Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #6 Oregon Women

Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #6 Oregon Women

Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 6 spot goes to Oregon this yea

Aug 24, 2016 by Meg Bellino
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #6 Oregon Women
Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 6 spot goes to Oregon this year, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:
JR Alli Cash (16:00 5K; 31st at '15 NCAA XC; 5th at '16 NCAA Outdoor 5K)
FR Katie Rainsberger (4:12 1500; 9:00 3K; 1st at '15 NXN; 7th at '16 IAAF World U20 3K)
JR Frida Berge (4:17 1500; 9:56 3K SC; 110th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Ashley Maton (4:38 Mile; 16:30 5K; 112th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Maggie Schmaedick (16:09 5K; 33:46 10K; 124th at '15 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshman/Transfers:
Katie Rainsberger via Air Force Academy, CO (4:12 1500; 9:00 3K; 1st at '15 NXN; 7th at '16 IAAF World U20 3K)
Samantha Nadel via Georgetown University (9:05 3K; 16:02 5K; 37th at '14 NCAA XC)
Lilli Burdon via Australia (4:18 1500; Joined Winter 2016)

Analysis:
The Oregon women have the best recruit in the nation and a sneakily good transfer who could make a huge impact--if she's healthy. 

Katie Rainsberger had a monster senior year of high school. She won Nike Cross Nationals, ran 4:36 for the indoor mile, beat a bunch of collegians and pros en route to her 4:12 1500m PB, and finished seventh at the IAAF World U20 Championships 3K in 9:00, the fastest outdoor prep mark ever. She doesn't have 6K experience, but did we mention her mom, Lisa Rainsberger, is the last American woman to win the Boston Marathon? She has a watchful eye on her future Duck daughter, and I don't doubt the younger Rainsberger will have an immediate impact on the Oregon squad.

Samantha Nadel comes to Oregon from Georgetown, where she was an All-American on the grass in 2014. She only raced twice last fall and once this spring, though it was a 16:02 5K PB. If she's healthy, she will bring so much experience to the Oregon squad who lost All-Americans Molly Grabill and Waverly Neer to graduation.

Alli Cash set personal bests in the mile, 3K and 5K after earning her first cross country All-American finish in 2015. After finishing fifth in the NCAA 5K this spring, she'll assume the coveted role of leading the Ducks back to Terre Haute.

Previously:
#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