Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D1 Pre-Nationals Preview & Predictions

TSR Collaboration
Oct 18, 2024
20 min read

Written by Rachel Hickey, Mike McKean & Garrett Zatlin, edits via Garrett Zatlin

Here we go, friends! The largest and most competitive meet of the year, Pre-Nationals, has finally arrived. Tomorrow's cross country battle will be the most impactful non-national meet of the entire year with Kolas and podium implications on the line.

Saturday will also be an ideal time for many of us at The Stride Report to get a better gauge of just how good certain athletes and teams are. That will certainly help as we aim to update our cross country rankings early next week.

Below, we employed our "three sentences or less" rule and tasked three different writers with completing the preview. Oh, and don't forget to check out our predictions below!

Let's begin...

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Men's Analysis

Air Force Falcons

The Falcons' initial showing at the Nuttycombe Invite was far from exciting, but the Air Force men displayed some promising upfront scoring via low-stick Max Sannes. We know that Zach Ayers and Tanner Lindahl help make up a strong scoring nucleus in their top-three, but the limited depth on their squad makes it difficult to gauge expectations. Their margin of error is incredibly slim as they’ll need to depend on the backend of their scoring group to finish in the top-half of the field.

Arkansas Razorbacks

With Arkansas only fielding half of their projected top-seven at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, we’re eagerly awaiting the season debuts of Yaseen Abdalla, Patrick Kiprop and Ben Shearer. If the Razorbacks toe the line at full strength -- and the entries suggest that they will -- then we fully expect them to compete for the win.

Auburn Tigers

A 3rd place finish at the Gans Creek Classic was a solid outing for the Auburn men. Ryan Kinnane is having a breakout season as the Tigers’ low-stick while underclassmen Nickson Chebii and Max Hardin have provided respectable scoring value despite their inexperience. However, the backend of this lineup still has tons of questions and they’ll need to bridge the gap after Chebii and Hardin.

Butler Bulldogs

Finishing a distant 3rd place at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational was a discouraging result for the Bulldogs, although there are still plenty of positives to take into this weekend. A much improved Will Zegarski provides added scoring potency and Florian Le Pallec is capable of much more despite his tough season opener. We’ve also yet to see Jesse Hamlin, someone who could provide an added spark for this squad as a potential low-stick.

California Baptist Lancers

The California Baptist men were undoubtedly impressive at the Joe Piane Invite where they placed 3rd overall in a competitive field. Valentin Soca is a certified low-stick for the Lancers and the emergence of Zouhair Redouane gives this team better-than-expected firepower upfront. With the Lancers’ 3-4-5 runners providing decent scoring stability, Saturday is another opportunity for this squad to prove that they’re for real despite their offseason departures.

Cal Poly Mustangs

After a promising 4th place effort at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, there is some optimism that the Cal Poly men could leave Madison, Wisconsin with a few Kolas points. Davis Bove as a low-stick combined a fairly complete top-five should allow the Mustangs to fare well in this field, at least in theory.

Colorado Buffaloes

For a team that was without any major flaws at the Nuttycombe Invite, we feel like the Buffaloes can be even better this time around. Despite boasting a complete top-five, Colorado has yet to show the firepower that we think they’re capable of. Isaiah Givens has proven to be a quality lead scorer, but stronger performances from Dean Casey, Kole Mathison, Simon Kelati and Anthony Monte will be imperative for a top-10 finish.

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

A 7th place team finish at the Nuttycombe Invite for the Colonels becomes even more impressive when realizing they weren’t at full strength. We’ve yet to see Taha Er Rouay, a potential low-stick, to pair with Justine Kipkoech which could give this team a lethal 1-2 punch. With an improved performance from 8:35 steeplechaser Kristian Imroth, and continued depth from their backend scoring, this team is capable of being much better on Saturday.

Florida State Seminoles

There was a lot to like about the Florida State men and their effort at the Nuttycombe Invite. Kidus Misgina stepped right in as the new low-stick for the Seminoles as they had four men earn top-100 finishes. That being said, they’ll need to close the gap between their scorers to remain competitive in this field.

Furman Paladins

The Paladins are better than their 21st-place team performance at the Nuttycombe Invite, but…how much better? Carson Williams stepped up in a big way as a lead scorer, but the support behind him was less-than-ideal. Thankfully, star low-stick Dylan Schubert is listed in these entries and his return would help ignite a push similar to the one that this team made last fall.

