Men's preview written by Quenten Lasseter Women's preview written by Grace McLaughlin The Fifth Annual Lewis Crossover, hosted by Lewis University, will be welcoming a handful of nationally-ranked teams and individuals this weekend. It is a relatively flat course, but with 14 inches of rain coming down over the last few weeks, we could end up seeing a very interesting race as well as a few surprising results... Men's Preview On the men’s side, we will see four of our Top 10 ranked teams toe the line: Grand Valley State (TSR #4), Missouri Southern (TSR #6), Augustana (S.D.) (TSR #7), and Sioux Falls (TSR #8). Grand Valley State, the defending national champions, comes in as our top-ranked team. The Lakers last raced at the Buckeye Preview on September 28th, putting five runners inside the top 25 and capping off a 2nd place team finish behind only D1 Penn State. Individually ranked Tanner Chada (TSR #2) led the charge with a 1st place overall finish with a time of 24:27. Chada is one of the favorites heading into championship season and he has shown his dominance so far. He'll look to take home a season-defining win this weekend in an effort to further flex GVSU's dominance (both individually and team-wise). All eyes are on #6 Missouri Southern as they haven’t raced in over three weeks. Last time out at their home course, they hosted the Southern Stampede where the Lions took home the team win with 55 points to NW Missouri’s 70. Top-ranked individual Gidieon Kimutai (TSR #1) will also be on everyone’s radar as he looks to continue where he left off. The matchup we see between him and Chada could be a preview of what we end up witnessing in November. The men of Augustana (S.D.) put their names on the map two weeks ago as they took home the win at the Roy Griak Invitational over a tough field of D2 teams (including a ranked Sioux Falls program). It will be interesting to see if the men of Augustana can keep their momentum going after their dominant performance at Roy Griak. They have been one of the more pleasant surprises of the season. Sioux Falls will look to bounce back on Saturday after their 3rd place team finish at the Roy Griak Invitational a couple of weeks back. Low-stick Steven Brown had a great finish at that meet, taking home the individual title with a time of 25:03. However, the major thing to watch for this weekend is how their final two scorers perform. They were distant from Sioux Falls's top three runners in their last meet. If they can run in a tighter pack this weekend, there is no reason why this squad can’t surprise people and get back to what they do best. The most interesting factor to watch is how the men of Cal St. San Marcos will react after they previously dropped out of our team rankings following a 6th place finish at the Capital Cross Challenge a few weeks back. This team is filled with so much potential and this will be the perfect opportunity to prove that. Don't be shocked to see them get back on track this weekend and walk away with a few upsets. Men's Predictions: Teams 1. Grand Valley State 2. Missouri Southern 3. Cal St. San Marcos 4. Augustana (S.D.) 5. Sioux Falls Individuals 1. Gidieon Kimutai (Missouri Southern State) 2. Tanner Chada (Grand Valley State) 3. Carlee Stimpfel (Saginaw Valley) 4. Mason Phillips (Sioux Falls 5. Titus Winders (Southern Indiana) 6. Joshua Litwiller (Cal St. San Marcos) 7. Austin Nolan (Southern Indiana) 8. Steven Brown (Sioux Falls) 9. Shea Vavra (Cal St. San Marcos) 10. Aaron Runge (Augustana (S.D.)) Women’s Preview On the women’s side, Grand Valley State (TSR #1) and Augustana (S.D.) (TSR #6) headline the field. The Lakers started off their season with a 4th place finish at the Knight Invitational without racing their top-runners, but they later took 2nd at the Spartan Invitational where most of their "A" squad toed the line. However, their best performance of the season so far came at the Ohio State Buckeye Preview where they placed 5th against a handful of strong D1 BIG 10 programs. Led by front-runner Allie Ludge and reliable veteran scorers such as Madison Goen, Jessica Gockley, Hannah Groeber, the Lakers should have another impressive performance this weekend where they are clearly the best team in the field. Augustana (S.D.) last raced at Roy Griak, where they destroyed the competition by scoring only 36 points. Claire Boersma and Cat Savey were the two aces for their team and were followed by a solid pack of scorers which included Haylee Waterfall, Nicollete Schmidt, and Rachel Rairdon. Augustana could potentially keep things interesting with Grand Valley State this weekend if they run like they did at Roy Griak. The Vikings are looking to