Follow our 2019 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top 10 cross country teams in NCAA DII/DIII this season. The 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be LIVE on FloTrack for all three divisions. The No. 2 DII women’s spot goes to Grand Valley State and here's why:

Projected Top Five:

SR Allie Ludge (4:22 1500; 16:30 5K; 5th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

JR Hanna Groeber (10:23 3K SC; 16:25 5K; 6th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

JR Madison Goen (16:46 5K; 26th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

JR Hannah Roeske (10:23 3K SC; 16:47 5K; 14th at ‘18 DIII NCAA XC)

SR Stacey Metzger (16:28 5K; 15th at ‘16 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Hannah Roeske via Wheaton College (Ill.) (10:23 3K SC; 16:47 5K; 14th at ‘18 DIII NCAA XC)

Analysis: 

Last year’s Grand Valley State women bludgeoned the NCAA Championship field in a romp the likes of which had not been seen in women's Division II for 14 years. The Lakers put four runners in the top nine and all five in the top 26 to total just 41 points, the lowest number since Adams State scored 31 points in 2004. The dominant victory was punctuated by Sarah Berger’s individual victory, the third victory by a GVSU woman at nationals over the last five championships.

It was a defining victory for a program that has now won six of nine NCAA meets since 2010. Although they lost Berger and ninth-place finisher Gina Patterson to graduation, the Lakers have an excellent shot to make it seven of 10 in 2019 with four All-Americans returning and the key addition of a stud DIII transfer.

Allie Ludge and Hanna Groeber are the clear leaders of this team after they placed fifth and sixth in 2018, respectively. The pair combined to earn seven (!) All-American awards between indoor and outdoor track in 2019, so if anything you can expect them to improve this cross country season. Junior Madison Goen is an excellent complementary piece for coach Jerry Baltes in the No. 3 role, as she was 26th in Pittsburgh after placing 150th the year before as a freshman. Like Ludge and Groeber, Goen had a strong spring that foreshadows a big fall.

The rich keep getting richer as the Lakers should expect DIII transfer Hannah Roeske from Wheaton College (Ill.) to immediately join their top five. Roeske was 14th at the DIII championships last November, and she has the track times of a DII All-American. It’s likely that the junior will be even better this season now that she has such a talented group to train with.

The wildcard on this team is senior Stacey Metzger, who has run for the Lakers at the last three national championship meets. Metzger was 15th in 2016 but hasn’t come close to that since. If she gets back to that level this year, however, Grand Valley State will have zero weaknesses.

FULL RANKINGS HERE