The rust is busted, season-openers dusted, and NCAA cross country is in full swing. In case the November 23rd championship isn’t already circled on your calendar, here’s a quick preview of some of the best narratives to follow this season:

Graham’s got a Blanks space, baby

Olympic 5000m finalist Graham Blanks is looking to get more than just a degree from Harvard this year – he wants to defend his NCAA cross country title. One of his chief competitors will be UNC's Parker Wolfe, who edged out Graham for third at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In addition to his outdoor 5000m title, you can’t forget about Parker’s ninth-place finish at last year’s cross country championships; he’s shown both strength and speed. The plot thickens as both seniors head into the fall NCAA champions hungry for another collegiate crown and are likely to go head-to-head once again.

N.A.U.: Not An Underdog

NC State will be looking for the first four-peat since Villanova in the 90s despite the loss of top 2023 scorers Katelyn Tuohy, Amaris Tyynismaa, and Samantha Bush. After falling short by a single point at last year’s championships, NAU feels overdue for their first team title, and returns familiar faces Elise Stearns, Ali Upshaw and Olympic Trials 1500m finalist Maggi Congdon (1500m greatness actually serves as a solid predictor for 6K performance on the grass). They’ll be challenged by the Wolfpack’s sophomore duo of Grace Hartman, coming off of a strong track season, and top-50 2023 finisher Leah Stephens. Coach Laurie Henes also added DIII standout Fiona Smith through the transfer portal, and the 16x(!) All-American looks to make a big impact in her grad year. 

The boys are (Razor)back in town

Yaseen Abdalla of Arkansas (and formerly Tennessee) might be the most interesting story to follow this cross country season. Despite a poorer than expected showing at last year’s champs, the two-time cross country All-American is now an Olympian, where he had an impressive marathon debut in 2:11:41 for Sudan. But he’s not the only Razorback in the mix. Patrick Kiprop displayed promising improvement last season moving from 24th in 2022 up to seventh last year. While the Arkansas program has the most men’s cross country titles to their name, they haven’t added gold to the trophy shelf in a while but are sitting in third in the most recent USTFCCCA coaches’ poll.

Time for Hildamania?

Florida might’ve lost last year’s winner and six-time NCAA champion Parker Valby… but don’t count the Gators out for the individual or team title thanks to Alabama transfer Hilda Olemomoi. A rising junior, the Kenyan is arguably more capable of filling Valby-sized shoes than anyone as she was the runner-up in both the 5K and 10K at last year’s outdoor championships, plus cross country podium sixth and fourth-place finishes in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Joining her is super-senior Allison Wilson who finished 49th a year ago. An impressive progression on the track after taking two years off, coupled with a hunt for her first All-American berth could be the key to leading the team to another top-five finish.

Olympic snub consolation season for Habtom

If anyone knows how to run a 10K in the NCAA, it’s Habtom Samuel of New Mexico. Despite hitting the Olympic standard, he wasn’t selected by the Eritrean Committee to compete in Paris this summer but hopefully can fill that 25-lap void with a W in the midwestern snow later this year. Since his runner-up finish at the XC championships last year, the Lobo won the outdoor 10,000m title and boasts the second-fastest mark all-time in the NCAA. His resume looks pretty strong going into the fall, and we even got an inside scoop on how his training is progressing in our interview with Coach Darren Gauson last week.

End of the Clinger Era for BYU men

Given that he was a true freshman in 2017, hopefully Casey Clinger’s endurance in the NCAA correlates to this strength in cross country. The BYU standout is coming back after a one-year hiatus from the NCAA, and he sure isn’t alone as the Cougar men have the depth to be ranked second heading into this weekend of late-September meets. And if anyone knows how to chase demanding expectations, it’s cross country All-American and recent steeplechase Olympian James Corrigan, who looks to make a big leap from his 32nd place finish last year.

Ducks vs. Dawgs: Big 10 Style

Oregon might be shaking things up in a new conference, but their starting lineup looks familiar – they’re returning six of their seven from NCAAs last year. They include the Ducks’ top returning scorer, Maddy Elmore, as well as Polish Olympian Klaudia Kazimierska (who found herself on a meteoric middle-distance trajectory over the summer in the 1500m). Post-XC transfer Silan Ayyildiz took flight for the Ducks on the track last year, and a 15:15.84 5000m means she could be a key cog to Oregon’s success. Meanwhile, the Washington women added key transfer and previous ninth-place finisher Amina Maatoug, among returners and middle-distance studs Chloe Forester and Irish Olympian Sophie O’Sullivan. These two already showed impressive range in their 6K performances last fall, and that’s even before considering their development on the track. While the UW women beat Oregon’s squad at last year’s championships, the Ducks are sitting one spot ahead in the most recent USTFCCCA’s coaches’ poll.