improve upon their 18th place finish at Nationals from last year, and they appear to be in contention for a podium spot so far this fall. Their top front-runners, impressive pack-running, and strong depth has been enough to earn them a #6 ranking in our TSR Top 10. We’ll see if their performance at Lewis will be worthy of a higher ranking. Although only two ranked teams are in the race, several “on the bubble” teams will be in attendance as well as such as Southern Indiana, Michigan Tech, and Walsh. These three teams have had several solid performances during the season and it should be interesting to watch them battle it out in the mud this weekend. A few other notable teams are Wayne State, Cal State San Marcos, Northern Michigan, Simon Fraser, Missouri Southern, and Biola. On the individual side of things, there’s a plethora of talent. If Grand Valley races their top runners, then we will see Allie Ludge (TSR #2), Hannah Groeber (TSR #5), Jessica Gockley (TSR #12), and Madison Goen (TSR #16) toe the line. Outside of GVSU, we will also have Claire Boersma of Augustana (S.D.) (TSR #9), Taryn Christy of Illinois-Springfield (TSR #13), and Cait Savey of Augustana (S.D.) (TSR #18). Claire Boersma and Taryn Christy are my dark-horse picks for the race. Boersma was 2nd at Roy Griak in 22:28 and proved herself to be one of the top runners in the country. Christy’s last race was at the MSU Spartan Invite where she ran 21:53, only seven seconds behind Allie Ludge. With the weather prediction and the fact that it is now the turning point of the season, it is honestly anyone’s race. Ludge has the experience and highest ranking. Christy will have fresh legs and should be eager to race again. Boersma is not afraid to lead the pack and has shown a new level of fitness this fall. Cait Savey is only a sophomore, but was 5th at Griak and could pull off a surprise win. Groeber, Gockley, and Goen all have the potential to be up there as well. There’s a lot of talent and some unknowns entering this race, but it should be an exciting predictor of what is to come in the next few weeks. Women’s Prediction Teams 1. Grand Valley State Lakers 2. Augustana (S.D.) Vikings 3. Michigan Tech Huskies 4. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 5. Walsh Cavaliers Individuals 1. Allie Ludge (Grand Valley State) 2. Claire Boersma (Augustana (S.D.)) 3. Taryn Christy (Illinois-Springfield) 4. Hannah Groeber (Grand Valley State) 5. Jessica Gockley (Grand Valley State) 6. Cait Savey (Augustana (S.D.)) 7. Madison Goen (Grand Valley State) 8. Olivia Brian (Grand Valley State) 9. Natalia Graber (Grand Valley State) 10. Haley Waterfall (Augustana (S.D.))

Disclaimer: We stole the idea for this article from The Ringer , a sports and pop-culture website which we attempt to emulate every now and then. Go check them out. You can read our men's series ( Part One + Part Two ) here * * * We only just entered the month of October, but it's hard not to think about the future. Most of the top teams in the country have already made their season debuts, giving us a glimpse into their potential strengths and weaknesses. Despite season-defining meets like Nuttycombe and Pre-Nats still on the schedule, most of us have a pretty decent idea as to who the top teams will be in November...we think. With so many talented groups gearing up for an exciting regular season, the door is wide open to a collection of teams to earn a top four finish at NCAA's or even a national title. Any team within TSR’s Top 10 probably believes that they will be on the podium at the end of the season and this optimism isn’t misplaced. Let’s take a look at why each team will (or will not) end their season on the podium. Arkansas Razorbacks The Case For: Entering the season, it looked like the Razorbacks had the best top four in the country as they all seemed to be All-American candidates. Taylor Werner entered the fall of 2019 as a challenger for the individual title (and she still is) while Katrina Robinson, Lauren Gregory, and Carina Viljoen were expected to be the star scorers behind her. However, the story of the season for Arkansas hasn't necessarily focused on those four women. Instead, the emergence of Katie Izzo and Devin Clark has been the biggest and best reason for Arkansas’ national championship and podium hopes. The impact of Izzo and Clark cannot be understated as they give the Razorbacks reliable depth and scoring potency while also providing the originally projected top four a "safety net" of sorts if they sustain any injuries or have an off-day at Nationals. With Gregory running unattached at Chili Pepper and earning a 9th place finish, it seems like she is healthy enough