Follow our 2018 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top cross country teams in the NCAA this season, which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 1 women’s spot in DII goes to Grand Valley State, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

SR Sarah Berger (4:18 1500; 16:18 5K; 2nd at ’17 NCAA XC)

SR Gina Patterson (16:35 5K; 9th at ’15 NCAA XC)

JR Stacey Metzger (16:28 5K; 15th at ’16 NCAA XC)

JR Allie Ludge (4:45 Mile; 35th at ’17 NCAA XC)

SO Megan Caltagirone (48th at ’17 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Sarah Berger via Walsh University (4:18 1500; 16:18 5K; 2nd at ’17 NCAA XC)

Analysis:

How does as a team that took sixth at nationals last season and lost their No. 1 NCAA finisher to graduation wind up in the top spot in our preseason rankings? 

By bringing in the top transfer in the country and returning three other All-Americans, that’s how. The prized recruit of coach Jerry Baltes’ 2018 class is not a freshman, but instead the 2018 D-II 1500m NCAA champion and nine-time All-American Sarah Berger, who will transfer into the storied program for her final season of eligibility after a magnificent career at Walsh. 

Berger, a former soccer player at Walsh who ran her first-ever cross country season last fall, enjoyed a jaw-dropping inaugural year on the grass, ultimately finishing runner-up at nationals in Evansville. Berger’s addition to this team is a tremendous boon to their title chances in 2018, and puts them on course to rebound significantly from their disappointing sixth place finish in 2017.

Joining Berger on this loaded roster will be some familiar faces. Gina Patterson has a top-10 NCAA finish from all the way back in 2015, and she finished a respectable 39th in 2017 while coming back from injury. 

Junior-to-be Stacey Metzger struggled her way to 82nd place last November, but that result can be mostly thrown away considering she was 15th as a freshman on GVSU’s title-winning team in 2016. Allie Ludge is another big talent for the Lakers, and her breakout cross country season culminated with a 35th place showing at NCAAs.

Considering that projected fifth scorer Megan Caltagirone just missed All-American honors by finishing 48th last season, this team has no weaknesses on paper. The one thing they will have to prove is that they’ve left the shadow of that dud in Evansville behind, as last year’s team was also similarly loaded and yet underperformed tremendously at NCAAs. 

But with Berger on the roster, the de facto individual favorite, new life has been breathed into this squad. If everything goes right this fall, no one can touch them.

FULL RANKINGS HERE