It was an exciting season of cross country. There were plenty of surprises, a lot to discuss, and the winner on both the team and individual side wasn't easy to choose. In my opinion, it was one of the better seasons of competition that we've had in a while. Nonetheless, it's time to transition away from an exciting fall season and begin our talks about winter track! So what's the plan for The Stride Report over the next couple of weeks? We've got a few things in store... - Event previews for all distance events are coming your way! That means discussion on the 800 to the 5k and yes, even the DMR. - The addition of new writers! We've got a couple of new guys waiting to put out some new material... - More featured stories like our Trust The Process and Stanford's Change of Pace - A potential change from the KOLAS page. We're unsure what exactly that page will be in the future, so send in those suggestions. We've got a lot of new things planned for the future, so stay patient with us as we make our transition from XC to track! Great content is coming your way. Until then, feel free to look back at our article archives ! Our first event preview is coming tomorrow! Stay tuned! Best, The Stride Report Crew #gzatlin

KEY (Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before. (#/#): First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings. A plus (with green) means they have improved in the rankings. A minus (with red) means they have regressed in the rankings. Colors may not show on mobile. The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before. 25. NC State Wolfpack (Wasn't Ranked) NC State was a big question mark team (at least in my eyes) as they entered this season. They lost a great low-stick / leader in Sam Parsons and didn’t seem to have an established identity. Then again, maybe that’s why the Wolfpack was the best kept secret in the NCAA this year. Yes, much like UVA, the start of their season was slow with a 9th place finish at Notre Dame. Still, things began to progress. They were 15th at the Wisconsin Invite, snuck into 3rd at ACC’s, and finished 4th overall in a very deep and underrated Southeast region. To cap it all off with a 17th place finish at Nationals? That is something that that Coach Geiger should be very pleased with. 24. Virginia Cavaliers (Wasn't Ranked) You have to respect how far this Virginia squad has come when you look at where they once were earlier this season. After an atrocious finish at the Wisconsin Invite where they placed 30th out of 35 teams, many fans of the sport (including myself) dismissed the Cavaliers for the rest of the season. ACC’s wasn’t much better as they dropped to 4th overall behind Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and NC State. Just when things looked like they wouldn’t get any better, the Cavs came out of nowhere to beat NC State and give Virginia Tech a brief scare in the Southeast region. UVA would finish 3rd overall and get pushed into NCAA’s. The Cavs ended their season by placing 16th thanks to a huge breakout performance from Brent Demarest who tore apart the competition to place 19th as an individual. I suppose the old saying is true, it doesn’t matter where you start, it’s all about where you finish. 23. Texas Longhorns (-6 / 17) Well this was…disappointing. What happened to the Longhorns? They looked so good all season. They had consistent performances, established a few low-sticks, developed plenty of depth, and actually beat a few decent teams. Unfortunately, their Cinderella story ended at NCAA’s as they fell to 30th overall, ahead of only Navy. What ever happened to Sam Worley who was unable to finish at the South Central Regional Championships and didn’t even run at Nationals? 22. Alabama Crimson Tide (Wasn't Ranked) Throughout the season, I looked over the KOLAS projections time and time again. I tried to find a way that Alabama could make it to NCAA’s. It was possible, but I still found that it would be incredibly tough. Of course, as fate would have it, Alabama was granted the final qualifying spot to NCAA’s. Once at Nationals, the conversation about Alabama’s effectiveness as a team drastically changed (from a numbers perspective). When you look at the impact of the top three, not only did they keep things competitive, but they CARRIED the team. The Crimson Tide had the 2nd worst #4 man and the 4th worst #5 man (both in team scoring). But from the top three? Only NAU and Stanford had a better top three in team scoring. The Crimson Tide scored a mind-boggling 41 points with their top three runners while the meet average for a team’s top three was ~182 points. In layman’s terms, Alabama’s top three was 4.44 times better than the average top three of any other team at this meet. That is how you get 14th at Nationals. 