to be a contributor on this team. That fact could be huge as Arkansas will need every veteran scorer they can get with Katrina Robinson's status still up in the air. All of that said, we can’t forget about Werner. She seems to be the top challenger to Weini Kelati this season as she has won each of her races in convincing fashion so far this fall. Arkansas followed Werner's lead and was dominant in their last performance at the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival (even without Robinson and Gregory in the official scoring). The group of Werner, Izzo, Clark, and Viljoen swept the top four spots of the meet. In that same race, Abby Gray was the Razorbacks' #5 runner finishing in 17th place, so Arkansas will certainly need either Robinson or Gregory to come back by NCAA's if they want to strengthen their national title hopes. There is a lot to like about this team. They have numerous elite front-runners who can earn All-American honors as well as strong supporting pieces (in Izzo and Clark) who can replace the scoring potency that Gregory and Robinson have yet to fill. All things considered, this team is in a pretty great position. The Case Against: As mentioned before, Arkansas is missing half of their fantastic four. Thankfully, Izzo and Clark have filled those roles adequately, but without Gregory and Robinson, the Razorbacks' ceiling is much lower than we originally thought. I would expect to see Gregory run for Arkansas during their next time out, but the fact that we still haven't seen her yet this season leaves us a little worried. Even if Izzo and Clark fill those roles, Arkansas will still need some better performances from their final scorer to put themselves in the best possible position for the national title. With Katrina Robinson possibly out for the rest of the season, the #5 runner on this team needs to provide strong scoring stability. Unless Abby Gray or Maddy Reed can improve on their current results, Arkansas might not have enough to win the title. Uncertainty regarding the health of their two top scorers, a lack of stability at the final scoring position, and the memory of last year's national meet doesn't exactly scream podium squad. On paper, they have too much firepower to overcome, but if enough goes wrong, they could be left off the podium once again... BYU Cougars The Case For: The top three of Whittni Orton, Erica Birk, and Courtney Wayment has been dominant so far. These three BYU Cougars stole the show at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, finishing 1-2-4. With Olivia Hoj and Aubrey Frentheway finishing 12th and 18th, BYU ran away with the win, easily beating Boise State. The case for BYU landing on the podium is pretty self-explanatory: keep the gap between their top three and bottom two as low as possible. The Cougars have one of the most lethal scoring trios in the country, maybe only behind New Mexico. This should easily put them in the podium conversation. Based off of their last race, Hoj and Frentheway seem to strong enough to put this BYU team inside the top four. Plus, Sara Musselman and Anna Camp give BYU additional options to fill out the rest of their varsity lineup. When looking at their top seven as a whole, BYU looks to have the perfect combination of low-sticks and depth...which should land them on the podium. The Case Against: It is hard to bet against this BYU team because of their veteran top three. Birk and Wayment were All-Americans last year while Orton has experience running on the national stage. Additionally, Hoj is a senior who also has championship experience. However, the gap between their top three and bottom two isn't perfect. Despite the Dellinger Invite being one of the top meets in the country, the field was still relatively small. In a larger field like Nationals, the gap we saw from BYU could lead to a handful of unwanted points. Hoj and Frentheway are capable of finishing inside the top 60 or 70, but if they have some bad races and finish closer to 100th, then the team will have a hard time reaching the podium. Colorado Buffaloes The Case For: Mark Wetmore is their coach and they have multiple All-American returners. This seems like a simple enough recipe for me. Sage Hurta and Tabor Scholl were 10th and 12th at the Joe Piane Invitational and will likely run even better at the end of the year (since that's when Colorado usually peaks). Annie Hill and Rachel McArthur also had solid performances of their own, finishing in 20th and 21st respectively. Although the team fell victim to a surprise upset by Utah, it's important to note that they didn’t run Emily Venters or Emily Covert. Both of those women could have