2017 NCAA DI Cross Country Women’s National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – Despite ranking first in the final three polls of the 2016 cross country campaign, Colorado’s women’s squad placed third during the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, leaving head coach Mark Wetmore to say his women “were not positioned well” early in the race.

As of now, Wetmore’s squad could not be positioned any better.

The Colorado women received eight of 10 first-place votes for the top ranking in the nation in the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. Wetmore’s team sits above defending National Champion Oregon and Michigan, both of whom received two first-place votes.

NCAA Division I National Coaches’ Poll Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Colorado Oregon Michigan New Mexico Stanford View Complete Women’s National Coaches Poll

Colorado’s well-rounded team is led by junior Dani Jones, who finished 22nd during last year’s championships. The Buffaloes also return five other women who all finished 43rd or better in Kaitlyn Benner (26th), Mackenzie Caldwell (39th), Sage Hurta (40th), Tabor Scholl (42nd) and Makena Morley (43rd). No other team returns more than four finishers within the top-50 from a year ago, making Colorado’s roster look all the more impressive.

Should Colorado slip up again, Oregon and Michigan will be right on the Buffaloes heels. After winning its second title since 2012, the Ducks will return stellar sophomore Katie Rainsberger, who posted a 4th-place finish at nationals a year ago at 19:51.1. Along with redshirt senior Alli Cash, who finished 14th last year, Rainsberger and the Ducks could become the first time to repeat as NCAA Division I Cross Country National Champions since Villanova went back-to-back in 2009-10.

Not to be forgotten are the Wolverines of Michigan, though. While losing a talent like Erin Finn to graduation is something many programs would struggle with, Michigan is stocked with three top-50 runners from last year’s national championships. Avery Evenson wrapped up her junior season last year with an 18th-place finish in Terre Haute, Indiana.

New Mexico and Stanford round out the top-5 on the week as both teams return key pieces a year after finishing the season in the top-7. The Lobos’ Alice Wright placed 19th in Indiana last year with a time of 20:13.2 , while a pair of Cardinal underclassmen in Fiona O’Keeffe and Christina Aragon look to build on their strong freshman campaigns.

The latter half of the top-10 features NC State, Providence, Notre Dame, BYU and San Francisco, respectively. The ninth-place ranking for BYU marks the highest for the program since ranking sixth during the third week of the 2006 campaign. San Francisco’s 10th-place slot is tied for the best ranking in Dons history, matching its ranking during the fourth week of the 2013 season.

After top-10 finishes a year ago, two squads from The Great Lake State in Michigan State and Eastern Michigan sit in the top-20 at 16th and 17th, respectively. Ahead of them are Penn State (11th), Arkansas (12th), Washington (13th), Wisconsin (14th) and Missouri (15th). While all seven of these teams return strong competitors from last season, none will have as much hype heading into the 2017 campaign as Missouri’s Karissa Schweizer, who took home the 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship before winning 5000 titles during the indoor and outdoor track & field campaigns, as well.

Three teams that did not qualify for the 2016 NCAA Division I National Championship have found themselves in the top-25. Boise State leads that trio with a ranking of 19th, thanks in large part to Brenna Peloquin’s sixth-place finish as an individual qualifier at the LaVern Gibson Championship XC Course last November. Allie Ostrander, the National Runner-Up in 2015 who redshirted last season, will rejoin the squad to give the Broncos a solid 1-2 punch. Minnesota (24th) and Georgetown (t-26th) also look to make a big splash this season after a relatively quiet 2016.

Louisville also made history by ranking 28th in the polls for the program’s highest ranking.

A lot will happen between now and the 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Nov. 18 at Louisville’s E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. Check back at www.ustfccca.org for updates throughout the season.