ANDERSON, S.C. -- The Anderson womens cross country team has been selected to finish second in a vote by the Conference Carolinas coaches and sports information directors, as released Monday by the conference office. The Lady Trojans claimed the third spot at last season's Conference Carolinas Cross Country Championships and head cross country coach Randy Greer will be looking for a mix of veterans and gifted newcomers to help lead the way in 2009. "Our team is going to have talent but we are going to be young," Greer said. "We have to get everyone in and see what they are capable of doing. We certainly have the talent to compete and there is a possibility that we could finish higher than we did last year, depending on the newcomers." Gone is Diana Willard, who qualified for two trips to the NCAA Division II meet and recorded four top-four finishes in 2007, but Whitney Bishoff, the defending conference individual champion, returns for her sophomore campaign. Bishoff, a native of Winder, Ga. earned conference Runner of the Week an impressive four times last season and claimed the league's individual title by 25 seconds. With the title, Bishoff claimed both the Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards. Her victory marked the fifth straight year that Anderson won the women's individual conference title. Bishoff went on to finish third in the NCAA Southeast Regional and recorded AU's best-ever finish (68th) at the NCAA Division II national meet. "Whitney had an outstanding freshman year," Greer said. "She carried on the success we've enjoyed and I expect that Whitney will continue to improve and be even better this year. She'll be dealing with big expectations, but Whitney never complains, works hard and is very coachable." Also returning is junior Chelsea Rogers, while fellow junior Lynne Flint and sophomore Kathryn Laird will compete in cross country after participating in track and field for the Lady Trojans earlier in their AU careers. Greer will be looking for his freshmen to contribute immediately, "We have several freshmen coming in that are solid runners," he noted. "It's nice to be ranked high," Greer concluded. "But it's a preseason poll. There is a reason you run the races." The Lady Trojans open their 2009 campaign at USC Upstate's Eye Opener on Sept. 5 in Spartanburg. Conference Carolinas Women's Cross Country Pre-Season Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis) 1. Lees-McRae (7) 116 2. Anderson (2) 102 3. Converse (1) 100 4. Queens (2) 90 5. St. Andrews 78 6. Limestone 77 7. Pfeiffer 57 8. Coker 49 9. Erskine 46 10. Mount Olive 31 11. Barton 25 12. Belmont Abbey 21