BENNINGTON, Vt. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced Saturday the results of the women's cross country preseason coaches poll with Southern Vermont College being tabbed to finish fourth in the 2014 championship meet.

Based on voting conducted by the nine head coaches from around the league, six-time title winner Lesley University was selected to once again finish ahead of the pack.

SVC second-year head coach Kathleen Newton is looking to improve on the team's fifth place finish from 2013, compiling a team that will be highly competitive and turn heads around the conference. Included in returning runners for Newton is sophomore Schyler McGuire (Mechanicville, N.Y.) who crossed the line first for the Mountaineers in last year's championship race, fifth overall, with a time of 21:00.29; that was a good enough pace to put her on the All-NECC First Team.

"The women are working hard," said Newton, "and with returning runners and new additions, they're all excited for the season."

The Mountaineers will run a very tough schedule that starts next Sunday, September 7 at the Castleton State College Invitational. Southern Vermont then hosts its annual Mountaineer Invitational on September 13 before going to Middlebury College's meet on September 20. SVC then jumps over the Massachusetts border for the Williams College Purple Valley Classic on September 27 and follows that with the Keene State Invitational on October 4.

Southern Vermont concludes the regular season schedule on October 18 at the Western New England Golden Bear Invitational in a last chance to prepare for the NECC Championship. SVC is then slated to compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship back at Stanley Park on November 8 and will wrap up the season with the NCAA Regional Qualifier on November 15, a race to be held at Williams.

Elms College and Regis College, teams that finished second and third, respectively, in 2013, were also chosen to finish in the same positions this year. Mitchell College, 2013's fourth-place finisher, was voted fifth in the 2014 preseason poll. The 2014 NECC Championship will be held on November 1 at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass., the same course used for the 2013 meet.

2014 NECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Lesley University - (5)

2. Elms College - (1)

3. Regis College - (2)

4. Southern Vermont

5. Mitchell College

6. Bay Path University

7. Newbury College

8. Wheelock College

9. Daniel Webster

(Parentheses denote first place votes)