Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #3 North Carolina St. Women

Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #3 North Carolina St. Women

Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 3 spot goes to North Carolina

Aug 27, 2016 by Meg Bellino
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #3 North Carolina St. Women
Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 3 spot goes to North Carolina State this year, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:
SR Erika Kemp (9:06 3K; 15:45 5K; 33:13 10K; 57th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Wesley Frazier (9:01 3K; 15:45 5K)
SR Megan Moye (4:11 1500; 16:33 5K; 7th at '16 NCAA Mile; 94th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Rachel Koon (16:31 5K; 59th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Ryen Frazier (4:38 Mile; 10:05 3200; 108th at '15 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Elly Henes via Cary, NC (10:24 3200; 22nd at '15 NXN)
Anna Vess via Asheville, NC (10:52 3200; 34th at '15 FL XC)
Bethlehem Taye via Burtonsville, MD (10:35 2 Mile)

Analysis:
Expectations were high for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in 2015 and they didn't fall too short of a podium finish in November. Their biggest obstacle will be keeping their solid group of returners healthy, because the talent on this team could very well contend for an NCAA championship.

Erika Kemp had a tremendous indoor season running 9:06 and 15:45, earning All American honors in the indoor 5K. She didn't race this outdoor season, which either means she's really fresh or still coming back from a setback, similar to phenom sisters Wesley and Ryen Frazier. Wesley, arguably the best prep from the class of 2013, was forced to sit out last fall after transferring from Duke. She ran 9:01 against professionals at the Camel City Elite indoor 3K, then disappeared.

Her younger sister, Ryen, started out strong last fall as a true freshman. She blazed a 16:06 5K on the grass in September, won the Notre Dame Invitational shortly after, and placed fifth at the ACC Championships. She finished 108th in Louisville and did not compete in indoor or outdoor. On paper, Kemp and the Fraziers could be the most lethal top three in the NCAA. 

One Wolfpack athlete who was around during the outdoor season was Megan Moye. She chopped 10 seconds off her mile time to place seventh in the NCAA mile. She then went on to run 2:04/4:11/16:33 outdoors, the latter two coming from the ACC Championships where she won the 1500m and placed runner-up in the 5K. A case of food poisoning prevented her from competing for the NCAA 1500m title in Eugene, but her massive improvements on the track only elevate the potential this team has.

Previously:
#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