Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's cross country team was recently honored by the Northeast Conference for compiling the highest team grade point average of any women's cross country program in the conference for the 2009-10 academic year.

The Colonials posted a cumulative team GPA of 3.660 during the 2009-10 academic year and during the 2009 fall semester placed nine of its members on the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Included in that group was sophomore Kristie Domis (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin), who owns a perfect 4.00 GPA as a nursing major. Junior Sarah Ellsworth (Burgettstown, Pa. / Burgettstown) has compiled a 3.88 GPA through two years with the program as an accounting major.

The RMU women's cross country team's GPA of 3.660 was also the third highest of any of the NEC's 22 sponsored sports, trailing only the women's volleyball team (3.720) at Central Connecticut State and the women's golf squad (3.706) at Fairleigh Dickinson.

The RMU women's cross country squad was one of four programs to post the top team GPA during the 2009-10 academic year, joining the Colonial field hockey, football and softball teams.

The Robert Morris softball program posted a 3.630 team GPA last year, followed by field hockey (3.530) and football (2.880). Football tied with Sacred Heart as having the highest team GPA in the conference last year.

For the Robert Morris women's cross country team, the Colonials open their 2010 campaign Saturday, Sept. 18, by taking part in the Buffalo Stampede, hosted by the University of Buffalo, in Grand Island, N.Y. Start time is 11:00 a.m.