ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan College women's cross country team will open its season at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 on Houghton University's Highlander Short Course.

The Redhawks won their seventh consecutive East Coast Conference championship last season and will have several runners stepping into larger roles this season.

Here are five things to know about the Redhawks:

PRESEASON POLL

ECC coaches expect a tight race to the top of the conference this season and selected Daemen as the top team in their annual preseason poll.

The Wildcats received five first-place votes and finished with 52 points, while Roberts received three first-place votes and finished with 49 points.

This fall marks the first time since 2011 that a team other than Roberts was voted first, but Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Andrew Dorr is unfazed by the result.

"Daemen is really strong and we lost a lot over the last couple of years, so it is going to be an opportunity to see how much we can accomplish over the season and grow over time," Dorr said. "The poll is something that we can embrace and use as motivation."

ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMERS RETURN

The Redhawks return four runners who earned All-Conference accolades last season.

Junior Kylee Odell placed sixth at ECC's last season to earn First-Team honors and continues to get stronger. Senior Jennifer Zambuto and sophomores Acacia Barber and Maya Krishnan each earned Second-Team honors.

All four and have continued to improve and will look to take on larger roles following the graduation of twins Abigail and Bailey Gostomski.

OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE EARLY

Roberts welcomes six freshmen to its roster this fall and some may have the chance to work their way into the top six.

Gianna Tribotte, Rachel Horner-Richardson and Lydia Roselund have made a good early impression and are joined on the roster by fellow newcomers Kaitlyn Goodwin, Nyah Martinelli and Hanna McCleery.

FINDING THEIR WAY

The Redhawks' philosophy has been to build and improve throughout the season and that is not going to change this year.

Don't expect Roberts to go all out early as they build up for a postseason push.

"We don't have any competitive expectations for Houghton," Dorr said. "It will simply be to get our feet wet."

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

The Redhawks will host the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Sept. 24 during Homecoming Weekend before traveling to the Live in Lou Classic hosted by the University of Louisville, the Canisius Alumni Classic and the Go-Fast River Run in Lock Haven, Pa. in October.

"Louisville is still a focused meet and Lock Haven will also be a time to go after it a little bit," Dorr said.

Roberts is scheduled to host the ECC Championships on Nov. 5 on the Matt St. James Cross Country Trails.