Cross Country Season on Flotrack 2013Oct 23, 2013 by Isaac Wood
Flotrack XC Rankings Women's NCAA XC Top 31 Teams (Week 4)
Flotrack XC Rankings Women's NCAA XC Top 31 Teams (Week 4)
A wild and crazy Wisconsin and Pre-Nats week leaves some teams out of the top 31, some left in the field of 31 only because their region is not very good, and adds some new teams to the field proving how much parity there really is in NCAA Cross Country. The women's field is still very wide open as to who will be the favorite come November. Arizona is looking like the best team right now, but Georgetown and Arkansas are ridiculously deep. Don't forget about the fearsome threesome of Providence and Florida State's loaded top 5.
Once again, keep in mind that these are not the BEST 31 teams in the NCAA, just the teams that as of right now, should be qualifying out of their regions and who has the most credential points to make the meet.
Place Team Points
1 - Arizona 171
The Wildcats looked very good this weekend winning the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. With solid front running and the best no. 5 runner in the entire field at Wisconsin, Arizona proved that as of right now, they are the top team in the NCAA.
Next up: Pac 12s
2 - Georgetown 181
A bit of a surprise win at Pre-Nats moves Georgetown up the rankings. With the deepest 1-5 in the NCAA, the Hoyas proved they are for real. A much improved Sam Nadel, is now the leader of this squad and Katrina Coogan and Madeline Chambers are back and running right in line with New York native. The addition of freshman stud Haley Pierce is really adding to the depth of Georgetown and Rachel Schneider is still rolling after her great indoor season last winter.
Next up: Big East Champs
3 - Florida State 195
An upstart Georgetown team upset Florida State at Pre-Nats this weekend. Florida State, however, did prove that they have one of the best 1-2 punches in the NCAA with Colleen Quigley and Hannah Walker. Pippa Woolven and Linden Hall had solid races in the 3-4 spot.
Next up: ACCs
4 - Providence 196
Providence has the best 1-2-3 that the country has seen in a long time. Picking up Catarina Rocha was huge because she is a very solid no. 4 for the Friars. If only they had a no. 5.....(they would be unbeatable).
Next up: Big East Champs
5 - Arkansas 247
The deepest team in the NCAA proved themselves to be just that at Wisconsin. Placing three in the top 20 was good enough to match Arizona. If the Hogs can find increased production out of their no. 4 and 5, maybe placing top 80 a piece at NCAAs, this is certainly a podium team.
Next up: SECs
6 - Virginia 276
The Cavs looked strong this weekend at Pre-Nats led by an awesome 11th individual finish by Barbara Strehler. With her leadership along with three outstanding freshman (Maria Hauger, Sarah Fakler and Sara Sargent) and 1500m girl Vicky Fouhy and veteran Kathleen Stevens, Virginia just made the ACC championship race THAT much more interesting.
Next up: ACCs
7 - Butler 293
Katie Clark is back to her normal self after a few average races earlier in the season. The outdoor qualifier in the 5k and 10k this past spring led the Bulldogs with her 10th place finish at Pre-Nats. Mara Olson and Katie Good also had good races putting three Butler athletes in the top 30.
Next up: Big East Champs
8 - Michigan 298
Freshman phenom Erin Finn led the way for Michigan this weekend at Pre-Nats with a 16th place finish. The Wolverines had three other athletes in the top 50 (Brook Handler, Taylor Pogue, and Megan Wenschler). Once a consistent no. 5 runner can emerge, Michigan is not out of a possible podium spot.
Next up: Big 10s
9 - Oregon 299
At Pre-Nats this weekend Oregon looked very strong early with five athletes right in the thick of things, but faded over the last few kilometers and ended up with a bit of a disappointing finish. UConn transfer Lindsay Crevoiserat struggled in her Oregon debut and will be needed to help push the pack up front at Pac-12s in a few weeks. Megan Patrignelli kept up her front-running ways for the Ducks and Molly Grabill is seemingly back to her former self of a couple of seasons ago. Freshman Maggie Schmaedick continues to be solid. The good news is that Oregon is very deep and will be fine as we turn to the championship portion of the season. In fact, they are better off now with the target off their back. Don't count out the Ducks as another possible podium team come November in Terre Haute.
