AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's cross country team has been picked to finish third in the East Coast Conference this year, according to the ECC preseason poll which was released today from conference headquarters in West Babylon, N.Y. following a vote of the league's nine head coaches.

It marks the third straight season that Daemen has been voted third in the poll, matching the team's highest-ever preseason ranking since joining the league back in 2013. Daemen totaled 62 points, placing third behind Roberts Wesleyan College (80) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (70). Molloy College (49) and Long Island University Post (43) rounded out the top five. RWC, which is seeking its fifth straight ECC title, accounted for eight of the nine first-place votes.

Fourth-year head coach Paul Lagno led the Wildcats to a solid season in 2017, as they placed third at the ECC Championships and 10th out of 25 teams at the NCAA Division II East Region Championships. Only five runners return to the fold this year, and Lagno must overcome the loss of his top two runners from last year. The biggest loss is two-time All-ECC performer Amy Trabert (Amherst, N.Y.), who placed second at the ECC Championships last year and closed out her outstanding four-year career by earning All-Region honors after placing 13th out of 173 runners at the NCAA Division II East Regional. Also missing from this year's lineup is Tara Pede (Schenectady, N.Y.), who enjoyed a solid freshman season last fall and narrowly missed earning ECC Rookie of the Year honors after placing sixth at the ECC Championships.

Sophomore Savannah Warner (Elma, N.Y.) tops the list of returning runners. Warner competed in all seven events as a rookie last year and was among the top three Daemen runners in each race. She placed 16th out of 79 runners with a personal-best time of 19:57.8 at ECC Championships. Junior Shania LiVecchi (West Seneca, N.Y.) and sophomore Mackenzie Tubbs (Elmira, N.Y.) also return after solid seasons in 2017. LiVecchi has run in 12 of a possible 14 races over the past two seasons. She finished third overall at the season-opening Daniel Walker Invitational last year (21:06) and was fourth among Daemen runners at the NCAA Division II East Regional with a personal-best time for a 6K race (26:17.2). Tubbs sat out the season-opener last fall, but went on to compete in each of the final six races. She finished fourth among Daemen runners at the 6K Mike Woods Invitational with a personal-best time of 24:32.1 and also placed fourth among her teammates and 21st overall at the 5K ECC Championships with a personal-best time of 20:19.6. Sophomore Ashley Dusza (Alden, N.Y.) also returns after running in all seven races as a rookie last fall, as does classmate Taya Mucha (Lockport, N.Y.), who ran in five events as a rookie and posted a top-10 finish in her collegiate debut at the Daniel Walker Invitational.

Newcomers Amanda Bushway (East Aurora, N.Y.), Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.), Ryan James (Buffalo, N.Y.), Monahe Marchione (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Mia Picciano (Auburn, N.Y.) will all look to make an impact as well.