PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona women's softball team was picked to finish eighth in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the league office announced Monday when it released the 2009 rankings.

The Lions, which finished 5-30 a season ago, are led by second year head coach Nikki Runzo and return six letter winners from last year's squad.

Defending champion Penn State Behrend was the coaches' choice to win its fourth conference crown and earned seven of 10 first place votes.  Frostburg State, Medaille, Pitt-Bradford, and Pitt-Greensburg rounded out the top five, respectively.

Altoona was picked ahead of Hilbert (ninth) and league newcomer Franciscan (last).  Junior catcher Kara Myers (Millheim, PA/Penns Valley) and freshman infielder Erin Cline (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) were tabbed as players to watch for the Lions.

Myers started 32 games in 2008 and smacked 32 hits en route to a .346 batting average.  Cline was a four-year letter winner at Franklin Regional and earned all-section accolades three times.

To view the entire AMCC Softball Preseason Poll and Players to Watch, visit the conference website at www.amcconf.org.