21. Washington Huskies (-2 / 19) This Washington squad reminded me a lot of their 2015 team. They had an unexciting regular season, but came out of nowhere for a monster performance at NCAA’s. Sure enough, that was exactly what happened in 2017. In fact, Washington was only two points away from upsetting Portland in the West region. Unfortunately, they couldn’t replicate that same success at Nationals after finishing 22nd overall. Still, the future is bright for the Huskies. Of their the top seven who ran at Nationals, three were freshmen, one was a sophomore, one was a junior, and two were seniors. 20. Boise State Broncos (+3 / 23) The Broncos are resilient. No matter what was thrown at them, they found a way to stay competitive and stay in the mix of any race. Their biggest challenge this season was dealing with the struggles of established ace, Yusuke Uchikoshi. Almost all of Boise State’s lineup had a respectable showing at Louisville, but faltered at Wisconsin with a finish of 21st. After a solid runner-up finish in the Mountain West conference and wrestling with the titans of the West region, Boise State found themselves owning one of the 31 spots to Nationals. Once there, Addison DeHaven (a transfer from Wisconsin) and Miler Haller led the way with huge finishes of 31st and 36th respectively. True freshman Ahmed Muhumed held his own with a 113th place finish. Unfortunately, the final two scorers saw a rather notable drop with finishes of 189th and 196th. Boise State ended the day in 19th overall. Was it the finish they were looking for? No, probably not. But they could at least take solace in the fact that they had two individual All-Americans. 19. Mississippi Rebels (+2 / 21) It was an up and down season for Mississippi. They started out strong by finishing only two points off Oklahoma State at the Cowboy Jamboree and later finished 5th at Pre-Nats. SEC’s, however, was a different story. Ole Miss struggled to gather their depth and not only lost to Arkansas, but also fell to Alabama (by one point). The Rebels would rebound at the South Regional Championships by placing 2nd overall, but the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders still got the best of the Rebels. NCAA’s was a slightly better result as Sean Tobin carried the squad to an 18th place finish in the team standings thanks to his 12th place individual finish. It wasn’t always pretty, but for a team that lost almost the entirety of their 2016 squad, Mississippi handled the big stage relatively well. 18. UCLA Bruins (-4 / 14) After losing a key piece of last year’s squad to graduation (Ferdinand Edman) and a change in the coaching staff, the Bruins desperately needed a low-stick. Luckily, a top-level ace just happened to land in their lap. Cal transfer Robert Brandt was a huge pickup for the Bruins this season as well as the rise of #2 man Garrett Reynolds. These two helped UCLA stay competitive with a 3rd place finish at Roy Griak, an 9th place finish at Wisconsin, 3rd at PAC 12’s, and a 4th in the West region (without Brandt). Unfortunately, the team was simply underprepared for the wave of talent that consumed them at Nationals. The Bruins would end their season 21st overall in the NCAA. The good news? Four of their five scorers are set to return next year. 17. Virginia Tech Hokies (-6 / 11) It wasn’t quite the day that the Hokies were looking for. They had great performances from Seufer (45th) and Joseph (52nd), but the drop off after them was sub-par to say the least with the final scorers placing 119th, 163rd, and 190th. Their finish of 20th place at NCAA’s doesn’t speak justice to the work that Virginia Tech has put into this season. It may not have been the best finish, but they at least proved that they are more than just a middle distance / track school. 