Next up: Pac-12s
10 - Michigan State 304
Maybe the most surprising team of the season so far are the Spartans of Michigan State. How on earth are they running so well right now without one of their studs Sara Kroll? A 4th place team finish at Wisconsin finishing only 9 points behind Providence is a great way to begin the cut down into the championship portion of the season.
Redshirt freshman Rachele Schulist has been awesome sticking right alongside front-runner Leah O'Connor. The Spartans are good through five having a :35 second gap from 1-5. The Big 10 Championships are going to be very interesting with several very quality teams. The Spartans could be the best of the bunch.
Next up: Big 10s
11 - Washington 330
Ok. So, the Huskies had a rough one this weekend at Wisconsin. On paper they should be CRUSHING teams. Freshman studs Amy Eloise-Neale and Katie Knight did not have the races they wanted (50th and 109th, respectively). Katie Flood was 23rd, and as much as that is a solid finish, she is capable of much better. Not having Eleanor Fulton in the mix hurt the Huskies, but the good news is that the pieces are still there. Washington is another team that is not out of a possible podium finish at NCAAs if they can get their fast freshman to not panic in huge races and run alongside Flood and Fulton, they will be a dangerous team in November.
Next up: Pac-12s
12 - New Mexico 337
A solid :35 second spread separated the Lobos 1-5 this weekend at the Wisconsin Invitational. Charlotte Arter led the way with a 24th place finish. New Mexico, similarly to Washington, have tons of pieces on paper, it's just a matter of getting them to execute on the same day. With so many new athletes coming in, the dynamic has got to be a bit different at times. Coach Joe Franklin has been there before and he should do a fine job of getting these girls ready to compete at the highest level come the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Next up: MWC Champs
13 - Iowa State 342
The Lady Cyclones, even with some key injuries, looked VERY good this weekend finishing 5th at Wisconsin. This up-start young team, led by sophomore Crystal Nelson and freshman Perez Rotich are rolling at the right time in the season. Coming out of a difficult Midwest Region, the Cyclones loaded up with all of the points they would ever need to secure them a spot at NCAAs. With a sophomore and two freshman as their 1-2-3, Coach McDonough has got to be pleased with the way things are looking as they head into the Big 12 Championships. Crystal Nelson's 10th place finish this weekend proves that they have a solid low-stick that will prove very important at the regional and national championship level.
Next up: Big 12s
14 - Minnesota 385
Speaking of good teams in the Midwest region, Minnesota proved themselves to be legit this weekend at Wisconsin with an 8th place team finish. The best part of their race was the :20 second spread from 1-5 (:21 from 1-6) which will prove crucial at the National Championships. Minnesota has so many interchangeable parts in their top seven that on any given day any one of their seven girls could be their no. 1 runner. The bad news is that they seem to lack a low-stick, but still, the upside is that they will never have any one killing them from the no. 5 spot because they are so far back. It will be interesting to see who will step up and provide the much needed front runner for the Golden Gophers as we head into the championship part of the season.
Next up: Big 10s
15 - Colorado 390
Placing three athletes in the top 30, the Buffs had a nice race this weekend at Pre-Nats finishing 7th overall and only four points behind Michigan. Steeple star Shalaya Kipp is still on her way back from a busy summer, and in the meantime Carrie Verdon has picked up where she left off in 2012 being a very solid no. 2 for Colorado (Verdon was 22nd at Pre-Nats).
Similarly to Verdon last season, CU is aided by the help of a very good freshman in Erin Clark who was 28th this weekend. With those three running very well and all with potential to be All-American at NCAAs, the Buffs are looking like a possible top-10 team, if not better, in Terre Haute.
