the Top 25 at the regional meet. Frey will once again be among the top runners for Shippensburg in 2010.

Senior Emily Dubs emerged as one of the team's best runners last season, recording numerous cross country PRs and finishing as the team's No. 5 runner at the national championships. Dubs competed in seven races last season and always finished among SU's Top 7 runners.

Junior Sarah Strayer impressed as Shippensburg's No. 3 runner at the national championships last year and finished among the Top 100 runners in Division II. She was also the No. 5 runner at the PSAC Championships that helped SU secure the team title.

A fourth senior, Lindsey Hollenshead was a strong competitor for Shippensburg and will be vying to remain among the team's Top 7 this season. She was the No. 5 runner at the regional meet last season.

The “Galen E. Piper Alumni / Open Cross Country Challenge” kicks off the 2010 campaign on Saturday, September 4 from the Shippensburg University campus. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m.

PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Shippensburg (16)
2. Slippery Rock
3. Kutztown
4. Lock Haven
5. Millersville
6. Bloomsburg
7. Edinboro
8. Mansfield
T9. Clarion
T9. IUP
11. California
12. East Stroudsburg
13. West Chester
14. Mercyhurst
15. Gannon
16. Cheyney