helped the Buffaloes significantly, especially since Colorado’s #5 runner fell back to 53rd place overall. Between Colorado’s history of success and the amount of talent on their roster, it seems like a foregone conclusion that they will at least make it back onto the podium. History is on their side and they still have a few weapons that they haven't debuted yet. I mean, c'mon. It's Colorado. They'll definitely be in the top four...right? The Case Against: Behind Hurta and Scholl, Colorado is relying on a few unproven runners in their top five. McArthur is clearly talented, but she has never run well at the national meet. Hill is running in her first cross country season for the Buffaloes and lacks experience. Emily Venters is a proven stud, but we have yet to see her don a Colorado singlet so far this season. And star freshman recruit Emily Covert? Well, she is another top name who is still absent from any and all racing. There is a ton of uncertainty surrounding this squad, and the fact that they have a drop off at their #5 spot (with reinforcements yet to be seen) leaves us concerned about how they'll handle the National Championships. Stanford Cardinal The Case For: Stanford has yet to race since their runner-up performance at the John McNichol Invite. They didn't have Christina Aragon in that meet, but it was no problem for the Cardinal women who narrowly lost to Arkansas and beat a very good Washington team. To land on the podium this year, Stanford will likely need Aragon to return in an effort to join Fiona O’Keefe, Ella Donaghu, and Jessica Lawson at the front of their lineup. With Julia Heymach and Jordan Oakes providing additional depth, it seems like Stanford is well positioned to make a charge towards a top four spot at NCAA's later this fall. Fiona O’Keefe continuing to be an elite low-stick is super important for a team that is light on proven championship scorers. Donaghu, Lawson, and Aragon have the talent to be All-Americans, but they will need to improve on their performances from last year to put themselves in contention. Based on what we've seen from Donaghu and Lawson so far this season, it seems fair to suggest that the ladies from Palo Alto have at least three All-American candidates at the moment. Even without Aragon, Stanford can put themselves in a top four position at NCAA's as long as the backend of their lineup continues to meet expectations. The Case Against: Outside of O’Keefe, Stanford doesn't have anyone else who would be considered a "lock" to finish as an All-American this fall. Donaghu and Lawson are on track to compete for a top 40 finish, but they are by no means guaranteed that result. Without Aragon, Stanford’s overall depth and allowable margin of error becomes thin. Whether she is just waiting to debut later in the season or is coming back from an injury, she will be a big factor in deciding whether or not Stanford makes it onto the podium. Behind Aragon, the Cardinal are relying on Heymach and Oakes to improve significantly from their NCAA performances last year when they failed to crack the top 90. Stanford has all of the right pieces to be a podium team, but can they put them together when it matters the most? New Mexico Lobos The Case For: The Lady Lobos have the best 1-2 punch in the country with the favorite for the individual title in Weini Kelati and a top 10 contender in Ednah Kurgat. Even though New Mexico finished 7th at Joe Piane, they still have a clear path back to the podium. The first step on that path is adding Adva Cohen back into their lineup. She just finished competing in the steeplechase at the World Championships in Doha, so her return will likely not be until the postseason. However, had she run at Notre Dame last weekend, the New Mexico women would have been in contention to win the entire meet. However, it will likely be UNM's #3 and #4 runners (Alondra Negron and Hannah Nuttall) who will determine New Mexico’s ceiling. If they can continue to put together solid performances like they did last weekend, then they give the Lobos a really good chance at making the top four. With three studs up front, Negron and Nuttall just need to make sure that they stay within shouting distance of Cohen when she returns. As long as that happens, New Mexico will be back on the podium once again while also challenging other top teams for the national title. The Case Against: There shouldn't be too many worries about Kelati or Kurgat. They are two of the most elite distance runners in the country right now and have proven that they can succeed on the national stage. As for Cohen, potential burnout after a long season is a serious concern. She should be able to sustain her fitness into November, but don't be surprised if she falters at an intensive, front-heavy national meet come November. Another issue for New Mexico is their lack of depth behind their top five. Brenda Rosales-Coria and Alexandra Harris were far behind Nuttall at Notre Dame which means that, unless they improve significantly, New Mexico’s top five has no margin for error. This isn’t an uncommon problem for New Mexico (it was a major pain point for them last year), but it is one that could keep this team from earning a top four finish at the National Championships.

