Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top ten cross country teams and individuals in the NCAA this season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 10 women's spot goes to Middlebury, and here's why:

Probable Top Four:

JR Abigail Nadler (9:58 3K; 17:13 5K; 15th at '16 NCAA XC, 28th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Talia Ruxin (17:14 5K)
JR Kate MacCary (17:39 5K; 193rd at '16 NCAA XC)
SO Meg Wilson (182nd at '16 NCAA XC)

Fifth Woman Battle:

SR Isabella Alfaro (238th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Alexis Jakubowski (249th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Rory Kelly (17:52 5K)
FR Tasha Greene (4:59 1600)
FR Katie Glew (5:11 1600, 17:54 3 Mile XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Tasha Greene via Rosemont, PA (4:59 1600)
Katie Glew via Evanston, IL (5:11 1600, 17:54 3 Mile XC)

Analysis:

On paper, this doesn't seems like an obvious top-10 team. Behind two-time cross country All-American Abigail Nadler, the Panthers don't return anyone else who finished in the top 180 at nationals last fall. But two athletes made huge jumps, and a third is picking up the sport after a year away. Combined with Nadler's low stick -- which gives them a little more room for error in the pack -- that's the making of one of the 10 or 15 best teams in the country.

As a freshman, Talia Ruxin raced three 6Ks her and didn't break 24:00 in any of them, with sickness slowing her down. She then made a massive leap in track, breaking 18:00 in the 5K three times and eventually lowering her season best to 17:14. Head coach Nicole Wilkerson says that Ruxin is sticking with Nadler in training this fall, which could give Middlebury not one but two top-40 finishers.

Kate MacCary's drop wasn't quite as drastic, but she lowered her 5K PR significantly to 17:39, which bodes well for the fall. All told, only 74 non-seniors broke 18:00 in the 5K last outdoor season. Four of them went to Middlebury, more than any program except for national champions Johns Hopkins. And while comparing track to cross country can be dangerous, the 6K distance for women means that the track 5K makes a decent barometer. If it does, Middlebury should contend for its eighth top-ten finish in the last 10 years.

Even with those seven top-ten finishes in the last nine years (including a national title in 2010), Wilkerson says that because of the hills and mountains that surround Middlebury's campus, "We've had a really hard time on flat and fast courses at nationals. We're stronger on more challenging courses."

Well, this year's nationals course is the most challenging in at least half a decade, if not more. That should play to Middlebury's advantage.

FULL WOMEN'S RANKINGS HERE