The Massachusetts Maritime women’s cross country team is ready to give its MASCAC competitors a run for their money, as veteran Head Coach Linda Letourneau welcomes back five letterwinners from last season in what should be both an experienced and talented squad in 2010.

Leadership has always been an integral part of the Buccaneer program for Letourneau, a former standout in the sport at the Academy who serves as Massachusetts Maritime’s Senior Woman’s Administrator, and she will look to senior captain Meredith Hall (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) to set that example this fall.  Letourneau describes Hall as “extremely committed to both the mission of our program and of the Academy, and I know she will instill both hard work and confidence in all of her teammates.”

Hall is the lone senior for the 2010 edition of Buccaneer women’s cross country and displayed great consistency last fall in teaming with former standouts Lauren Fograshy and Kaitlin O’Donnell, and she is joined in the ranks of returning letterwinners by sophomores Sophie Enman (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead), Gretchen Kramer (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge), Kaitlin Scannell (Gilford, N.H./Gilford) and Anna Whittemore (Weatogue, Conn./Simsbury), who all enjoyed solid rookie campaigns and look to take the next step of success this season.

Letourneau welcomes in a crop of five talented newcomers to the program, as juniors Samantha Foley (Forestdale, Mass./Sandwich) and Julie Shebroe (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley), along with freshmen Lauren Bateman (Newbury, Mass./Newburyport), Elizabeth Leonardi (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) and Kaitlin Sibley (Worcester, Mass./Doherty), will be looking to make an impact for the Buccaneers as well this fall.

Massachusetts Maritime kicks off the 2010 season on Saturday, September 11^th in hosting the Sixth Annual Lt. Travis J. Fuller Invitational along Cape Cod Canal that begins at 10:00 a.m.