Harvard Crimson

The return of Graham Blanks, who is likely favored for the individual win on Saturday, gives the Crimson far greater upside than what we saw at the Paul Short Run. However, it will ultimately come down to Ben Rosa's scoring potency and how effectively the group behind him can close down on scoring gaps. Harvard thrived at this time last year, but they still hold some level of volatility in 2024.

Indiana Hoosiers

A recent 6th place effort at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational was a great step in the right direction for an Indiana team that has been rebuilding for the last few years. Make no mistake, the Hoosiers are still underdogs to crack the top-half of this field, but Skylar Stidham is a great low-stick while Martin Segurola and Abe Eckman have been making solid improvements as well. However, shakiness at the backend of this lineup could give Indiana a few challenges on Saturday.

Iona Gaels

The Iona men are likely better than what their 20th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite suggests, but...how much better? Matt Rankin emerged as a great low-stick in his last outing, but there was a major gap that opened up after he crossed the line. There are multiple men on this team who are capable of more, but how many of those men will deliver on their potential come Saturday?

Iowa State Cyclones

The Iowa State men could be argued as the favorites to win the team race on Saturday. The rise of Robin Kwemoi Bera as a low-stick star is huge and it seems that the trio of Joash Ruto, Sanela Masondo and Rodgers Kiplimo are all set to race this weekend. If those latter three names run up to their full potential, then the Arkansas men will have their hands full.

Lipscomb Bison

The Bison men are admittedly going to be significant underdogs in this field. Braedon Palmer is a decent lead talent while the next three spots of this scoring group seemed stable enough at the Gans Creek Classic. Even so, Lipscomb had a big drop-off to their final scorer at their last showing and the overall talent of this squad will be tasked with racing against men who are far more proven.

Loyola (IL) Ramblers

At their home meet, the Loyola Lakefront Invite, the Ramblers actually tied with the Cal Poly men, although they ultimately lost the tie-breaker and settled for 5th place. Jason Clayton continues to be a sneaky-good lead scorer while the scoring contingent behind him featured very few gaps. On paper, we don't see this team having a ton of upside, but we also think that they have one of the highest floors in this field relative to expectations.

Michigan Wolverines

Despite losing two key veteran scorers from last year, the Wolverines reloaded seamlessly and they look even better in 2024. With Caleb Jarema stepping up as a low-stick and their next four scorers displaying tremendous scoring value (relative to expectations), this team has great balance. With another complete performance, we could see the ceiling of this team raise even more.

Michigan State Spartans

After just a “okay” day at the Joe Piane Invite, Michigan State has work to do on the backend of their scoring group if they want to get into the national meet this fall. Andrew Nolan and Riley Hough are great leaders for this team, but we haven’t seen any truly potent firepower from the Spartans. Greater scoring support will be crucial for this team as they look to earn more Kolas points.

New Mexico Lobos

On paper, the New Mexico men are one of the five best teams in this field and each of their scorers, in theory, are capable of being individual All-Americans. Habtom Samuel will contend for the individual title on Saturday, but Lukas Kiprop continues to be a shaky name after recording a DNF at the Cowboy Jamboree, a meet where many Lobos did not fare quite as well as we thought they would. Even so, the raw talent on this team is immense and in a best case scenario, they could realistically finish in 3rd place tomorrow morning.

NC State Wolfpack

The NC State men were...well, not great at the Loyola Lakefront Invite. Brett Gardner and Toby Gualter looked like strong lead scorers, but a large handful of men behind them did not close down on gaps like we thought they would. This team is definitely capable of being better in the future (they peaked well in the postseason last year), but Saturday will be more about regaining momentum than it will be anything else.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Going into the Joe Piane Invite two weeks ago as the clear favorite made a 2nd place result in South Bend, Indiana a tough pill to swallow for the Lumberjacks. Although the majority of their lineup lacked firepower, David Mullarkey offered just that and the emergence of Justin Keyes gives this team an x-factor name to rally around. With that being said, if NAU is going to contend for the win this weekend, then they’ll need each of their men to run up to their full potential...and then some.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

After taking home gold at the Joe Piane Invite over NAU in upset fashion, the Notre Dame men solidified themselves as a top-tier program with vast talent. The firepower that was on display through their pack-running shows overwhelming depth for a team that we feel can get even better. Not having Josh Methner for this race is a tough blow for a team that could use the firepower, but the plentiful reinforcements of the Fighting Irish give them a ridiculously high floor.

