With the NCAA D2 Championships tomorrow, we preview who we think will contend for the hardware in Louisville. The obvious? Grand Valley State University will go for their fourth title in five years, while Adams State, Minnesota Duluth, and Augustana will battle for the runner-up spots. With the top two finishers from 2013 graduated, the individual battle is any lady's opportunity. Here's what we had to say:

TEAM PREVIEW

1. Grand Valley State - The Lakers will definitely be the team to beat Saturday in Louisville after crushing the competition to win the Midwest region and earn an automatic spot to Nationals. The team is on a mission to take home the fourth national championship in five years while being ranked No. 1 in the Saucony Flo50 rankings all season long. Leading the way for the Lakers will be five returning All Americans No. 1 Allyson Winchester (third last year at the meet), No. 7 Jessica Janecke (ninth), No. 5 Kendra Foley (11th), No. 9 Hannah Osborn (31st), and Jordan Chester (40th).

At D2 Midwest, the Lakers placed four runners in the top 10 and totaled 42 points, 34 points ahead of runner-up Hillsdale. Prior to regionals, Grand Valley State totaled just 21 points to dominate at GLIAC, 40 points ahead of Hillsdale. Led by an individual win from Kendra Foley, the Lakers placed four of their top scorers in the top four of the race. At the Notre Dame Invitational, the Lakers topped the competition once again by winning the meet with 56 points, 67 points ahead of anyone else in the race. Over the 2014 season, 56 points is the highest score recorded from their major invites this season, and the pattern may continue in Louisville. The Lakers have the potential to best their 2013 score of 54 points to pack up and score even lower with the depth and dangerous pack of front-runners.

2. Adams State - The Grizzlies are looking for some redemption after finishing second at last year’s national championship. They enter the meet with five first-place team finishes and four individuals that have earned individual meet titles throughout the season. They have a serious threat in the 1-2 punch of No. 2 Maura O’Brien and No. 6 Lauren Martin who are both returning from a first and third-place finish at D2 South Central, respectively. Adams State just tackled the South Central region with a 21-point spread to take the team title for the program’s third-consecutive regional championship. The Grizzlies had the first, second, third, seventh, eighth, and 11th-place spots in the race to dominate over Western State’s 99 points.

At the RMAC championships, the Grizzlies posted just 18 points over Western State’s 69 with senior Lauren Martin earning another individual title to lead the charge of Adams State’s third-straight conference crown. Earlier in the season, the Grizzlies had a rough start with a 12th-place showing at the Paul Short Invitational, but have bounced back successfully since and enter the championships with a solid pack of low sticks to contend for the title.

3. Minnesota Duluth - The Bulldogs look to cap off a historic season with a strong showing at nationals after racking up 40 points at D2 Central to earn the regional title. The strongest showing that Minnesota Duluth has ever tallied at the national championships was seventh in 2009, but with a Saucony Flo50 ranking of No. 3, the Bulldogs are poised to finish much higher this weekend in Louisville. The Bulldogs have a huge individual title contender in No. 4 Samantha Rivard, who most recently dominated at D2 Central for an individual win. She also earned individual titles at Roy Griak, the Bob Waxlax Invitational, and the St. Olaf Invitational.

The Bulldogs successfully defended their regional title weeks ago with 40 points over No. 4-ranked Augustana, who tallied 59 points, which was some major payback after losing a tie-breaker at the NSIC championships to the Vikings. Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs won the Roy Griak Invitational with a 74-point spread, again over Augustana. After strong showings at every meet this season, the Bulldogs will be a team to watch Saturday in Louisville.

4. Augustana - The Vikings have battled all season long with conference rivals Minnesota Duluth, and now enter the big dance at No. 4 in the Saucony Flo50 rankings. Augustana is returning from a runner-up finish at D2 Central to the Bulldogs, where they earned 59 points for a runner-up finish and the program’s ninth national championship berth. Freshmen Leah Seivert and Annie Kruse have been consistent leaders for the Vikings, most recently taking second and ninth, respectively at D2 Central.

The Vikings’ team win that came down to a tie-breaker against Minnesota Duluth for the win, resulted in the sixth team title in the past seven years. Earlier in the season, the Vikings tallied a fifth-place finish at UW-Oshkosh Invite, a runner-up finish at Roy Griak, and a dominating win at the Briar Cliff Invite. The rivalry between conference foes Minnesota Duluth will continue on Saturday as the teams square off on the biggest stage of the year.

INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW

So who’s going to be crowned a champion? All signs point to GVSU’s Winchester, who is the top returner from 2013, where she finished third. After an off day at Roy Griak (116th place), the three-time D2 All American has since then recorded four consecutive top-5 finishes. Her progression at the national meet (19th, sixth, and third) indicates she’s a fierce competitor when it counts, and looks to lead GVSU to the team title. But her teammates, Foley and Janecke, are not to be overlooked for the individual title. The GLIAC Champion, Foley was 11th in 2013 and has switched on-and-off with Winchester as the top Laker all season, placing an impressive 23rd at Roy Griak in a field full of Division I competitors. Janecke, ninth in 2013, is coming off of third-place finishes at the GLIAC Championships and the NCAA Midwest Region.

Another group of ladies could challenge this dominant Laker trio though. O’Brien and Martin from Adams State boast impressive resumes. In her first NCAA Championships in 2013, O’Brien finished 15th. She was the NCAA South Central Region winner in 22:15, 16 seconds in front of runner-up teammates No. 10 Rachel Kresl and Martin. Martin was the NCAA D2 10k, 5k (indoor) and DMR champion last season, and placed sixth at last year’s XC championship.

No. 3 Emily Oren of Hillsdale College and Rivard look to be the favorite individuals to dethrone a GVSU or ASU competitor though.