Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #2 Providence Women

Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #2 Providence Women

Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 2 spot goes to Providence this

Aug 28, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #2 Providence Women
Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 2 spot goes to Providence this year, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:
SR Sarah Collins (9:11 3K; 15:31 5K; 33:36 10K; 20th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Catarina Rocha (9:18 3K; 16:03 5K; 33:40 10K; 39th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Sam Jones (16:12 5K; 34th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Lauren Mullins (9:25 3K; 16:14 5K; 34:00 10K; 62nd at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Brianna Ilarda (9:25 3K; 16:19 5K; 9:59 3K SC; 114th at '15 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Sam Jones via Wake Forest University (16:12 5K; 34th at '15 NCAA XC)
Millie Paladino via West Virginia University (4:21 1500; 9:28 3K; 77th '15 NCAA XC)
Abbey Wheeler via Elmira, NY (9:33 3K; 10th at '15 NXN)
Alex DeCicco via Sachem, NY (4:31 1500)

Analysis:
The Providence Friars may be returning stronger after only losing one top-seven runner from last year's squad and gaining two impactful transfers.

Sarah Collins is poised to lead once again after notching her third All-American finish at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships. On the track this year, Collins placed 12th in the 5K at the NCAA Indoor Championships and recorded season's bests of 15:45 in the 5K and 34:03 in the 10K.

She'll have a teammate up front in Catarina Rocha, who is returning from winning the 5K at the Big East Conference Championships and claiming personal bests of 9:18 in the 3K, 16:03 in the 5K, and 33:40 in the 10K this year. A potential No. 2 or No. 3 scorer could be Wake Forest transfer Samantha Jones, who is coming off of an All-American finish at last year's championship. 

Brianna Ilarda should also make an impact after a breakthrough track season in which she ran a steeplechase personal best of 9:59 and finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Millie Paladino was the lone individual qualifier for West Virginia last fall and placed 77th in Louisville. She joins the Friars this fall and should immediately jump into the top seven.

Overall, Providence will rely on the top-tier experience of Collins and Rocha, plus the talent of its No. 3, 4 and 5 scorers who have all run 16:19 and under for the 5K. Lauren Mullins, Katie Lembo, Ilarda and Paladino will be a formidable pack of scorers, and could close the gap for a low score in the fall.

Previously:
#3 NC State
#4 Michigan
#5 New Mexico
#6 Oregon
#7 Oklahoma State
#8 Stanford
#9 Michigan State
#10 Boise State
#11 Notre Dame
#12 Arkansas
#13 Harvard
#14 Georgetown
#15 Washington
#16 Princeton
#17 Penn State
#18 Iowa State
#19 Syracuse
#20 San Francisco
#21 Kansas
#22 Weber State
#23 Cal
#24 North Carolina
#25 BYU
#26 Virginia
#27 Villanova
#28 Vanderbilt
#29 Texas
#30 Florida
#31 Minnesota