Ole Miss Rebels

There is no denying that Toby Gillen is a great low-stick talent and Aiden Britt began to show promise in his last outing at the Gans Creek Classic. However, the depth on this roster is very thin and there is a ton of volatility at the backend of this lineup which could allow the Rebels' team score to get away from them. Thankfully, crucial middle-lineup scorer Jack Meijer is returning to his home course (he's a graduate transfer from Wisconsin) and a good race by him could mitigate drop-offs at the backend of this lineup.

Stanford Cardinal

In their first nationally competitive meet of the season, the Cardinal men will look to replicate the health and fitness that was on display at the Gans Creek Classic. The backend scoring of this group, as well as the reintroduction of Robert DiDonato, can seemingly mitigate most damage if a key scorer blows up. But how will Leo Young, Cole Sprout and Lex Young fare as a top-three against teams that, as of right now, have stronger (and more recently proven) low-sticks?

Syracuse Orange

The Syracuse men had a good season opener at the Nuttycombe Invite, finishing in the top-half of the field despite Sam Lawler and Alex Comerford not finishing where we expected them to (mainly the latter). With Assaf Harari displaying reliability as a fringe low-stick and underclassmen Benne Anderson and Connor Ackley gaining experience, the Orange have what it takes to be a top-10 team this weekend.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas men had a less-than-exciting showing at the Cowboy Jamboree earlier this year despite Isaac Alonzo looking like a great low-stick. Thankfully, both Rodger Rivera and Nathanael Berhane, two men who could give the Longhorns far greater scoring potential, are listed in the entries after not racing earlier at their last meet. If those two guys actually run on Saturday, then we should get a better idea of what Texas is capable of doing this fall.

Tulane Green Wave

Despite fading to 8th place at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, the 1-2 low-stick punch of Bernard Cheruiyot and Jack Jennings, as well as a respectable third scorer in Illia Kunin, gives the Green Wave men a decent enough chance of being a top-half team in this field. However, Tulane's depth will ultimately be the make-or-break aspect of their lineup which will determine whether or not they score more than one or two Kolas points.

Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

Sure, the Tulsa men struggled a good bit at the Nuttycombe Invite, but they didn't have low-stick Shay McEvoy for that race. Thankfully, he's listed in the entries for tomorrow and the group behind him, while far from perfect, is stable enough to salvage a decent result for the Golden Hurricanes...right?

Utah State Aggies

The Utah State men quietly had a great top-three at the Paul Short Run earlier this season as Camren Todd secured the win while Spencer Nelson (9th) and Joshua McKee (14th) held their own behind him. However, the Aggies had a fairly substantial drop-off after that trio and they still lost to both Wingate and Harvard at that meet. Utah State will be a little bit better tomorrow than some people may expect, but a top-half finish in this field still seems like a challenge.

Washington Huskies

The Washington men shattered expectations at the Nuttycombe Invite after they landed a huge 5th place finish. The rise of Tyrone Gorze and Leo Daschbach as potential low-sticks is huge and we think Evan Jenkins can be much better moving forward. This team has a lot of upside, but after a challenging 2023 fall campaign, we want to see if UW can replicate their earlier effort on Saturday.

Wisconsin Badgers

In what looked like a tempo run effort, the Wisconsin men employed a pack-running tactic as they opened up their season with a win at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational. Despite not going all-out (or at least, we don't think they did), Bob Liking is a low-stick talent capable of much more and the entries show both Adam Spencer and Rowen Ellenberg for Saturday. As Wisconsin steps on their home course, we’ll get a better idea of what this team is truly capable of.

Wyoming Cowboys

If the Wyoming men simply stay within themselves and run their race, then they could pick off a handful of teams and secure plenty of Kolas points. The trio of Jacob White, Mason Norman and Ryker Holtzen are a sneaky-good top-three while the supporting cast of Gus McIntyre, Dylan Van Der Hock and Asefa Wetzel offer decent stability. They aren't going to blown anyone away, but it's very possible for the Cowboys to earn a top-half finish in this field.

