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. 6 women's spot goes to Whitworth, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

SO Kayla Leland (9:47 3K; 16:54 5K; 3rd at ‘17 NCAA 1500; 12th at ‘16 NCAA XC)
SR Thais Pedro-Trujillo (19:01 5K; 141st at ‘16 NCAA XC)
SR Bailey Scott (18:42 5K; 159th at ‘16 NCAA XC)
SO Marissa Mount
FR Krystal Roberts (5:31 1600)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Krystal Roberts via Walla Walla, WA (5:31 1600)

Analysis:

One of the fun things about following Division III is that while recruiting is still vital, even the very best teams can still find and develop gems on campus--on the roster and otherwise. That’s certainly how Whitworth has cobbled together an excellent team behind potential national champion Kayla Leland. In fact, it’s how they developed Leland herself. She played basketball and only ran outdoor track her freshman year, only did indoor and outdoor her sophomore year, and ran cross country for the first time in her life in 2016. She finished 12th in DIII in her rookie season, and with a fall of running on her legs for the first time, she was a three-time All-American in track. After having completed her first year of uninterrupted training, Leland is a threat to win a national title this November.

Her squad should defend its West Region title and join her at Principia; this roster is very similar to the group of teams that are projected to finish between sixth and twelfth in the nation. In Spokane, the Pirates rarely have the opportunity to race other DIII teams, and head coach Toby Schwarz says “that had really overwhelmed our women in the past. But now that we’ve made it the last two years, we can be one of those teams that isn’t freaking out when we get there...Kayla’s been to nationals a bunch of times, thinking ‘I can win this thing,’ and hopefully that translates to the other girls.”

The others include seniors Thais Pedro-Trujillo and Bailey Scott, who are both in the top 90 returners. It also includes sophomore Marissa Mount, who was a sprinter, jumper, and hurdler her freshman year but has found her best event a year later: long-distance running. Schwarz reports she’s in the lead pack in workouts; if Pedro-Trujillo and Scott continue to improve and Mount is with them, that’s a powerful top four. The best national finish in program history is sixth place, from 2009, and Schwarz says that “this team has more depth and high-end talent.” Of course, the rest of DIII has gotten better in the eight years since, but this year could establish Whitworth as one of the best programs in the country.

FULL WOMEN'S RANKINGS HERE