The 2009 Moravian College women’s cross  country team, under the direction of fourth year coach Welles Lobb, had a successful season.  Moravian placed fifth at the 2008 Landmark Conference Championships and 22nd in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional run at Lehigh University.

Leading the Greyhounds this season was sophomore Cadee Rockwell (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson West Lawn HS), who recorded her best time of the year at the NCAA Division III Mid-East Regional Championships with a time of 23:10.2 in the 6,000-meter run where she placed 36th out of 311 runners. Rockwell also placed fifth out of 79 runners at the Landmark Conference Championships, which earned her Landmark All-Conference First Team accolades.

Sophomore Kristina Ruggiero (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove HS) ran her best time of 24:19.1 and placed 98th at the NCAA Regional Championships and also earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team by finishing 13th at the conference championships.

Junior Tara Chiarella (Hallstead, PA/Montrose Area HS) ran her personal best of 24:14 for the season at the 36th Brook Paul Short Run where she placed 39th out of 248 runners while she also ran a 24:43.3 at the NCAA Mid-East Regionals. Freshman Emma Pacheco (Drescher, PA/Mount St. Joseph Academy) ran her personal best of 26:00.7 also at the NCAA Regional Championships where she placed 188th.

Junior Kaleen Holden (Scranton, PA/Bishop Hanna HS) placed 191st in a time of 26:05.3, her best of the season, in the 6,000 at the NCAA Regional Championships. Sophomore Katie Engwall (Columbia, NJ/North Warren HS) ran her best of time of the season, a 26:36.9, and placed 219th at the NCAA Regional Championships while fellow sophomore Megan Hallowell (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) recorded her best time of 26:56.8 and placed 232nd at the NCAA Regional Championships as well.

Sophomore Holly Fleming (Bloomsbury, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) ran her best time of 28:15 at the 36th Brook Paul Short Run where she placed 204th and she also ran a 29.55 at the 2009 Landmark Conference Championships. Fellow sophomore Katie Pritchett (Pottsville, PA/Pottsville HS) ran her personal best at the 36th Brook Paul Short Run where she ran the 6000 in 29:57 placing 225th while senior Gail Dorenburg (Haverford, PA. Haverford HS) also ran her best time of  the season at the 36th Brook Paul Short Run with a time of 30:11. Sophomore Erin George (Slatington, PA/Northern Lehigh HS) ran her best time of 31:38 at the 2009 Landmark Conference Championships where she placed 72nd.

Dorenburg, Chiarella, Holden, Engwall, Pritchett, Rockwell, and Ruggiero were all named to the 2009 Landmark Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Story written by Caitlin Dean '12.