Women's Analysis

Arkansas Razorbacks

Ahead of Pre-Nationals, the Razorbacks have taken a tumble in our team rankings to our TSR #24 spot after dropping to 3rd place at the Chile Pepper XC Festival. Limited depth is a major concern for this roster in a larger field where gaps could begin to expand. The continued absence of low-stick star Sydney Thorvaldson will not make the Razorbacks' Saturday any easier.

Boston College Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles are coming off of a respectable 14th place outing at the Nuttycombe Invitational just two weeks ago. With Alex Millard opting to head to Providence in a last-second switch this past offseason, the Boston College women find themselves without a genuine low-stick (their top finisher at the Nuttycombe Invite was 52nd place overall). However, it’s safe to say that Yasmine Abbes, a graduate transfer from San Francisco, had an "off" day and could drastically impact this team’s performance if she performs to her previously demonstrated caliber.

BYU Cougars

If all of the pieces fall into place, then the BYU women could emerge as the Pre-Nationals team champions on Saturday. The Cougars flexed a lethal combination of low-stick talent up front at the Joe Piane Invite to solidly take 2nd palce to the NAU women. If Lexy-Halladay Lowry, Jenna Hutchins and Carmen Alder can replicate their success from two weeks back, and the remainder of the Cougars' lineup stays within striking distance of the front pack, then this group could bring a statement victory back to Provo, Utah.

Connecticut Huskies

What the Huskies offer in front-end strength, they also lack in back-end stability. Chloe Thomas has emerged as one of the nation’s best distance runners and has been supported by sneaky-good veterans such as Jenna Zydanowicz and Caroline Towle. However, despite the combined 16 points that those three women scored at the Paul Short Run, it was not enough to overcome significant gaps at the latter-half of their scoring group, something that the Huskies will need to work around on Saturday.

Florida Gators

With Hilda Olemomoi set to return this weekend, the Florida women might shock some people with their sneaky-good depth and tight time-spread. Without Olemomoi, the Gators went 6-11-12-13 at the Gans Creek Classic in what was a surprisingly good display of scoring value. Not only that, but Allison Wilson is set to return as someone who could potentially be a low-stick (in a best case scenario) for the Gators this fall.

Florida State Seminoles

The low-stick potency up front provided by Bieke Schipperen and Elizabeth Barlow helped the Seminoles scrounge out a 16th place team finish at the Nuttycombe Invite despite a sizable gap to their 3-4-5 scorers opening up. Barlow, Emily Brown and Brooke Mullins (all of whom are transfer additions) could fill the holes in this team depending on how they fare this weekend. The continued absence of junior Agnes McTighe, who hasn’t raced on the grass since 2022, is certainly felt, as McTighe would provide more stability to this roster in a deep field.

Furman Paladins

Furman turned some heads at the Nuttycombe Invite with a massive 6th place finish without the team’s anticipated lead scorer, Bethany Graham. Carly Wilkes finished 9th individually to fill the shoes left by Graham’s absence, and the rest of the lineup provided just enough stability to leapfrog other ranked teams. The ongoing absence Graham (who is not in the entries) isn't exactly encouraging, but Wilkes and Kaylie Armitage have given this team great firepower even without her.

Harvard Crimson

The only outing where we can truly judge Harvard's lineup was at the Paul Short Run where they earned a win over a talented Connecticut team. While the Crimson only had one finisher within the top-20 of that race (Ella Gilson), their top-six time-spread was strong enough to hold off the Huskies. In a deeper field, their pack will likely be even farther back, meaning that firepower will need to be a greater point of emphasis for Harvard on Saturday.

Iowa State Cyclones

The 20th place team from the Nuttycombe Invite, the Cyclones have a battle on their hands to prove themselves in the "A" section at Pre-Nationals. Maelle Porcher looks to be a great veteran low-stick, earning an impressive 16th place finish a few weeks back, but the next few finishers behind her were Riley Beach and Bella Heikes back in 94th and 95th, respectively. The gap between Porcher and the rest of the Cyclones' lineup will have to shrink substantially if this team wants to race with the big dogs tomorrow.

Liberty Flames

We have said this (more than) once and we will say it again: Liberty is a sneaky-good team! The Flames took 4th place at the Joe Piane Invite to some juggernaut programs thanks to high-upside rookie Allie Zealand (16th) and veteran returners such as Ava Gordon (20th) and Adelyn Fairly (28th). In a larger field such as this one, however, their limited of backend stability may be difficult to manage.

