TROY, N.Y. - While the 2020 season is not occurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's cross country roster has been established for the 2020-21 academic year and the squad includes a group of 19 student-athletes. Head coach John Lynch and assistant Ben Fazio have compiled a team that consists of five seniors, natives of nine different states and at least nine majors.

Below is information about the team makeup as well as notes about the squad and individual student-athletes:

Class Years: 1 in Class of 2020 ... 5 in Class of 2021 ... 1 in Class of 2022 ... 7 in Class of 2023 ... 5 in Class of 2024

Natives Of: Connecticut (1), Colorado (1), Illinois (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (2), New York (7), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (4) and Washington (1)

Majoring In: Aeronautical Engineering (2), Biochemistry and Biophysics (1), Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology (1), Biomedical Engineering (2), Chemical Engineering (4), Civil Engineering (1), Computer Science (1), Environmental Engineering (1), Materials Engineering (1), Mechanical Engineering (3), Undeclared (1) and Undeclared Engineering (1)

• Team GPA in spring 2020 was 3.79 (20 student-athletes) ... Cumulative GPA was 3.54
• Senior Erin Kelley (Asbury, NJ / North Hunterdon) worked in a molecular biology lab developing a contraceptive vaccine. She is currently doing research examining the connection between alcoholism and dementia. She is also the Recruitment Chair & School Visit Coordinator of the RPI Science Ambassadors.
• Olivia Pisacano (Philadelphia, PA / Little Flower) has tent camped in almost every state in the Continental United States. She had a sister (Rose) and a brother (Joe) who both graduated from RPI, both of whom were student-athletes. Another sister competes in multiple sports at Earlham and their mother played field hockey at Penn. 
• Leah Goodlee (Colorado Springs, CO / William J. Palmer) is an accomplished cello player.
• Senior Hailey Miller (Orchard Park, NY / Nichols School) is an ice hockey color commentator for WRPI. She was an intern at Hexcel Corporation Engineering (Summer 2019), where she worked in the Quality engineering department to analyze the 3-D laser sintering process. She has accepted a full time job at BAE Systems in their Defense Engineering Leadership Development Program.
• Senior Michelle Murray (Greenlawn, NY / Harborfields) has been an Undergraduate Research Assistant for a study to improve and reform engineering education, presented findings at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2020 annual conference, resulting in a published article. She was an engineering intern at Alken Industries Inc. this summer.
• Graduate student Samara Gallagher (Hampton, NH / The Governor's Academy) has had internships with Novocure in Portsmouth, NH (2020), W.L. Gore & Associates Medical Division in Flagstaff, AZ (2019) and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME (2018). Her brother graduated from Rensselaer in 2017 and her sister is a member of the Class of 2023.
• Emma Grace Ricketts (Norwich, CT / Norwich Free Academy) is a triplet. She competed in Irish Step Dancing, qualifying for World Championships five times and traveling to Ireland, Scotland and England in the process.
• Junior Grace Brolly (Geneva, IL / Geneva Community) had a virtual internship with Regeneron this summer, working on a project in the Process Sciences IPC Upstream group. Her father played soccer at Illinois State.
• Sophomore Victoria Burger's (Middletown, NY / Minisink Valley) sister was a dual-sport athlete at RIT.
• Senior Laura Klang (West Chester, PA / Bayard Rustin) has experience at Brookhaven National Laboratory, working as a lab intern doing biophysics research (2019), and at Arkema, Inc, where she worked as a lab intern doing R&D for 3D printing (2018).
• Cassandra Shore (Manorville, NY / Eastport South Manor Jr./Sr.) is related to Donovan Power, an Olympic-qualifying freestyle skier.

On attending Rensselaer:
"RPI's high academic reputation, welcoming campus, and access to many opportunities, including research, athletics, and clubs." - Michelle Murray (September 2020)

"I was inspired by the academics and team culture on the cross country team." - Erin Kelley (September 2020)

"I was excited by the opportunities available at RPI both academically and in athletics." - Grace Brolly (September 2020)

Benefits of undergraduate community:
"The people I have met at RPI have been what made my experience here so great. The support I have received from friends and classmates, both in and out of the classroom, is truly remarkable. Everyone here works hard, and we get through challenges together by lifting each other up." - Samara Gallagher (August 2020)

"The opportunities you get for support from professors and to do research." - Laura Klang (September 2020)

"I get to learn in class and from my peers. Being surrounded by a bunch of hard working students at RPI allows me to focus on my work and helps me to show my full potential in everything I do." - Michelle Murray (September 2020)

"I got to know a lot of my professors to the point where they knew my name and face (which I think is rare at other schools). Also, a lot of professors have previously worked in industry and I was able to connect with them to discuss my future career possibilities." - Hailey Miller (September 2020)

"There are countless experiences to get involved around campus that makes it a great fit for everyone." - Grace Brolly (September 2020)

note: The roster is as of September 22, 2020, and is subject to change.