A new era with a familiar face begins this fall for the Massachusetts Maritime women’s cross country team, as former Buccaneer standout and assistant coach Elizabeth Sullivan takes the reins as the program’s head coach in 2016.  Sullivan welcomes back four letterwinners, a pair of former letterwinners and five talented newcomers to her squad as it looks to make a run at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference crown.

Leadership for this year’s team will be provided by junior Kaylene Murphy (Randolph, Mass./Ursuline Academy), who Sullivan has tabbed to serve as Massachusetts Maritime’s captain this fall.  Sullivan, a 2002 graduate of the Academy, says that Murphy “is focused and dedicated to the sport of cross country while balancing a multitude of activities on a daily basis, and she always has a positive ‘can-do’ attitude.  It’s been a great pleasure to watch her grow not only as a runner, but also to see her mentorship skills grow and develop.  Her determination and selflessness will serve our entire team well this season and beyond.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2016 edition of Buccaneer Women’s Cross Country:

Senior Mara Footit (Wilbraham, Mass./Cathedral) is the top returning performer for Sullivan’s squad in 2016, as she narrowly missed earning all-MASCAC accolades at last year’s conference championships.  Footit took top individual honors at last year’s Lt. Travis J. Fuller Invitational, as she set the pace in five of Massachusetts Maritime’s seven events a year ago.  Murphy, along with sophomores Jaleni Rodriguez (Brandon, Fla./Blake) and Myat Smith (Sanford, Fla./Royal), lends additional experience for the Buccaneers after enjoying solid performances throughout last season, as that trio combined with Footit to help post a sixth place team finish at the MASCAC Championships as well as third place in the Fuller Invitational.  Seniors Kylie Foster (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) and Celeste Menard (Annandale, Va.) are also back in the fold after a year’s hiatus and provide more depth in the lineup.

Sullivan will also look to blend in a talented group of newcomers into her first squad, as sophomores Sara Merzon (Rockland, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) and Megan Young (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford Voke), along with freshmen Meaghan Hamilton (Braintree, Mass./Norfolk Aggie), Kayla Pieroni (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) and Heather Seggelin (Sharon, Mass./Sharon), will be vying to make an impact on Massachusetts Maritime’s fortunes in their inaugural season with the program.

The 2016 Buccaneer schedule features competition at the University of New England, UMass Dartmouth, Gordon and Emmanuel, and Massachusetts Maritime will host the Fuller Invitational on Saturday, October 1^st.  This year’s MASCAC championship race is set for Saturday, October 29^th at Fitchburg State.

The Buccaneers begin the Elizabeth Sullivan era on Saturday, September 10^th by heading to Biddeford, Maine to compete at the University of New England Invitational at 10:45 a.m. EDT.