Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top 25 cross country teams and individuals in the NCAA this season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 3 women's spot goes to New Mexico, and here's why:

Probable Top Eight:

SO Ednah Kurgat (9:13A 3K; 15:26 5K; 4th at '16 NCAA 5K; 12th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Alice Wright (15:45 5K; 32:29 10K; 2nd at '17 NCAA 10K; 19th at '16 NCAA XC)
FR Weini Kelati (9:12 3K; 16:08 5K; 1st at '15 FL XC; 1st at '16 NBN 2 Mile & 5K)
JR Charlotte Prouse (9:44 3K SC; 16:03 5K; 9th at '16 NCAA 3K SC)
FR Alondra Negron (4:22 1500; 10:13 3K SC)
SR Elizabeth Weiler (9:59 3K SC; 16:35 5K; 35:19 10K; 38th at '14 NCAA XC)
FR Sophie Eckel (16:08 5K)
JR Sarah Laverty (35:35 10K)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Ednah Kurgat via Liberty (9:13A 3K; 15:26 5K; 4th at '16 NCAA 5K; 12th at '15 NCAA XC)
Weini Kelati via Leesburg, VA (9:12 3K; 16:08 5K; 1st at '15 FL XC; 1st at '16 NBN 2 Mile & 5K)
Charlotte Prouse via Washington (9:44 3K SC; 16:03 5K; 9th at '16 NCAA 3K SC)
Alondra Negron via Puerto Rico (4:22 1500; 10:13 3K SC)

Analysis:

Could the 2017 New Mexico women be even better than the 2015 NCAA XC title-winning team?

With the return of three-time cross country All-American Alice Wright, plus the addition of 2015 Foot Locker champion Weini Kelati and key transfers Ednah Kurgat and Charlotte Prouse, the possibility is certainly there for the Lobos to return to the top of the podium.

Wright, now a senior, was fifth in 2015 when the Lobos won the whole shebang, and she has finished no worse than 20th in her other two showings at NCAA XC. She is also a two-time runner-up in the NCAA 10K.

Kurgat, who we ranked No. 3 in the FloXC individual countdown, transferred from Liberty last year but had to sit out the entirety of the 2016-2017 season. Even so, she recorded a few super impressive races while unattached, including a 15:26 5K at Payton Jordan. She was 12th at the NCAA XC Championships in 2015 but expect her to challenge Wright for the team's top spot.

Any questions about the fitness level of Kelati, who dominated the prep ranks in 2015-2016 but has not raced since, were erased when she opened up with a course record run at the Lobo XC Invitational. Her 16:59 5K erased the mark previously set by Risper Kimaiyo, a four-time cross country All-American for UTEP. Kelati, who set the national high school record for indoor 5K at 16:08, seems naturally suited to long-distance races and should adapt very well to NCAA XC.

Prouse is a wildcard for the Lobos, as the former Husky experienced several ups and downs while competing for the University of Washington. As a freshman, she took 78th at NCAA XC and earned All-American honors in the steeplechase despite competing with a broken arm -- then went on to clock 9:44 while representing Canada at the IAAF World U20 Championships. Her fall 2016 started strong, with a sixth-place run at Pac-12 XC before fading to 208th at NCAAs, then disappearing from the track circuit for the entirety of the indoor and outdoor seasons. Perhaps the disappearance was due to negotiating a transfer to New Mexico, though, as now she is assured three track seasons in Albuquerque.

If these four women are firing on all cylinders, they will be a force to reckon with. But one question remains: who will step up to the No. 5 spot? Elizabeth Weiler might be that woman after running as the Lobos' No. 2 girl at the Lobo XC Invitational; the Lehigh transfer was an All-American in 2014 and clocked 16:43 for 5K.

FULL WOMEN'S RANKINGS HERE