Lipscomb Bison

It feels like we still don't know the full strength of the Lipscomb women as they finished a modest 15th at the Nuttycombe Invite a few weeks back. Many of their top women seemed to have an "off" day (such as Kiara Smeltz -- formerly Kiara Carter -- who fell to 139th in that race) and the Bison no longer have All-American Lydia Miller listed on their roster. A short-handed team without their usual low-stick(s) leaves way more uncertainty for this group than we had originally anticipated.

Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals held their own against some highly-ranked teams at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, finishing 4th place overall. Nancy Chepleting, Layla Roebke and Rylee Penn went 10-11-13 for a fantastic scoring trio at the front of this lineup. If those women can move up in this massive field, then Louisville could possibly beat a couple more ranked teams this weekend.

Michigan Wolverines

Upon close inspection, the Wolverines have a lot of potential within their lineup that they have yet to show this fall. Projected lead scorer Kayla Windemuller has been suspiciously absent since the first meet of the year, although the entries do suggest that she'll be racing this weekend. Women like Penelope Gordon, Rylee Tolson and Samantha Hastie are solid talents, but this as a whole will be underdogs for a top-half finish going into Saturday.

Michigan State Spartans

There are so many questions with this team, primarily surrounding who they are going to field in the "A" race. The Spartans literally have 50 women listed on their cross country roster -- which some might view as having endless options -- but this team is relatively young compared to their national meet lineup from last fall. Makenna Veen brings great veteran experience and a potential low-stick presence, but has yet to race this season (although she is listed in the entries).

Minnesota Golden Gophers

After two promising performances at the Roy Griak Invitational and the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, the Golden Gophers are set to face their biggest test of the season (by far) on Saturday. Minnesota sits at TSR #24 in our most recent rankings update thanks in part to the low-stick potential of Ali Weimer and the scoring value provided by names such as Emma Atkinson and Erin Reidy. Zoie Dundon, a fantastic steeplechase talent on the track, could help bolster this team’s finish in a deeper field if she rounds back into form.

New Mexico Lobos

The Lobos are led by Pamela Kosgei who will contend for the individual win, although it seems like All-American Nicola Jansen is not racing this fall as she is still absent from the entries. Thankfully, New Mexico has very solid reinforcements in Natalie Bitetti, Klara Dess and Mercy Kirarei. Those latter three women might lack Division One experience, but they certainly do not lack talent.

NC State Wolfpack

The ongoing absence of Leah Stephens leaves the NC State women with one less low-stick that they very much need. Thankfully, the rise of Hannah Gapes as a potential low-stick, along with Grace Hartman, gives the Wolfpack a solid scoring nucleus to work with. But while there aren't any legitimate flaws in this lineup, it's the high-upside freshmen who will likely determine the ceiling of this team as the season further unfolds.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

With both Elise Stearns and Ali Upshaw set to return to action tomorrow morning, it's hard to see any team beating Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks didn't have either of those women at the Joe Piane Invite and Alyson Churchill didn't score, but they still took down a title-contending team in BYU. It's going to take a monumental effort from another program to take down this squad.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Notre Dame women feel like one of the safer teams to pick for a top-five finish tomorrow morning. We loved the scoring potency that we saw from both Siona Chisholm and Emily Covert at the Joe Piane Invite and veteran Erin Strzelecki was great, too. There is a good bit of upside at the latter-half of this scoring group and for the most part, we can't find too many flaws on this team.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls

The Cowgirls will likely not have Billah Jepkirui for this season as she remains absent from the entries. Thankfully, Victoria Lagat will give Oklahoma State a great low-stick to lean on while Sivan Auerbach is a fairly steady veteran. We're not entirely sure what to expect from the rest of this lineup, but we struggle to believe that the Cowgirls will truly struggle tomorrow morning.

Ole Miss Rebels

A 3rd place finish at the Gans Creek Classic was a decent result for Ole Miss, especially since they likely earned a Kolas point from defeating Florida. However, both the Gators and Stanford were without their star low-sticks and the Rebels were well off the top-two teams in the field. Thankfully, the overall scoring structure of this team should be good enough to salvage a decent result at Pre-Nationals as long as Loral Winn continues to be a top low-stick.