This Saturday, Lehigh University will host the 46th Annual Paul Short Run at their athletic fields. The course will be buzzing all day as the event boasts multiple collegiate and high school races. Mostly a flat course, this 6k/8k loop offers teams the ability to drop fast times before the second half of their season. In addition, the weather forecast for Saturday shows a high of 62 with most temps in the high 50s at race time, which is essentially running paradise. This preview will focus on the Gold race, which boasts the premier teams and individuals competing of the meet. Men’s Preview On the men’s side, last year featured a battle where Utah State took down Virginia Tech by three points to defend their title. 2019 should offer the same excitement as 45 teams are represented in the field. Expect to have multiple squads in contention for the win. To start, Iona (TSR #23) is aiming to be crowned champions after a convincing run at the Iona Meet of Champions. Winner of that race, Johnjack Millar, led the Gaels who also placed three in the top five. This Iona team is pretty scary as their whole top five are all non-seniors, meaning that the main core of this team returns next year. The Gaels are hoping not to wait around though, as they seem like a real threat to earn an automatic qualifying spot in the Northeast region this fall. They should unleash their full group this weekend in an effort to knock out a handful of strong programs. Hoping to play spoiler to Iona this weekend is regional rival Army West Point. This should be the matchup of the day as it looks like the Northeast region has three teams battling for two automatic qualifying spots this year (Iona, Army, and Syracuse). Army is coming off of a convincing run at the Battle of Beantown where they placed 2nd to the Syracuse Orange and beat out teams like Stony Brook, Harvard, Washington, and Navy handily. What was interesting to see was that Army’s top four runners of Ben Petrella, Marshall Beatty, Robert Santoyo, and Roman Ollar were able to hang with Syracuse’s top four runners. If this team is able to fix that final scoring spot, they could very easily take down Iona. It wouldn’t be a preview without mentioning the back-to-back defending champions of Utah State. This team is loaded, returning their whole top five from last year’s win. Led by Adam Hendrickson, James Withers, Luke Beattie, and Roberto Porras, this team is hoping to upset both Army and Iona in an effort to finish on top once again. However, this year should prove to be more competitive as Montana State will also be in this race. They are a team that already beat the Aggies earlier in the year. Both of these programs are deep, but they will need strong front-runners to up-end Army and Iona. It is also worth mentioning that Villanova is in the field, but it is unlikely that they race their best runners after competing in last week's Bill Dellinger Invite. If they do end up racing their top guns, then they could walk away with the team title. But for now, we will assume that they’re resting for their next meet (Pre-Nats). Last but not least, we need to show some love for Adams State (TSR-D2 #3). This team, led by Isaiah Rodarte, has been a D2 powerhouse for years now. They are always at the top of the results when they fly out to run at Paul Short. This team doesn’t look as elite as years past, but I'm sure they will pop off something impressive and make me look foolish. They may be in Division Two, but don't dismiss the Grizzlies from the team conversation...they could win the whole thing. On the individual side, expect a clash between Johnjack Millar (Iona), Jake Brophy (Navy), Alex Masai (Hofstra), and the dominant Coastal Carolina brothers, Adriaan and Nadeel Wildschutt. All five of these men have already that they are some of the nation’s top individuals. After finishing 2nd at the Battle of Beantown, Jake Brophy (Navy) hopes to keep the momentum rolling against another set of stiff competition. He is currently ranked at #50 in our XC Top 50. Meanwhile, Johnjack Millar has proven himself on the international stage. After