Flotrack's Picks:
Women's Teams | Women's Individuals | Men's Teams | Men's Individuals

1. Kate Avery, Iona
While admittedly it was a tough call for us between Avery and Shelby Houlihan, Avery gets the nod here because her two races this fall have been flawless, those coming after her incredible fourth-place finish in the Commonwealth Games 10k. Avery had a long track season as a result of the Games occurring in late July, meaning she wasn’t ready to hit the grass when big races started happening in October. Even without a marquee win to pad her resume heading into Terre Haute, Avery should toe the line confident after she solo’d a 19:15 6k at conference, and then made easy work of previous Saucony Flo50 No. 3 Liv Westphal at the Northeast Region, winning by a comfortable 23 seconds over teammate Rosie Clarke.
Prediction: Last year, Avery paid the price for leading the first 4k, settling for 3rd on day when leading from the gun proved to be a poor race strategy for both the men and the women. Avery should have learned from last year that leading means working harder.

2. Shelby Houlihan, Arizona State
Houlihan won Griak over a loaded field that included the Iowa State duo (Nelson and Moen), the Michigan State duo (Schulist and O’Connor), as well as NCAA 10k champ Emma Bates, rising to #1 in the Flo50 with that dominating performance in late September. Since  she has held on to her #1 spot since that race, it would only make sense for us to pick her to win in Terre Haute, right? Right? 
Prediction: Picking a favorite between Houlihan and Avery leaves little room for error, and we gave the advantage to Avery because she finished 3rd last year and has half as many races in her legs as Houlihan this fall. Since we’re projecting this race to be very close, any small factor that pushes the meter in one direction could make the difference over the last mile. 


3. Crystal Nelson, Iowa State
Raise your hand if had Iowa State’s Crystal Nelson finishing third at NCAA’s before the season. Nobody? That’s what I thought. All that changed after Wisco, where Nelson dominated a field that wasn’t all that different from the one we’ll see this weekend in Terre Haute. After a Big 12 race that saw her easily beat teammate Katy Moen and previous No. 2 Rachel Johnson of Baylor, it was clear that Nelson was here to stay. All this from the person who was 32nd at NCAA’s a year ago.
Prediction:  Nelson ran really easy at the Midwest Regional, finishing 5th in more of a tempo effort. That should give her fresh legs at NCAA’s, whereas Avery and Houlihan were asked to run hard at regionals for the sake of their team. 


4. Emma Bates, Boise State
One of the most hyped girls coming into the 2014 season, Bates got off to a rough start. After getting out with the pack at Roy Griak, she disappeared and fell back to a disappointing sixth place. When the highly-anticipated Wisconsin Invite approached, it was another sixth-place finish for the 2014 NCAA 10k Champion. It was the Mountain West Championship race that brought back Emma’s winning form, where she bested the field with a blistering 6k time of 19:37. And if that wasn’t enough, she went head-to-head with Houlihan at the D1 West Regional, finishing three seconds behind the Sun Devil. Happy with her close, Bates called the margin a “daunting number,” seeing that in 2013, she was three seconds behind race winner Abbey D’Agostino. Closing out her final season of cross country with another individual national championship seems to be next on her plate.
Prediction: She will run in the front pack, but the top three have big wins under their belts, and will overpower Bates’ end of the season momentum.

5. Dominique Scott, Arkansas
After winning the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on their home course, Arkansas’ Dominique Scott caught our eye with her 16:01 5k on the grass. She then took her talents to Madison and impressed us with her 19:54 eighth-place effort. After winning SEC and D1 South Central titles, we’re confident with Scott as a top five contender. Her advantage against the competition? Her consistency in big races. 28th at the 2013 NCAA Championships, Scott has since racked up two individual All American performances, three SEC titles, and an anchor leg spot on the NCAA Championship DMR team, and the accolades will lead up to one of Scott’s best performances Saturday.
Prediction: The Native South African is so used to winning this season, that she’ll make a run for the title. Experience will favor the others, though, but Scott will improve 23 spots from 2013.

6. Leah O’Connor, Michigan State
The most decorated Spartan vying for a team title on Saturday, O’Connor is our pick to finish first for the green and white. After finishing 44th last season, O’Connor has become a national superstar, finishing seventh in the indoor mile before upsetting Olympian Shalaya Kipp for the NCAA steeplechase title in Eugene. This season has been just as promising. After finishing ninth in the stacked Wisco field, O’Connor won her first XC Big Ten Title (to add to her other six in track), and crossed the finish line first at the D1 Great Lakes Region. After she won her NCAA title, O’Connor told us she was going to put her feet up and get ready for cross country season. This girl is all about the team.
Prediction: The Michigan native will lead the Spartans to something great, all while nabbing her first All American accolade in cross country. She’ll leave Terre Haute not just as an All American, but as a top ten finisher.

7. Rachele Schulist, Michigan State
The redshirt sophomore has made some huge strides this season, starting with an individual win at the Bill Dellinger Invite and leading the Spartans through the beginning of a historic season that saw MSU top the team rankings all year long. Schulist continued with a fifth-place finish at the Roy Griak Invite, a runner-up finish at Wisconsin, a third-place finish at the Big Ten conference meet, and a runner-up finish at D1 Great Lakes alongside teammate O’Connor.
Prediction: Schulist will work with her teammate O’Connor like she has done throughout the season, to help lead the Spartans to a team win.




8. Katrina Coogan, Georgetown
The Georgetown senior will cap off a stellar year by leading the No. 2 Hoyas into the NCAA championships. Coogan has established herself as a leader on the team beginning with a fourth-place finish at Battle in Beantown. She followed the performance weeks later with a third-place finish at Pre-Nats, leading the Hoyas to a team win for the second year in a row, ahead of previously-ranked No. 3 Oregon and No. 1 Michigan. Most recently, Coogan clocked a Big East title and a decisive D1 Mid-Atlantic win. It was the first time a Georgetown runner has won the meet since Melissa Grelli took the title in 2007.
Prediction: Katrina will continue her near-perfect season by mixing it up in the top pack of women to earn her first All American honor in cross country.




9. Liv Westphal, Boston College
The redshirt junior from Limoges, France raced aggressive from the start of the season, beginning with a big win at the Battle in Beantown over previously ranked No. 5 Erin Finn of Michigan. She followed the performance with a fourth-place finish at Wisconsin, taking down Katy Moen, 2013 NCAA runner-up Bates, and freshman phenom Elise Cranny. She returned to take her first ACC championship and most recently a fourth-place finish at D1 Northeast. Her strategy this year has been consistently running aggressive from the start, and it is a tactic that has set her apart. “I told myself I had to start faster in the races, I had to be less shy - everybody has two legs and two arms, so no big deal. Why not try?” said Westphal according to BCHeights.com.
Prediction: Although Westphal fell back a bit at D1 Northeast, she will return to maker her mark for ninth overall at NCAAs.


10. Rachel Johnson, Baylor
The Baylor senior is well on her way to earning her first All American honor in cross country. After earning a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the NCAA outdoor championships in June, Johnson entered the cross country season with a second-place finish at the Roy Griak Invite, seconds behind previously ranked No. 1 Houlihan. She followed the performance with a dominating win at Pre-Nats, running away from the pack halfway through the race and taking down the rest of the field by 15 seconds. Johnson returned with a third-place finish at the Big 12 cross country championships and a runner-up finish at D1 South Central. 
Prediction: Johnson will be a serious threat in the top pack in Terre Haute. We’ve seen her tenacity on the course at Pre-Nats, and won’t be surprised when she fights her way to the top on Saturday