Next up: Pac-12s
16 - Stanford 414
Possibly the best 1-2 punch up front in the entire NCAA belongs to the Stanford Cardinal. Jessica Tonn and Aisling Cuffe have been on a tear all season long backing each other up in every race. This weekend was no different. Cuffe was awesome finishing 2nd overall and Tonn followed her with a 4th place finish. That's the good news for the Cardinal. The bad news is that their no. 3 was more than a minute behind Tonn and their no. 5 was nearly 90 seconds behind Cuffe.
Stanford has the pieces on their roster to have a podium quality team. There is still a lot of season to go and if they can find some athletes to step up to close the gap between 1-2 and the rest of the team, Stanford is not out of a possible top-5 finish. Anytime you have two possible top five individual finishers, anything is possible.
Next up: Pac-12s
17 - Dartmouth 428
Abbey D'Agostino is a beast. She not only is the best athlete in the NCAA, she has also helped her team be relevant on a National level for the first time in a long time (since 2001- last time they qualified for NCAAs as a team). Dana Giordano is running very well in the no. 2 spot for them and if they can get something out of their no. 5, better than 100th at Wisco, than 17th in the NCAA is way off for them. The only issue at the national level lies in how far back their no. 5 could be. With most likely having the top finisher at NCAAs Dartmouth, if they can have an outstanding performance from their no. 5 in Terre Haute is another possible top-10 finishing team. The parity on the women's side this year is unreal.
Next up: HEPS
18 - San Francisco 429
Here's the deal with the Dons. They are very good--especially on paper. They could be really good. A 10th place finish at Wisconsin after an excellent 3rd place team finish at Notre Dame is troubling. Granted Wisconsin was a loaded meet, but they were definitely better than 10th.
Boston College transfer Bridget Dahlberg is running great for USF and Czech steeple star Eva Krchova is having a solid year (they went 31st and 55th this weekend). A :36 second spread from 1-5 is good and should help them as they get ready to peak big time for NCAAs. They should cruise through West Coast Conference in a couple of weeks.
Next up: WCC Champs
19 - William and Mary 452
Emily Stites and Elaina Balouris again were great for the Tribe this weekend at Pre-Nats finishing 8th and 12th, respectively. William and Mary is still looking for someone to rise up and finish a little closer to their 1-2 punch, as their no. 3 this weekend was :48 seconds behind Balouris, their no. 2. An 8th place team finish is respectable and the next few weeks should prove vital for training as the CAA Conference Championship is all but won, William and Mary can focus in on regional and nationals.
Next up: CAA Champs
20 - Syracuse 458
One of the most surprising teams in the NCAA this season has been the Syracuse women. Led by Margo Malone, the Orange are surprisingly deep as they are running well without the help of a fully recovered Brianna Nerud from her busy summer competing. In fact, they are only going to get better as Nerud finally comes around training-wise after spending her summer running the steeple in Colombia.
Full of relatively unknowns, Syracuse is running great with no target on their back and low expectations, this is a scary team that could be much better than what they already are as the season moves on.
Next up: ACCs
21 - Duke 470
Could things get any worse for the Blue Devils? With SO much talent on paper, Duke should be destroying every teams hopes of any national championship with every meet they run at because they are so deep and loaded.
Unfortunately, sickness and injury has caused a meltdown in Durham and things can only go up from where they are now. The good news is that Juliet Bottorff is still very good (11th at Pre-Nats). If Wesley Frazier and the rest of the gang can get healthy (apparently Baskir and the Meier twins are still recovering from sickness as well-hence their poor performance this weekend) Duke could shock the world and make a podium spot. We'll find out at ACCs in two weeks.
Next up: ACCs
22 - Oklahoma State 496
In most people's eyes Oklahoma State probably should not even still be in the top 30 right now after a 20th place finish at Pre-Nats this weekend. But with the 'Pokes, they are more than meets the eye. OSU only ran without 1500m champ Natalja Piliusina who was 50th at NCAAs a year ago and Kate Kujawa, Samantha Nightingale, and Natalie Baker all underachieved. As the season moves to the championship end, the Cowboys are given one more chance in the top 30 to prove if they have the talent to make the NCAA meet.
