The St. Thomas Aquinas women's cross country team was ranked #1 in the East Coast Conference Preseason Poll coming off their first place finish in last season's conference championship. Senior Sarah Callagy was named the ECC Preseason Runner of the Year. The Spartan men were ranked 6th in this years preseason poll.
The Lady Spartans return five runners from last years championship team including the 2010 ECC Runner of the Year, Sarah Callagy and Rookie of the Year, Keeley Bateman. Callagy won the women's race last season crossing the finish line in 19:14 while Bateman finished in thrid at 19:25. The Lady Spartans welcome four newcomers to the squad as they seek to reclaim the conference crown for a second year.
On the men's side, the Spartans return seven runners from last years squad that finished the conference championship in fifth place. Sophomore Mike Galonski returns as the Spartans top runner. Galonski finished in 26:10 last season, for fifth place, earning 1st team all conference honors. The Spartans add three newcomers to this years team and look to improve from last years finish.
The Spartans will begin their season this weekend at the Hofstra Invitational held at Bethpage State Park in N.Y. The men's race will begin at 9:00 am while the women will start at 9:30 am.