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. 2 women's spot goes to Western State, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

SR Alicja Konieczek (9:49 3K SC; 15:59 5K; 11th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Sophie Seward (16:41 5K; 34:37 10K; 22nd at '16 NCAA XC
FR Aneta Konieczek (9:57 3K SC; 9th at '16 World U20 3K SC)
SR Glindyll Mancia (4:34 1500; 70th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Chloe Andrie (94th at '16 NCAA XC)

Analysis:

The ladies from Western State haven't won a cross country national title since 2002, but this year's squad just might have the firepower to end that drought. The Lady Mountaineers return two All-Americans, one of them being the most dominant distance runner in the country this past track season -- senior Alicja Konieczek.

Konieczek has improved dramatically in the last year, lowering her PRs on the track in huge chunks, and in the case of her 3K and 5K, by literally minutes. After her 11th-place finish at NCAA XC last November, Konieczek won four national titles on the track (and lost none) while setting the DII mile (4:37.42) and steeple (9:49.74) records. She also cracked the 16:00 barrier in the 5K (15:59.22) for good measure. Five returners beat her at cross country nationals last fall, but she has become the favorite due to her epic tear on the oval.

Fellow senior Sophie Seward is Western's other returning All-American, and she too has improved at a dramatic rate. Placing 123rd at nationals in 2015, Seward cut off more than 100 places to take 22nd last fall. Her upward trajectory only continued once track came around, as she set astonishing PRs of nearly the same magnitude as Konieczek. And like her NCAA champion teammate, it's easy to see Seward placing much higher in cross country because of that.

The wildcard of this team is Alicja's sister Aneta Konieczek. A 21st place finish at the European XC Championships is the only cross country result to be mined from Aneta's stats page on Tilastopaja, which is certainly impressive enough, but her 9:57 steeple best hammers home her elite status. She may be just a freshman, but the younger Konieczek is already 20 and should contribute right away.

The fourth and fifth runners on this team are solid and experienced. The Lady Mountaineers will be looking up at a dominant juggernaut that they'll have to get past in order to end their 15 years without a title, but Western is very well equipped to challenge for the championship.

FULL WOMEN'S RANKINGS HERE