Stanford Cardinal

The Stanford women secured a great win at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season and they did so without star low-stick Amy Bunnage (who, thankfully, is listed in the entries for tomorrow). Sophia Kennedy looks like she will be the low-stick that we thought she could be, but it's Zofia Dudek who looked like she was returning to low-stick form after a few up-and-down seasons. If that's the case, then the Cardinal women will be even more dangerous than some people expect them to be.

Syracuse Orange

A 12th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite was roughly on par with our expectations for the Orange women. Savannah Roark looks like she's nearing the higher end of her fitness and the scoring support behind her is fairly solid. Yes, Syracuse will need to tighten up the fifth position in their lineup, but this feels like a team with a relatively high floor.

Tennessee Volunteers

A runner-up effort at the Gans Creek Classic was a solid outing for Tennessee, although they were well behind a Stanford squad that didn't even have their best runner. The overall firepower of the Volunteers will need to improve if they want to crack the top-10 on Saturday, but that is plenty realistic.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas women are admittedly a tricky team to figure out. They secured a big win at the Chile Pepper XC Festival over LSU and Arkansas, but then they struggled a good bit at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, fading to 6th place. On paper, the scoring contingent of Olivia Howell, Eva Jess and Elizabeth Pickett is sneaky-good, but everyone on this roster has to be at their very best if the Longhorns want to be a top-half team in this field.

Toledo Rockets

A promising 5th place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invite gave us a renewed sense of optimism for the Toledo women. Mercy Kinyanjui looks like she can be a low-stick talent for the Rockets while the supporting cast of Lou Trois, Laura Nicholson, Lianna Surtz and Melody Jebiwot offered decent enough reinforcements. I don't see too many scenarios were Toledo truly struggles on Saturday, but they'll need to give Kinyanjui more help at the front of their lineup if they want to truly stand out.

Tulane Green Wave

The potent 1-2 punch of Caroline Jeptanui and Blezzin Kimutai should allow the Tulane women to gain at least one or two Kolas points on Saturday. However, after those two runners, the Green Wave's lineup opens up in a massive way, leaving them susceptible to some rather large scoring inflation.

Utah Valley Wolverines

The Utah Valley women do not have low-stick Morgan Nokes listed in the entries, a development that further legitimizes a rumor that she will not be racing this fall. Even so, the Wolverines have very underrated distance talents such as Caila Odekirk, Ari Trimble, Oakley Olson, Anna Martin, Allie Warner and Julie Sumsion. There is still a very realistic scenario where the Wolverines enter next week as a top-25 team in our updated rankings.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

We're very high on Brooke Wilson as a low-stick and there are a handful of veterans in this lineup who should allow Wake Forest to remain somewhat competitive. If Angelina Perez can deliver on the upside that we think she has, then the Demon Deacons could surprise a few people.

Washington Huskies

After holding out both Sophie O'Sullivan and Samantha Tran at the Nuttycombe Invite, the Washington women are entering Pre-Nationals with their fill lineup listed in the entries. The Huskies have tons of upside, great firepower, plenty of depth, loads of experience and an encouraging early-season performance on their resume. They may not win this race, but they could absolutely give BYU and Notre Dame a run for their money on Saturday morning.

West Virginia Mountaineers

The return of Ceili McCabe as an elite low-stick is one thing, but having Joy Naukot emerge as a potential lead scorer is huge. The Mountaineers seem to have a strong enough scoring group behind their top-two to keep them competitive in a field like Pre-Nationals. However, the biggest x-factor for this team will be Tecla Lokrale, someone who has low-stick credentials, but faded a bit in her NCAA debut.

Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin women were absolutely brilliant at the Nuttycombe Invite, showcasing outstanding pack-running with a large handful of women beating expectations. There is great scoring potency and stability throughout this entire top-five and it feels like Shea Ruhly, Lindsay Cunningham, as well as maybe Leane Willemse, could be even more impactful in a field like Pre-Nationals. It also doesn't hurt that the Badgers will once again be racing on their home course.

Wyoming Cowgirls

Placing 3rd at the Roy Griak Invite and 8th at the Joe Piane Invite were solid results for this Wyoming team. They seem to have a good lead scorer in Kylie Simshauser and we're still confident that Abigail Whitman can be even better moving forward. Even so, trying to crack the top-half of this field will be a major challenge for the Cowgirls.