While the professional outdoor season won't officially wrap up until mid-September, plenty of collegians are already in full swing, their focus locked on November's national championships despite them being months away.

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On top of that, most of the sport's heavy hitters won't make their season debuts until late September, so there's plenty of time to analyze how different squads are shaping up this fall.

And on the women's side, there's a lot to analyze: a two-time defending champion whose return is still unconfirmed, an NCAA record holder chasing her first individual title, and a team race that has belonged to two programs for the better part of a decade. Here's an early look at how it could all unfold.

Obviously, there are a lot of factors to consider when previewing both the team and individual battles on the women's side, and arguably the most notable one is the two-time defending champ.

Alabama's Doris Lemngole is entering her senior year after three tremendous years representing the Crimson Tide, but as of July 1, there is no confirmation on whether the five-time NCAA champion is running it back; until then, let's assume she is.

With that in mind, the battle once again will more than likely come down to Lemngole and NCAA record holder Jane Hedengren.

The incoming sophomore's first year as a Cougar had its ups and downs, but no matter how you spin it, it was a great success. In the fall, she shattered course records and won Big 12 and regional titles before finishing runner-up to Lemngole at nationals.

Her indoor campaign produced an unprecedented collegiate record in the 5000m, where she became the first woman in NCAA history to run under 14:50, establishing a new American U20 record of 14:44.79. The freshman followed up that historic mark with a pair of indoor titles before shifting her focus to the outdoor oval, where she threw down a new collegiate record of 30:46.80 in the 10,000m, becoming the first to ever run sub-30:50.

New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei was one of the few people besides Lemngole who made Hedengren look human when at full strength, and she could very well make this a three-woman race compared to the duel we saw at Gans Creek last November.

Team-wise, it'd be foolish to assume that Laurie Henes and Diljeet Taylor, the head coaches for NC State and BYU, won't be in the contender conversation, especially when you look at the pool of athletes they're working with.

The Wolfpack, who are defending champs and winners of four of the last national titles, bring back their entire top five from NCAAs, including last year's fifth- and sixth-place finishers, Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman.

All-Americans Bethany Michalak and Angelina Napoleon are both running it back as far as we know, and Sadie Engelhardt, the third-place finisher in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships, is only going to progress on the grass.

Henes' squad acquired additional depth with All-American transfer Rachel Forsyth, who is trading in her Michigan State green for Wolfpack red.

Incoming sophomores Emily Wisniewski and Daniela Scheffler are both keen to take a leap as well, giving the defending champions plenty of firepower going into the 2026 campaign.

As for the Cougars, they aren't guaranteed to bring back their entire top five from a year ago, but there's a chance they return more than expected.

Obviously, Hedengren is back for her sophomore year and hungry for her first individual national title, but winning one as a team would be the cherry on top.

With all of the ongoing changes to NCAA eligibility, it's unclear if last year's fourth-place finisher, Riley Chamberlain, has one more year in her, but considering she's competed in four cross country seasons, I'd lean toward the Cougars having to find a replacement.

The good thing is, just like NC State, BYU has squad depth that most coaches would dream of, including returners Nelah Roberts and Zariel Macchia.

Diljeet Taylor's freshman class is phenomenal heading into the fall, with Lily Alder, Lilly Beshears, Addyson Guymon, Hallie Heemeyer, and Macy Wingard all having already signed on the dotted line.

Not to mention, former NAU Lumberjack All-American Karrie Baloga is set to join the squad in Provo.

Since 2019, every NCAA team title has been won by either NC State or BYU, but there are a handful of other women's squads that could sneak in and cause some chaos.

Last year's third-place finishers seemingly have the best chance at playing spoiler. Shalane Flanagan's Oregon Ducks have only been getting better since she joined Jerry Schumacher's coaching staff, and it's hard to imagine anyone else being a bigger factor.

New Mexico, Stanford, NAU, and Oklahoma State are just a few more teams to mention, but honestly, there are a lot more who could jump into that role.

One small note: with the new intro in place, the "Obviously, there are a lot of factors to consider" paragraph now repeats the setup. You could cut it and go straight into the Lemngole paragraph if you want a tighter transition.