16. Michigan State Spartans (-4 / 12) A small home meet at Michigan State showed a little bit of shakiness, but consistent performances of at Roy Griak (2nd), Wisconsin, (11th), and Great Lakes (1st) really catapulted this team to the top of the rankings. Unfortunately, a large field of top-tier talent was too much for the Spartans to handle. Michigan State fell to 25th overall with Morgan Beadlescomb ending the day as the only Spartan finisher in the top 100 (91st). 15. Iona Gaels (+9 / 24) It was an ugly start to the season for Iona, mainly at Wisconsin. Chartt Miller struggled in his season debut, Gilbert Kirui was nowhere to be seen, and the depth failed to produce anything of importance. Yet, Iona is naturally a strong team in the postseason. At conferences, Kirui was back in the lineup. At the Northeast region, they actually kept things competitive with a talented Syracuse team. And at NCAA’s? They came away with a big 12th place finish. Had they not had those early season struggles, they would have been much closer to the top 10. 14. Air Force Falcons (+2 / 16) It was a really solid season for the Falcons who not only made it back to NCAA’s for the first time since 2013, but they thrived while they were there by placing 15th overall. Mickey Davey proved that he was the real deal with his monster 18th place finish while Andrew Johnston continued to be a key scorer for this squad by finishing 59th overall. The Falcons slowly improved throughout this season and to place 15th even when one of their key low-sticks (Jacob Bilvado) faltered is super impressive to me. 13. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (-3 / 10) You have to give a lot of props to the Thunderbirds who placed 11th at NCAA’s and put up strong results throughout this season. They really stepped up and took a few teams by surprise, especially when they upset Colorado at the Notre Dame Invite. Admittedly, they began to fade in the later portion of the season, but they still put up respectable performances throughout 2017 thanks to the development of low-sticks, consistency from their middle scorers, and a slew of depth that began to show a lot of maturity. 12. Michigan Wolverines (+1 / 13) It was a solid season for Big Blue. They had a respectable performance at Wisconsin by placing 10th overall and followed that up with a BIG 10 title. They did, however, fall to Michigan at the Great Lakes region which pushed them back a bit. Still, a 10th place finish at NCAA’s is a heck of a performance. If I could rank this team in the top 10, I would, but the other teams ahead of them just simply accomplished more. 11. Furman Paladins (-4 / 7) Flat-out bad. That’s the best way to describe Furman’s performance at NCAA’s where they finished 26th overall and had no one in the top 120. Their day in Louisville may not have been what they were hoping for, but their season just goes to show that this program is legit. They placed 6th at Wisconsin and dominated the Southeast region. They may have had a rough day at Nationals, but their development this season has been nothing short of spectacular. Templeton became the much needed low-stick that this team needed while the rest of the scorers were able to sustain their pack-running ability. 10. Oregon Ducks (+8 / 18) The Oregon men started off the season strong with a 3rd place finish at Pre-Nats without Matthew Maton. Of course, Matthew Maton wouldn’t be seen in the lineup for the entire season. An explanation as to why is still unclear. The Ducks then entered PAC 12’s (4th) and the West region (5th) where they were upset by UCLA (in both races) for the 2nd straight year. With a freshman as the Ducks top runner and no super-star (i.e. Maton) to lead the team, I was skeptical as to how Oregon would fare on the big stage, especially with a young squad. At NCAA’s, my concerns were quickly put to rest as Oregon executed one of the smartest race plans of any team in the meet with superb pack running and conservative race tactics. Anderson and Teare slowly moved their way up throughout the race with finishes of 41st and 44th respectively. Their three bottom scorers also made some serious moves in the 2nd half of the race with finishes 78th (Brown), 81st (Tamagno), and 84th (Haney). 9. Iowa State Cyclones (+6 / 15) Simply put, it was a beautifully executed race by the Cyclones. Andrew Jordan ran like an accomplished veteran (15th) while Stanley Langat held his own for 53rd overall. The rest of the group stayed together and never put themselves in a position that could damage the team score. Curts was 68th, Rodriguez was 97th, and Pollard was 98th. Having all five scorers in the top 100 (overall) was accomplished by only five teams: NAU, Portland, BYU, Oregon, and Iowa State. 