Philadelphia, Pa. - (9/5/2014) – With a roster comprised of just six runners, including two freshmen, a sophomore newcomer, and a former volleyball/lacrosse player, the 2014 Chestnut Hill women's cross country team is aiming for quality over quantity and hoping to get stronger as the season goes on. "We hope to be a better team in November than in August," said Head Coach Philip Reilly. "If we show consistent improvement, we can be a good team."
 
With a young roster, the Chestnut Hill College goal of moving the program forward starts with their returning pace-setter, sophomore Paige Antall (Hanover Township, Pa.). Antall headlined the Griffins early-season successes in 2013, consistently posting sub-23-minute times. She placed 26^th overall (22:56) in the Griffins record-setting showing at the Philadelphia Metro Meet and 12^th (30:39) when they bested their five-kilometer (5K) pace at the Goldey-Beacom College Invitational. Classmate Susan Abraham (Staten Island, N.Y.) will also step into a prominent role.
 
After their two returning runners, the Griffin lineup features nothing but newcomers, including three new faces and an old one in a new place. The latter is Mary Markowski (Parkton, MD), who joins the team after four years as a starting middle hitter with the Chestnut Hill College women's volleyball program. One of the newcomers expected to make an impact is freshmen Emily Bensen-Abatangelo (East Meadow, N.Y.), a high-school standout in cross country and distance running. Bensen-Abotangelo figures to join Antall and Abraham to form a solid top three for the Griffins. In addition to her and Markowski, freshman Tatiana Regan (South Setauket, N.Y.), a high-school sprinter eager to make the transition to cross country, and sophomore Lea Sanders (North Merrick, N.Y.), also a member of the women's lacrosse team, join the team for the first time.
 
The Griffins open the 2014 campaign on Sunday, September 14 at the Queensboro Community College Invitational in New York City's Van Courtlandt Park.