winning the Iona Meet of Champions, we feel rather confident that he could be in the mix late in this race. Then we have the Wildschutt brothers. They were some of the best 10k runners in the country last spring and are known for asserting an aggressive pace in nearly every race they toe the line for. They aren't always the most consistent, but if they can get form a large enough gap, then this will be their race to lose. Finally, we have Alex Masai, last year’s CAA champion who owns a 13:53 5k PR. He will hope to demonstrate his ability to turn fast track times into cross country success. He is my under-the-radar pick to make some noise. Men's Predictions Teams 1. Iona Gaels 2. Army West Point Black Knights 3. Montana State Bobcats 4. Adams State Grizzlies 5. Utah State Aggies Individuals 1. Nadeel Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina) 2. Alex Masai (Hofstra) 3. Adriaan Wildschutt (Coastal Carolina) 4. Johnjack Millar (Iona) 5. Jake Brophy (Navy) 6. Jamie Dee (Iona) 7. Benjamin Petrella (Army) 8. Quinn Cooney (Dartmouth) 9. Collin Buck (Montana State) 10. Isaiah Rodarte (Adams State) Women’s Preview On the women’s side, Georgetown (TSR #19) heads into Lehigh as the favorites. The Hoyas started their season off on a high note by steamrolling Penn State at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational. Georgetown placed five in the top eight and was led by senior Madeline Perez. The Hoyas are hoping to reclaim the national spotlight that has left them over the past couple of years. A convincing win could validate Georgetown as a legitimate national contender. Georgetown’s top challenger looks to be the Princeton Tigers (TSR #22). One of the favorites to win the Ivy League, the Tigers are also coming off of a solid team performance where they placed four runners in the top five at a lower-stakes meet. They should be unloading their full squad and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them in 1st place at the end of the day. Led by junior Melia Chittenden, the Tigers as a whole will need to push up further to the front of the pack to have a chance to win. Another team to watch is the Villanova Wildcats. Although they lost a handful of contributors to transfers and graduation, they seem to have rebounded (slightly) with Lydia Olivere at the helm. This young team will be tested, especially with this being their first significant meet of the season. This race should help dictate if the Wildcats are contenders or pretenders. Individually, this looks to be an awesome race with a high level of talent. To start, we have Lotte Black (Rhode Island) who is a 1500 meter specialist who placed 4th at NCAA’s this past spring. She recently ran at the Battle of Beantown where she placed 4th overall behind three TSR ranked ladies. Lehigh being a flat course should only help her given her track accolades. If this race comes down to a kick, Lotte Black should be the person who finishes in 1st. Next, we have the Drop sisters from Georgia. Jessica (TSR #19) and Samantha (TSR #32) boast incredible PR's and should be considered the two favorites going into the race. Jessica finished 2nd in her last race by 0.5 seconds, so she should have a chip on her shoulder. If she has done her scouting correctly, she won’t want to leave it to a kick with Lotte in the field. Samanatha Drop has a history of struggling with injuries, but she seems to be healthy and fit after taking home the win at the Bulldog Invitational in late August. It's been over a month since her last race, but she could be a major factor in this meet alongside her sister. Also competing is Brogan MaxDougall (Queen’s University). Last year’s champion as a freshman, MaxDougall should be considered as one of the favorites going into this race. The former Pan Am junior XC champion and Commonwealth youth bronze medalist, MaxDougall has the credentials to go back-to-back in this loaded meet. Last but not least, we have Madeline Perez of Georgetown who will be trying to secure the fewest points possible with lofty team goals in the back of her mind. Her credentials might not be as strong as some of the other top women that we have mentioned, but she is my dark horse to make it into the top five. Women’s Prediction Teams 1. Georgetown Hoyas 2. Princeton Tigers 3. Villanova Wildcats 4. Dartmouth Big Green 5. Eastern Michigan Eagles Individuals 1. Brogan MaxDougall (Queen’s University) 2. Jessica Drop (Georgia) 3. Lotte Black (Rhode Island) 4. Madeline Perez (Georgetown) 5. Lydia Olivere (Villanova) 6. Samantha Drop (Georgia) 7. Melia Chittenden (Princeton) 8. Grace Mancini (La Salle) 9. Alyssa Aldridge (Georgetown) 10. Hannah Reinhardt (Albany)