8. Colorado State Rams (0 / 8) Coach Art Siemers entered this Colorado State program in 2012 with very little to work with. In the past six years, he has turned average recruits into NCAA contenders. He has made a once average team into consistent national qualifiers in the toughest region in the nation. That why, as a fan of the sport, you can't help but feel bad for the Rams who were in a position to podium with just 2k to go. Unfortunately, Jerrell Mock fell from 10th to 167th and knocked the Rams back a few spots. While it is certainly disappointing, this is still CSU's best finish in program history since 1978. Props to Colorado State and Coach Siemers. 7. Syracuse Orangemen (-3 / 4) It just wasn't Syracuse's day at NCAA's. Knight's win was huge, but having their 2nd man (Bennie) at 56th overall was far from the result they were looking for. 13th in the team standings may hurt, but this group was solid throughout the season and at least showed us that this program will be remembered for years to come. 6. Colorado Buffaloes (0 / 6) You have to commend the Buffs for all that they accomplished this season. They lost to Southern Utah early in the season and lost John Dressel to an injury during the regular season. Still, Colorado made the necessary adjustments. They finished 2nd at Pre-Nats, lost to Stanford at PAC 12's by only six points, easily secured a spot to NCAA's, and finished it all off with an 8th place finish. Was it a perfect season? No, but when you consider that they did it without their top guy, then it's tough not to be impressed. 5. Arkansas Razorbacks (+4 / 9) Despite an ugly 9th place finish at Pre-Nats, the Razorbacks kept their cool and rebounded. They dominated Alabama and Ole Miss at SEC's by 40 points, cruised through the South Central region, and walked away from NCAA's with a 5th place finish. Being outside of the podium spots for the 2nd straight year must definitely hurt, but when you consider their early season struggles, they came back pretty strong. 4. Stanford Cardinal (-1 / 3) In regards to the overall team finish, I don't think there were too many surprises here. Fisher did what he had to do while Ostberg and Fahy stepped up in a big way by finishing 16th and 17th overall. Unfortunately, that youth and inexperience got the best of Stanford's freshmen. Tai Dinger (a junior) held his own and finished 83rd overall. However, it was the freshmen Callum Bolger and Alek Parsons that finished 138th and 145th overall. 3. BYU Cougars (-1 / 2) 2. Portland Pilots (+3 / 5) I'll admit it, I still think BYU was the better squad throughout this season. They won Pre-Nats and fought off Colorado in the Mountain region despite not running two of their top runners. A lot of people will argue that BYU man-handled Portland at the West Coast Conference Championships, but clearly that doesn't matter when Portland emerges as the 2nd place team at Nationals. I'm not a fan of placing teams in the exact spot of their finish at Nationals, but Portland seemed to have a long-term plan that paid off. When it came down to the 10k, the Pilots were simply the better squad. 1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0 / 1) Utter domination. When you have a lineup as talented as Northern Arizona, it's hard to see them losing. The 1-2 punch of Baxter and Day matched with the breakout performance of Peter Lomong (who placed 8th) was simply too much for BYU or any other team to handle. It was the best 1-2-3 finish since Wisconsin placed 2nd, 4th, and 5th at the 2012 NCAA Championships (where they placed 2nd overall). Having all five scorers become individual All-Americans is super impressive. ADDED Alabama Crimson Tide Virginia Cavaliers NC State Wolfpack KICKED OFF Oklahoma State Cowboys (Formerly #20) Wisconsin Badgers (Formerly #22) Utah State Aggies (Formerly #25) JUST MISS (in no order) Princeton Tigers Illinois Fighting Illini' Wisconsin Badgers Utah State Aggies Mid. Tenn. State Blue Raiders Oklahoma State Cowboys SURPRISE OF THE WEEK Alabama Crimson Tide: For most of the season, a lot of people around the nation (including myself) were convinced that Alabama wouldn't make it to NCAA's. Yet, as of last Friday, they were the 14th best team in the nation. Credit where credit is due. Alabama got the job done. TEAM OF THE WEEK Northern Arizona Lumberjacks: All five scorers are All-Americans and they became the national champions. There isn't much of an argument here. NOTES - Just because a team placed well at NCAA's doesn't mean they will necessarily move up in the rankings. If other teams simply had better overall seasons, they will most likely get the better spot in our top 25. #rankings #gzatlin #ncaa #analysis #Top25 #Nationals

