Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where we rank the pre-season top 25 cross country teams and individuals heading into the NCAA season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 20 men's spot goes to Southern Utah, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

SR Mike Tate (3:42 1500; 13:34 5K; 78th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Josh Collins (4:05 Mile; 14:12 5K; 61st at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Kasey Knevelbaard (3:41 1500; 13:50 5K, 180th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR George Espino (3:49 1500; 156th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Matthew Wright (14:09 5K; 29:27 10K; 168th at '16 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Jiraa Riding via Orem, UT (37th at '16 FL XC)

Analysis:

The welcome return of Mike Tate should help lead the Southern Utah men's team to an improvement on their 27th-place NCAA team finish last year. 

In the spring, Tate blasted a 13:34 5K personal best which qualified him for the NCAA west preliminary round. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to NCAA finals, but he did compete at the Canadian national championships in June and finished ninth overall. Josh Collins returns as a strong contributor after running a 5K personal best of 14:12 in April and placing ninth at the Big Sky conference championships. Matt Wright should also return strong after qualifying for the NCAA west preliminary round in the 10K. 

The team gets some speed with middle distance standouts George Espino and Kasey Knevelbaard, who specifically broke through this spring with PBs of 3:41 in the 1500m and 13:50 in the 5K.

FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE