Photo by Adam Oestreich for FloTrack
10/16 Update: Allie Ostrander of Boise State becomes the first freshman to win the Wisconsin Invitational since 2012 by scorching 19:19 over 6k to break Abbey D'agostino's course record by 10 seconds and outpacing defending NCAA 10k champion Molly Seidel of Notre Dame.
With the first big weekend of NCAA cross country a mere five days away, most teams have already gotten their rust-buster meets out of the way as they prepare for more competitive races later in the season. While most results from these early September contests are of little importance relative to the big picture of the collegiate season, there are certain performances that always raise an eyebrow and preview bigger things to come in the near future.
No I'm not talking about Edward Cheserek or even Dom Scott, they're proven NCAA contenders, I'm talking about the freshmen, the newbies who are anxious to get their feet wet as they step up to the big leagues for the first time. Even small dual meets are critical first steps for newcomers on the collegiate circuit, as they answer two questions: 1. Are you healthy? and 2. Can you handle the step up in competition?
Particularly for those hyped-up freshmen who were superstars in high school, NCAA debuts are always analyzed under a microscope. Since the majority of the men have yet to debut (i.e. Fisher, Maton, Hacker, Anderson), today we're taking a look at some the country's best freshmen ladies. These ladies have answered my two hypothetical questions with a resounding "yes!".
Scroll through the slideshow to learn more about the debuts, then vote in the poll! Think someone else will be the top freshman at NCAA XC? Tweet us @milesplit!