Individuals 50. Daniel Carney (BYU) 49. Cooper Teare (Oregon) 48. Luis Grijalva (NAU) 47. Miler Haller (Boise State) 46. Ryan Forsyth (Colorado) The younger guys have been killing it this year. With Matthew Maton absent from Oregon's lineup, Cooper Teare has been a nice replacement as the Duck's ace. Luis Grijalva has given NAU an extra weapon to flex at one of the scoring positions. Admittedly, I don't like to pick younger guys to do well at NCAA's, but it's hard to pick against them this year. Be sure to keep an eye on Miler Haller as well. Yusuke Uchikoshi hasn't been the low-stick that Boise State was expecting, but Haller has stepped up and given the Broncos an extra guy to lean on. 45. Andrew Johnston (Air Force) 44. Clark Ruiz (Michigan State) 43. Jack Bruce (Arkansas) 42. Troy Reeder (Furman) 41. Nick Hauger (Portland) The next set of five are an experienced group that have thrived in the longer distances during their careers. These five have shown great consistency and one of them will most likely break into the top 30. Watch out for Troy Reeder. He could be the x-factor that puts Furman on the podium. 40. Casey Clinger (BYU) 39. Robert Brandt (UCLA) 38. Josh Brickell (Furman) 37. Alex Ostberg (Stanford) 36. Aidan Tooker (Syracuse) There is a lot of uncertainty with this group. Casey Clinger sits as the lone freshman in our predictions to earn All-American, but he has never raced a 10k before. Alex Ostberg has yet to race a 10k as well. He was held out of the lineup in the West region along with Robert Brandt. Aidan Tooker is in a similar boat by only having one 10k under his belt (which was two weeks ago). 35. Geordie Beamish (NAU) 34. Edwin Kurgat (Tenn. - Martin) 33. Ben Veatch (Indiana) 32. Andrew Jordan (Iowa State) 31. Aaron Templeton (Furman) I am a big fan of Edwin Kurgat and Ben Veatch this season. Both of these individuals have quietly put together solid performances all season against some of the best competition in the nation. Aaron Templeton might also be one of the most underrated low-sticks of any team at NCAA's this Saturday. 30. Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina) 29. Mickey Davey (Air Force) 28. Dillon Maggard (Utah State) 27. Jonathan Davis (Illinois) 26. Philo Germano (Syracuse) Philo Germano is a postseason star and although his regular season performances haven't indicated that he can place 26th, some individuals are simply better on the big stage. One of the reasons why Air Force has been so successful this season is because of Mickey Davey. He has been consistent all season and was a top 10 finisher in the Mountain region. Also, who is Nadeel Wildschutt? Admittedly, I didn't know who he was before the Southeast Region Championships, but placing 4th in 29:03 in your first collegiate 10k is extremely impressive. 25. Ben Flanagan (Michigan) 24. Connor McMillan (BYU) 23. Hassan Abdi (Oklahoma State) 22. Jerrell Mock (Colorado State) 21. Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane) I am banking on the experience and veteran status of this group to step up and be a big reason for why they do so well. A lot of these guys are also 10k oriented and have proven that they can compete with some of the best. Don't be surprised if Emmanuel Rotich has a big race. He may not have raced against elite competition during the regular season, but he is just as good as the other top guys in this field. 20. Clayton Young (BYU) 19. Jeff Thies (Portland) 18. Alex George (Arkansas) 17. Colin Bennie (Syracuse) 16. Amon Kemboi (Campbell) Jeff Thies has been one of the more under appreciated runners this year and his West region race was a great display of his ability to run the 10k. Amon Kemboi has also shown that he can adjust to the competition at any stage, but he is still young which is a (very minor) concern. The rest of this group have great 10k experience and have been on this stage multiple times before. They are almost locks to be All-American. 15. Andy Trouard (NAU) 14. Vincent Kiprop (Alabama) 13. Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell) 12. Jacob Choge (Middle Tennessee State) 11. Joe Klecker (Colorado) Is Joe Klecker as good as his Mountain region win showed? How vulnerable is Vincent Kiprop after being the first of Alabama's top three to fall back in the 10k in the South Region Championships? Which Lawrence Kipkoech will we see? The one who ran 28:45 to win the Southeast region? Or the one who finished 23rd at Pre-Nats? Has Jacob Choge matured enough to thrive on the big stage compared to last year? Should we be concerned about Andy Trouard placing 18th in the Mountain region after placing 3rd all year? I like to think that these are all valid concerns which is the only reason why I have them outside of the top 10. 10. Tyler Day (NAU) 9. Jonathan Green (Georgetown) 8. Azaria Kirwa (Liberty) 7. Gilbert Kigen (Alabama) 6. Rory Linkletter (BYU) Let's be clear, Rory Linkletter could easily win the national title on Saturday despite being projected to finish 6th. Others like Azaria Kirwa and Jonathan Green have been extremely consistent all season and hungry to prove that they are stars among the elites of the NCAA. 5. Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse (Portland) 4. Matthew Baxter (NAU) 3. Alfred Chelanga (Alabama) 2. Grant Fisher (Stanford) 1. Justyn Knight (Syracuse) After Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse's monster performance in the West region, I am convinced that he can stick with the top guys in the nation. He has adjusted incredibly well to the collegiate scene and his experience on the global stage in cross country gives him an edge in this meet. Of course, what everyone wants to know is who wins overall. Knight was our preseason pick and we're sticking to our guns for this one. If it comes down to a kick, Knight will most likely have the edge. Of course, we've been wrong before. Teams 31. Washington State Cougars 30. Navy Midshipmen 29. NC State Wolfpack 28. Princeton Tigers 27. Utah State Aggies 26. Boise State Broncos It's obviously never fun to rank teams at the bottom of the list. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil for prediction purposes. Teams like Princeton, Utah State, and Navy are solid teams that each hold a unique aspect strength. They are, however, inexperienced and young. That could definitely hurt them in the team standings. Other teams like Washington State and Boise State are great on paper, but they just haven't put it together on the same day this season. Hopefully, that will change on Saturday. 25. Ole Miss Rebels 24. Virginia Cavaliers 23. Oregon Ducks 22. Oklahoma State Cowboys 21. Alabama Crimson Tide Oregon could come out and annihilate the field, but their older guys this season haven't done as well as I expected and I don't know how I feel about Cooper Teare leading this squad in a 10k at Nationals. Plenty of Mississippi's squad from last year graduated, so a lot of these guys don't have the experience of running on the big stage. As for Alabama, their top three should be able to muscle them through to a finish near the top 20. Of course, those 4th and 5th are obviously a concern. 20. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 19. Air Force Falcons 18. Virginia Tech Hokies 17. UCLA Bruins 16. Michigan Wolverines All of these teams are strong through four or five scorers and even have some firepower up front. Michigan, Air Force, and Middle Tennessee State all have a talented top three that helps them give an edge in the team scoring. Virginia Tech and UCLA have a solid 1-2 punch up front and a respectable pack throughout the rest of their lineup. That said, these teams just simply don't have the overall fitness that the teams ahead of them do. 15. Southern Utah Thunderbirds 14. Iona Gaels 13. Arkansas Razorbacks 12. Washington Huskies 11. Texas Longhorns Some may scoff at the idea of Texas placing 11th overall, but I really like the pack that this team has this year along with the underrated talented that they have at the front of their pack. Sam Worley was a DNF in the South Central region last week so if he finishes towards the top with the rest of his teammates then they end up defeating Arkansas for the title. Other programs like Iona and Arkansas are historically great squads and will most likely finish well because of their great experience. As for Washington, they remind me of their 2015 squad which came out of nowhere to place 8th. I see them doing something very similar this year. And Southern Utah? They could place either 7th or 17th. They haven't been as consistent in the later portion of the season, but if Mike Tate and Kasey Knevelbaard return to the level that they were at in the Notre Dame race, then this team has a chance to get into the top 10. 