Follow our 2018 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top cross country teams in the NCAA this season, which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 8 women’s spot in DIII goes to UW-Eau Claire, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

JR Sam Slattery (17:04 5K; 35:53 10K; 17th at ’17 NCAA XC)

SR Morgan Marek (5:03 Mile; 63rd at ’17 NCAA XC)

SO Lizzy Cisewski (10:23 3K; 18:05 5K; 144th at ’17 NCAA XC)

SO Teagan Monfils (10:47 3K; 18:37 5K; 22nd at ‘17 WIAC XC)

SO Hannah Lamack (10:42 3K; 24th at ‘17 WIAC XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

N/A

Analysis:

Although the 2017 second place team in Division III enters this season with just three returners, UW-Eau Claire brings back their top runner in junior Sam Slattery to provide stability for this transitioning squad. Gone are Slattery’s fellow All-Americans Mel Becker and Callie Fischer, which will no doubt be tough to overcome as the Blugolds will feature multiple newcomers to the national stage in 2018. 

But there’s reason to be optimistic; with a star up front and two other NCAA-experienced athletes, Eau Claire is still a premier program.

There will much anticipation surrounding Slattery’s 2018 campaign after she broke out in a big way last year. Slattery did not qualify for nationals as a freshman in 2016, and yet she progressed to the point of placing second at the conference meet and fifth in the Midwest region. A similar jump this season could have her among Division III’s very best distance runners.

Slattery’s supporting cast is a blend of old and new faces. Senior Morgan Marek owns the most NCAA XC experience of the bunch, and her improvement from 90th in 2016 to 63rd last season suggests the possibility of an All-American campaign this year. Sophomore Lizzy Cisewski ran at NCAAs as a freshman and a solid first year on the track is a good sign of things to come this fall.

Filling the void of the Blugolds’ departed backend runners will be sophomores Teagan Monfils and Hannah Lamack. Both will be green to the national level, but their top 25 finishes at the conference meet show that they’re ready to step up to the stage. UW-Eau Claire will rely on their growth to succeed this season. 

FULL RANKINGS HERE