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. And be sure to watch our LIVE FloXC Podium Reveal Show Monday, Aug. 26, at 10 AM CT. The No. 10 DIII men’s spot goes to Carleton, and here's why:

Projected Top Five:

JR Lucas Mueller (14:22 5K; 29:45 10K; 17th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

JR Matthew Wilkinson (14:33 5K; 38th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

SR Cameron Meikle (94th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

SO Stephen Lavey (218th at ‘18 NCAA XC)

SO Adam Nakasaka (241st at ‘18 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

N/A

Analysis: 

The Carleton Knights return their top three from last year’s 14th-place NCAA team, including two All-Americans, which should be enough to push them into the top 10 this fall. 

Coach Dave Ricks’ squad is headlined by junior Lucas Mueller, who followed up his 17th-place cross country finish last November with three All-American honors on the track. Mueller’s close runner-up finish in the 10,000m to six-time national champion Dhruvil Patel proved that he is ready to contend for an individual title of his own in 2019. Behind Mueller, fellow junior Matthew Wilkinson should also ride a big track season to gains on the grass. After finishing fourth in the NCAA steeple, Wilkinson has top-20 potential at XC nationals this year.

The Knights have a solid third in senior Cameron Meikle, who has placed in the top 100 at NCAAs each of the last two years. But Carleton will need better production out of their four and five runners to fully maximize their top three. Stephen Lavey and Adam Nakasaka were outside the top 200 in their NCAA debuts last fall, and improvements from both will be critical for the Knights to crack top 10 in 2019. As much will be expected as those two gain the benefit of experience in year two.

FULL RANKINGS HERE