10. Iowa State Cyclones 9. Michigan State Spartans 8. Colorado State Rams 7. Colorado Buffaloes 6. Portland Pilots Some will scoff at the idea of Portland being outside of the top five after having such a dominant run in the West region. However, they only won their region by two points despite placing 1-2-4. As they have been all season, their bottom two scorers will be the difference makers in this meet for the Pilots. Others like Colorado State and Colorado have shown plenty of consistency and promise all season. Unfortunately, Dressel being out of the lineup is enough for me to keep Colorado off of the podium. And what about Iowa State and Michigan State? I mentioned in our Updated Top 25 Teams that Iowa State was out of the top two late in the race at the Midwest regional. Yet, even with the odds against them, they pulled themselves together and got the win thanks to a strong last 2k. Andrew Jordan has not given me a reason to doubt him and Thomas Pollard did very well on this stage last year. Add in another potential low-stick with Dan Curts and this team could really be dangerous. As for Michigan State, they are an experienced squad who runs the 10k distance very well. They're a better team in the longer races and we saw that difference when they lost to Michigan at BIG 10's, but later won the Great Lakes title. 5. Stanford Cardinal 4. Furman Paladins 3. BYU Cougars 2. Syracuse Orangemen 1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Gosh, there is a lot to digest here. Let's break this down... Stanford is a great team with an abundance of talent. Grant Fisher is an ace, Alex Ostberg looks strong, and Steven Fahy could give this team a lethal 1-2-3. However, the rest of their squad is very young, Thomas Ratcliffe is most likely not running, and the veterans who have raced this season have not been very impressive. If you want to podium, you can't have this many uncertainties. The Paladins are a team that I praised early on in the season and they have only backed me up since then. Templeton and Brickell give this team some talent up front, Troy Reeder is beginning to budge his way up in the pack, and the rest of the team hasn't been too far behind. They may not have the elite talent that the other teams do, but having a tight pack that is experienced and consistent can do some serious damage against teams that have even the most minor hiccups. BYU is a team that could easily win the title (even by a lot). Still, when was the last time you saw everything go exactly as expected on the podium? The answer is usually "never". I don't really have a reason to be picking BYU at 3rd other than I like the experience and firepower that the teams ahead of them have. Syracuse is a darn good team. Knight is an easy pick for top three, Bennie is one of the best #2 scorers in the nation, Philo Germano always peaks in the postseason, Tooker has not given us a reason to doubt him, and they actually have more than one guy who could give them an edge at the #5 spot. Everything would have to go perfectly, but this team is most likely hungry to take back the crown. Northern Arizona. How could we pick against them? They've been at #1 for a heavy portion of the season after their miraculous performance at the Greater Louisville Classic. I would argue that they are even better than their squad last year. The way I see it, they have a top three that no other team except Alabama can match. After that, they have a variety of weapons to choose from. Want a consistent freshman with a lot of upside? Run Luis Grijalva. Won a potential sleeper pick? Choose Peter Lomong. Looking for some stability in the scoring? Pick Cory Glines. Want one of the best #4 scorers in the nation? Geordie Beamish is your guy. When you consider all of the names on this roster, I just don't see the Lumberjacks losing (especially with the experience of winning the title last year). Whatever the result may be, just know that this could be one of the craziest team battles in a long, long time. #preview #predictions #ncaa #XC #gzatlin