Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #20 San Francisco Women

Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #20 San Francisco Women

Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 20 spot goes to the University

Aug 5, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #20 San Francisco Women
Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 20 spot goes to the University of San Francisco this year, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:
SR Elena Burkard (4:19 1500' 9:18 3K; 16:05 5K; 85th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Charlotte Taylor (16:05 5K; 33:25 10K; 118th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Heleene Tambet (16:44 5K; 34:32 10K; 74th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Weronika Pyzik (4:25 1500; 16:18 5K; 132nd at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Tatjana Schulte (4:28 1500; 16:37 5K; 233rd at '15 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Marie Bouchard via France (4:26 1500; 9:45 3K SC)
Heleene Tambet via University of New Mexico (16:44 5K; 34:32 10K; 74th at '15 NCAA XC)

Analysis:
The USF Dons have a loaded squad of international talent which should propel them to a much higher finish than the 28th-place from last year's NCAA championship. 

Led by a lethal 1-2 of Elena Burkard and Charlotte Taylor, the squad could potentially have at least two All Americans up front. Burkard was all west region last fall and has competed at NCAA west on the track on multiple occasions. Taylor qualified to represent the Dons in the 10K at the NCAA outdoor championships last spring and finished 17th overall. 

USF's potential 3-4 runners are perfectly capable of closing the gap as both Weronika Pyzik and Tatjana Schulte have notched 5K marks of 16:37 or faster. A welcomed addition to the squad will be Marie Bouchard who ran a 9:45 steeplechase last spring. 

The probable top five women are actually just the beginning for USF, who have even more women on their roster who have run 17:00 and faster for 5K.

Previously:
#21 Kansas
#22 Weber State
#23 Cal
#24 North Carolina
#25 BYU
#26 Virginia
#27 Villanova
#28 Vanderbilt
#29 Texas
#30 Florida
#31 Minnesota