Probable Top Four:

JR Erin Clark (9:59 3K Steeple; 15:57 5K; 31st NCAA XC ’14)

SR Maddie Alm (4:18 1500; 16:14 5K; 51st NCAA XC ’14)

SO Kaitlyn Benner (9:24 3K; 16:08 5K; 81st NCAA XC ’14)

JR Carrie Verdon (15:59 5K; 33:42 10K; 4th West Regional XC ’13)

 

Fifth Woman Battle:

JR Annie Kelly (9:35 3K; 16:12 5K; 98th NCAA XC ’14)

SO Melanie Nun (4:23 1500; 9:24 3K; 16:17 5K; 68th NCAA XC ’13)

FR Dani Jones (4:39 Mile; 10:09 3200; 3rd NXN ’14)

 

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Dani Jones via Phoenix, AZ (4:39 Mile; 10:09 3200; 3rd NXN ’14)

Brianna Schwartz via Pittsburgh, PA (4:42 Mile; 10:10 3200; 6th FL '13; 18th FL '14) 

 

Analysis:

The women of Colorado should stand to improve upon their seventh-place finish from last year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships with an even stronger pack in 2015. The Buffaloes attributed their past success to the incredibly deep pack that rolled on the competition at the 2014 Mountain Region Championships. This fall, Colorado is looking even more loaded as returners and key impact freshmen look to make a statement. 

 

Head Coach Mark Wetmore has already laid the groundwork for his men’s and women’s squad. 

 

“Combined with the men and women, they might be the best two teams we’ve had here. So I’m really excited about that,” Wetmore said at the CU Media Days press conference on August 8. 

 

If Wetmore’s prediction is correct, the women stand to be even greater than the historic Colorado women’s teams of the past, teams which include the 2000 and 2004 NCAA Championship squads. 

 

The 2015 team has a deep arsenal of talent, including All American Erin Clark, middle-distance standout Maddie Alm, and incoming freshman talent Dani Jones, among many others. Clark is returning from a breakout track season that included a Pac-12 title in the steeplechase and a second team All American honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She posted personal bests in the 1500m (4:23), 3K (9:19), 5K (15:57), and steeplechase (9:59) this past spring. Alm also had a breakout track season that included a huge jump in her primary event, the 1500m. Alm went from running 4:24 in April to 4:18 at the Pac-12 Championships where she went on to place seventh. She also posted a personal best of 16:14 in the 5K at the Mt. SAC Invitational. Jones comes into the Colorado program after posting a third-place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals in 2014. She wrapped up an impressive spring track season that saw a runner-up finish in the Prefontaine Classic mile (4:39), and three Arizona state titles (800m, 3200m, 1600m).

 

The Colorado squad also returns two key contributors who are coming back from redshirt seasons. Carrie Verdon and Melanie Nun will come back into the fold after a year of limited competition due to injury. In 2013, Verdon finished fourth in the Mountain Region and 10th at the Pac-12 Championships. She went on to place 132nd at NCAAs after falling twice during the race. As a freshman in 2013, Nun made an immediate statement, running as the Buffs’ consistent No. 4 scorer for a large portion of the season. The rookie campaign was highlighted by a 68th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which helped Colorado to a seventh-place finish. 

 

Both Kaitlyn Benner and Annie Kelly also stand to return and make an impact on this already deep squad. In the spring, Benner won the USATF Junior Cross Country Championships and went on to lead Team USA at the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships in China. She also posted a 5K personal best of 16:08 at the MPSF Indoor Championships. Kelly returns after running as a key Buffs scorer in 2014, notably with a 19th-place conference finish and a 16th-place Mountain Region finish. She also made her debut in the 10K this spring with an 11th-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. 

 

With a great amount of immediate depth and the confidence of Coach Wetmore, this Colorado Buffalo squad is locked and loaded for a successful cross country season.