The NCAA Division II women's battle will be waged between two heavyweights -- Grand Valley State and Adams State -- and a newcomer in Cal Baptist. CBU is in search of their first title, and this Saturday represents their last shot for DII glory, as the Lancers move up to Division I next year. GVSU and ASU have won 13 of the last 14 NCAA titles. Will history repeat itself? Or will Cal Baptist dramatically steal the show? Either way, Saturday in Evansville, Indiana, should be a thriller.

You can catch all the action live on FloTrack.

Title Contenders

No. 1 Grand Valley State

Region: 1st at Midwest
Conference: 1st at GLIAC
2016 NCAAs: 1st

How They Will Win: The defending champs may have lost the best runner in the country in Kendra Foley, but the Lakers have nearly made up for it with the return of All-American Gina Patterson and the addition of some talented newcomers.

GVSU lost to upstart Cal Baptist at the midseason Lewis Crossover, but that came without sophomore Allie Ludge, who has been in their top three in every race in which she has participated. The Grand Valley women have won five of the last seven NCAA titles, and they'll make it six of eight if Ludge and freshmen Madison Goen and Megan Caltagirone can do what they've done numerous times throughout the season: hang close with All-Americans Patterson, Stacey Metzger, and Kelly Haubert. The Lakers had four All-Americans at NCAAs last fall, and they could have more in 2017.

No. 2 Adams State

Region: 1st at South Central
Conference: 1st at RMAC
2016 NCAAs: 2nd

How They Will Win: Things looked somewhat grim for the Adams State women as they entered 2017 with no returning cross country All Americans. And yet, like they always seem to do, the Grizzlies have found a way to arrive at NCAAs as a legitimate contender. ASU's three-headed monster of Eilish Flanagan, Roisin Flanagan, and Malena Grover -- who swept the top three places at conference and regionals -- could lead the 16-time NCAA champs to an upset of Grand Valley if their four and five runners step up.

The trio mentioned above look like surefire All-Americans, but things get a little less predictable from there. Junior Sadie Baker was fourth at the RMAC Championships, but only 28th at regionals. Sophomore Haleigh Hunter-Galvan was 10th at regionals, but she finished nearly forty seconds behind race winner Eilish Flanagan at conference. These two could certainly have great days at NCAAs and finish top 40, but they are less proven than their top three. ASU has a talented group, but it's tough to imagine them dethroning Grand Valley State with so many new faces.

No. 3 Cal Baptist

Region: 1st at West
Conference: 1st at Pac West
2016 NCAAs: 9th

How They Will Win: The Lancers have been the big surprise of the 2017 season, as last year's ninth-place NCAA team enters nationals undefeated. The big key for Cal Baptist has been their lack of turnover from 2016, leaving an experienced top seven intact for their final season in DII. Led by the vastly improved Emeline Delanis, CBU defeated Grand Valley State on October 14 at the Lewis Crossover by putting four in the top 12 and suddenly became a trendy pick to win the program's first NCAA title. If the Lancers get great days from sophomore Anett Somogyi and junior Delanis, who were second and third at the West region, this underdog squad just might have enough depth to pull off an upset.

Of course, the downside to this team, like Adams State, is that virtually no one is proven on the NCAA championship level. Senior Katie Deimling is the only returning All-American, but she hasn't quite been as good this season as in 2016. The rest of the team figures to improve on their places from last November, but there's no doubt that the history of Grand Valley and Adams States -- they've combined to win 13 of the last 14 cross country titles-- seems to give the pair the upper hand.

History will be made #D2XC pic.twitter.com/22kekvOmVu

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) November 16, 2017

Podium Contenders

No. 4 Alaska Anchorage

Region: 2nd at West
Conference: 1st at GNAC
2016 NCAAs: 8th

How They Will Make The Podium: The Seawolves need an upset of massive proportions to win their first NCAA title, but with NCAA individual contender Caroline Kurgat leading the way Alaska Anchorage has a viable shot at the podium. Kurgat has won her last three races and finished third at NCAAs last season; she's pretty much guaranteed to be top five on Saturday. If junior Zennah Jepchumba can join her superstar teammate as an All-American as we predict, UAA is in a great position. The Seawolves have an experienced squad behind Kurgat and Jepchumba, as only one member of the top seven is be making her NCAA XC debut.

Alaska Anchorage was only 16 points behind national title contender Cal Baptist at regionals, and a similar finish on Saturday would put them in line for a trophy. This team has finished top eight at nationals for an unbelievable nine straight seasons, but they're talented and deep enough to expect more than that in Evansville.

No. 5 U-Mary

Region: 1st at Central
Conference: 1st at NSIC
2016 NCAAs: 7th

How They Will Make The Podium: U-Mary has the NCAA individual favorite and three women overall who finished inside the top 100 last November. If 2015 NCAA XC champion Alexis Zeis is joined on the All-American podium by teammates Kate Fox and Jaiden Schuette, the Marauders are primed for their first top-four finish.

Zeis is the overwhelming favorite to win the race, and should finish no worse than second. The key is Fox and Schuette, who were 47th and 75th at NCAAs in 2016, respectively. If those two have good days, U-Mary is golden. Their fourth and fifth runners -- Kaycie Stewart and Bree Erickson -- were each top 10 at conference and should finish in the top 100 on Saturday. If all those things happen, U-Mary could make program history in Evansville.

No. 6 Chico State

Region: 3rd at West Region
Conference: 1st at CCAA
2016 NCAAs: 4th

How They Will Make The Podium: The Wildcats return four top-100 NCAA finishers from last season, and a repeat podium finish could be in order with senior Alex Burkhart back on form. She was 51st at nationals in 2015, but stumbled a bit to 114th last season; she's had her best fall to date in 2017 and could squeeze out an All-American nod on a good day. Senior Hannah Dorman looks like a lock to grab a top-40 finish, and two All-Americans would equal an ideal day for the Wildcats.

Don't forget to catch the action live on FloTrack tomorrow!