The 2018 Division II NCAA XC Championships this Saturday, December 1, in Pittsburgh will feature a multitude of superstars who have thrived at the national level in cross country and indoor and outdoor track throughout their collegiate careers. We’ve picked out 10 current names who have stood out from their peers in their ability to perpetually contend for—and in some cases, accumulate—national titles and All-American honors in each of the sport’s three seasons. 

To make this elite list of D2 distance standouts, an athlete couldn’t just be a cross country specialist without track pedigree, and vice versa.

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These are the 10 biggest D2 distance stars that will race on Saturday at the national championships:

1. Alicja Konieczek - Senior, Western Colorado

D2 NCAA Records: 2 (indoor mile, outdoor 3,000m steeplechase)

D2 NCAA Titles: 8

D2 XC All-American: 2

D2 Track All-American: 10

Western Colorado senior Alicja Konieczek has more NCAA titles (eight) than any other active female D2 track and field athlete, and that plus her two national records (indoor mile of 4:37.42, outdoor 3,000m steeplechase of 9:47.72) has cemented the Polish star as one of Division II’s all-time greats.

Compared to her track exploits, Konieczek has had relatively modest success in cross country as she has never placed in the top 10 at nationals. That will change on Saturday as she enters NCAAs as the pre-race favorite.

2. Sydney Gidabuday - Senior, Adams State

D2 NCAA Records: 1 (indoor 3,000m)

D2 NCAA Titles: 6

D2 XC All-American: 3

D2 Track All-American: 11

Gidabuday has been a star at Adams State since his freshman season—a season in which he finished sixth at cross country nationals and won three titles between indoor and outdoor track—and he’s added three more D2 crowns since then to make him the most feared distance runner at this level. Gidabuday set the D2 indoor 3,000m record of 7:56 at 2017 NCAAs, and his 13:29 outdoor 5,000m last spring at Bryan Clay is the second-fastest in division history.

Gidabuday's 13:29 5,000m:

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Like Konieczek, he’s still missing that elusive cross title to complete his illustrious resume. His final shot at it on Saturday will be his best opportunity yet, as Gidabuday is healthy and running well this fall.

3. Zach Panning - Senior, Grand Valley State

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: 1

D2 XC All-American: 3

D2 Track All-American: 7

Another perpetual All-American since the day he arrived on campus, Zach Panning earned nine such honors before he won the 2018 NCAA outdoor 5,000m in May. His speciality, however, remains the cross country course, as last year’s runner-up has placed in the top five at nationals in each of his first three years at GVSU.

Panning has won four races this fall, and he’ll look to become Grand Valley’s first ever male NCAA cross country champion in Pittsburgh.

4. Sarah Berger - Senior, Grand Valley State

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: 1

D2 XC All-American: 1

D2 Track All-American: 7

Berger took runner-up honors in the NCAA 1500m in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017 before finally breaking through with gold last spring in Charlotte. What’s perhaps even more impressive is that the former Walsh star was second at NCAA XC in 2017 in just her first collegiate cross country season, as she played soccer during the fall until last year.

Now running for one of the nation’s top D2 programs at Grand Valley State, Berger could end her career in Pittsburgh with an individual and team title on Saturday.

5. Leakey Kipkosgei - Senior, American International

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: 1

D2 XC All-American: 3

D2 Track All-American: 5

With a 1:49 800m PR and three NCAA XC top-15 finishes, American International senior Leakey Kipkosgei is undoubtedly the rangiest distance runner in D2. In addition to his cross country prowess, the Kenyan has collected All-American trophies in the 800m, 3,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, and the DMR; in 2016, he ran the anchor leg on the Yellowjackets’ distance medley national title squad at NCAA indoor. 

6. Derrick Williams - Senior, CSU-Pueblo

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: N/A

D2 XC All-American: 1

D2 Track All-American: 11

Another rangy stud in the mold of Kipkosgei, CSU-Pueblo senior Derrick Williams has earned All-American recognition across six disciplines during his career: 1500m, 3,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, DMR, and cross country.

Williams redshirted last fall and did not finish at NCAA XC in 2016, so his 14th-place showing at 2015 nationals stands as his best career cross country race to date. After a fifth-place finish at the mega-competitive South Central regional on November 17, that should change on Saturday at NCAAs.

7. Leah Hanle - Junior, Mount Olive

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: N/A

D2 XC All-American: 2

D2 Track All-American: 5

A junior from Germany, Leah Hanle has put her program on the map as the first and only All-American ever from the Mount Olive women’s track and cross country teams. Hanle has earned first-team All-American status in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000m (twice), 10,000m, and 3,000m steeplechase, as well as twice in cross country in just her first two years in college.

The German was 25th at NCAA XC as a frosh and 14th last fall, suggesting that a top-10 finish, or maybe even top five, awaits her in Pittsburgh.

8. Enael Woldemichael - Sophomore, Grand Valley State

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: N/A

D2 XC All-American: 1

D2 Track All-American: 2

The Grand Valley State sophomore has been overshadowed by his national champion teammate Zach Panning during his first year and a half, but Enael Woldemichael is poised to dominate D2 in the coming years after a spectacular freshman season.

Woldemichael placed sixth at nationals last fall before turning in a third-place finish in the NCAA indoor 5,000m, followed by a runner-up showing to Panning outdoors. A top-five finish is likely coming on Saturday, after which Woldemichael will be in great position to contend for the title in his final two seasons.

9. Aneta Konieczek - Sophomore, Western Colorado

D2 NCAA Records: N/A

D2 NCAA Titles: 1

D2 XC All-American: 1

D2 Track All-American: 3

The sister of Alicja Konieczek could soon dominate the D2 women’s side just like her older sibling, as Aneta already has a top-10 NCAA XC finish (seventh in 2017), a DMR national title, and two top-four finishes in the indoor 3,000m (third) and outdoor 3,000m steeplechase (fourth).

The younger Konieczek hasn’t quite been on her sister’s level this cross country season, but still, a good race for her in Pittsburgh could mean three Mountaineers in the top 10.

10. Dustin Nading - Senior, Western Oregon

D2 NCAA Records: 1 (DMR)

D2 NCAA Titles: 3

D2 XC All-American: N/A

D2 Track All-American: 6

The reigning NCAA indoor mile champ doesn’t have near the cross country accomplishments of the rest of the athletes here, but after qualifying as an individual out of the tough West region, Western Oregon senior Dustin Nading deserves a spot on the list.

Nading ran lead-off for Western Oregon’s NCAA record-setting DMR squad (9:40.15) back in 2017 that just squeaked past Adams State, and he played the same role this past indoor season as WOU went back-to-back. The 4:04 miler then won his first NCAA individual title in the indoor mile before finishing runner-up to his NCAA D2 1500m record holder teammate David Ribich in the outdoor 1500m.

Nading had a disastrous NCAA XC debut last fall as he faded to 202nd, but he should be much improved on Saturday after the huge year he has enjoyed in 2018.