Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University track and field team was picked seventh in the 2017-18 Northeast Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll released by league headquarters Wednesday afternoon.
 
Sacred Heart received seven first place votes and sit at the top of the predictions. LIU Brooklyn is second with two first place votes and Central Connecticut rounds out the top three and grabs the first top vote. Fairleigh Dickinson is fourth followed by Mount St. Mary's, Saint Francis, Robert Morris, Wagner, Bryant and St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
The Colonials turned in an impressive performance in their first meet of the season at the Youngstown State Icebreaker, turning in some of the best results in team history. Freshman Estelle Katende has the 10th best throw in the country in the shot put, posting a mark of 14.64 meters (48' 0.5") to best the RMU record by nearly two feet. Also in the field, Sam Buck, a perennial conference contender, took second in the weight throw at YSU while Lily Harnish, last year's NEC high jump champion, returns to the team as well.
 
On the track, Hanne Claus ran the second fastest 60-yard dash in team history and helped the 4x400 team of Madison Mueseler, Eugenia Gil-Soriano and Brooke Oldfin to the second best time, 3:53.85, by an RMU squad. Mueseler went on to run a personal record in the 400 while Gil-Soriano turned in the seventh-quickest 800 in team annals. RMU also returns a solid corps of distance runners paced by Rachel Crane who started the season with a second-place finish in the 1000.
 
RMU returns to action on Friday, January 19, when they take part in the YSU College Invitational.