Next up: Big 12s
23 - Notre Dame 509
A 13th place finish for the Irish at Wisconsin this weekend is a step in the right direction after a bummer of a race at their home invite. Kelly Curran is keeping up her front-running ways and finished 16th in a loaded field.
What is killing the Irish is the huge gap from their no. 1 to anyone else. :50 seconds separated Curran from Hannah Eckstein, their no. 2. Only :19 seconds separated Eckstein from their no. 5 Emily Frydrych. With sickness also hurting the Irish, similarly to ACC foe Duke, Notre Dame is simply only going to get better as the season moves forward.
Next up: ACCs
24 - Princeton 526
For the first time this season, Princeton's women's squad cracks the top 31 in these rankings. Led by a 15th place finish from freshman Megan Curham, Princeton finished in 10th place at Pre-Nats. The Tigers have some very solid front runners in Megan de la Bruyere and Curham, but lack depth. The good news is that Curham is in All-American form and the Tigers have some wins that should help them get back to Terre Haute in five weeks.
Next up: HEPS
25 - Cornell 530
Rachel Sorna and Emily Shearer are good and have proven that race in and race out all season long. The rest of the team at Cornell is struggling to find where they belong on the team and not having Caroline Kellner is killing them. A 15th place finish at Wisconsin is a pretty good spot considering how deep the field was in Madison. Nevertheless, Cornell has the talent to be a top-15 team, but is having a hard time putting the pieces together.
Next up: HEPS
26 - Indiana 538
Another new team to the top 31 is Indiana, who after a very good race at Wisconsin, finished 12th and are ready to make a run at the NCAA meet in a little more than a month. Now that Indiana has someone else besides Samantha Ginther up front, Kelsey Duerksen, they now have two very solid low-sticks that will keep them in the hunt of any race. Although the gap between 1-2 and the 3-5 is huge (a full minute), the good news is that it can only get better.
The struggle at NCAAs will be to limit how many girls they have finish below 180 points, because the 200 club kills any teams chances of finishing in the top 20.
Next up: Big 10s
27 - Boston College 569
The last new team to the rankings is another solid ACC squad in Boston College. Led by French senior Liv Westphal, who was 19th at Wisco, BC is surprisingly still a good team even after losing Bridget Dahlberg to grad school in San Francisco. The better news for Boston College is that their no. 2 Brittany Winslow should be their no. 4 because Morgan Mueller and Madeleine Davidson have proven themselves on the track and in prior years in XC. Once Mueller and Davidson can solidify their spots behind Westphal and as they push Winslow along in the process, BC has a good 1-4.
Next up: ACCs
28 - Texas 570
After finishing 26th at Wisconsin, things are looking a bit gloomy for the women Longhorns. In fact, in any normal regional, Texas would not be looking at an NCAA qualifying team. But because the South-Central regional is down this year, they have a chance to qualify and push Texas A&M in at the same time. Marielle Hall is looking very strong and is the only chance Texas has of qualifying to NCAAs. She was 3rd at Wisconsin.
Next up: Big 12s
29 - Vanderbilt 641
Coming out of the South region should be a go for the Commodores as they are looking to finally be turning the corner to a rough start to the season. Finishing 19th overall and basically three in the top 100, Vanderbilt has a solid enough squad that should be making it out of the South region. Liz Anderson continues to be the low-stick for the 'Dores.
Next up: SECs
30 - NC State 691
Joanna Thompson is running well right now for the Wolf Pack and similarly to Marielle Hall of Texas, is the sole reason they have a hope of making the NCAA meet. Their 2-4 is actually still OK and if they can find a decent enough no. 5 they will only improve as we enter the championship portion of the season.
Next up: ACCs
31 - Texas A&M 715
A 23rd place finish at Wisconsin is nothing to be super pumped about, but beating Texas is something that should have the Aggies excited. If anything were to go awry at the regional meet, Texas A&M should have a decent shot of getting pushed in to NCAAs. Hillary Montgomery is running well and Karis Jochen will come around as the season gets more intense, as she is a big time competitor.
Next up: SECs