1. Wisconsin
At last fall's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, in Bloomington, Ind., Wisconsin's Erica Palmer was trailing Arkansas's Amy Yoder and Lillie Kleinmann as they approached the course's final hill, about 800 meters from the finish. Suddenly Palmer burst past the leaders to complete her unlikely ascent to an NCAA individual title.

"I love hills," says Palmer, who was reared in the foothills of New Hampshire's White Mountains. "When they're out there I always seem to do a lot better." That bodes well for Palmer and the Badgers, who in November, at Iowa State's rolling course, will mount their first successful NCAA team title run since 1985.

Palmer, Bethany Brewster, Erin AufderHeide and Colorado transfer Briana Stott-Messick -- all of whom are juniors -- lead a Wisconsin team that finished fourth in the country last season, its best finish since 1986. "We know each other so well," Palmer says. "Last year we had such an incredible closeness, and it seems like we're getting closer every year." They've been getting faster too.

2. Stanford
The Cardinal was the only team with three top 15 finishers at the '99 NCAAs. The women who made that happen -- senior Julia Stamps and sophomores Lauren Fleshman and Erin Sullivan -- are all back.

3. BYU
With All-Americas Tara Northcutt, Laura Heiner and Sharolyn Shields, the '99 NCAA champs will make another strong run at the title.

4. Arkansas
The Lady Razorbacks are led by Kleinmann, a junior, and senior Tracy Robertson. They will be bolstered by the addition of Amy Wiseman, a transfer from Nebraska.

5. Colorado
Senior Kara Wheeler is explosive but injury-prone. Junior Lesley Higgins and sophomore Tera Moody will have to come up big.

6. Kansas State
Seniors Korene Hinds and Annie Wetterhus are solid. If talented sophomore Amy Mortimer continues to improve, it could mean the best finish in school history.

7. Georgetown
With seniors Kristen Gordon, Lorena Adams and Emily Enstice, the Hoyas are poised to replace Villanova as the top program in the Big East.

8. Arizona State
Senior Kelly MacDonald and junior Lisa Aguilera anchor the nation's most improved team.

9. Villanova
Senior Ann McGranahan and sophomore Liz Awtrey return to a program that won seven NCAA titles from 1989 to '98, but was 21st in '99.

10. Washington
Senior Melinda Campbell and sophomores Jen Schindler and Kate Bradshaw are the class of this top 10 mainstay.

HOT DATES

Sept. 30
Cardinal Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.

Oct. 14
NCAA Pre Meet, Ames, Iowa

Nov. 20
NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, Ames, Iowa

DIVISION II

Adams State in Colorado has won eight straight national titles. Make it nine.

DIVISION III

Junior Jessica Dober will lead Wisconsin-La Crosse to its first title since '83.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The hilly terrain and chilly Iowa weather will give Wisconsin's Erica Palmer the edge over Stanford's Lauren Fleshman and Arkansas's Lillie Kleinmann at the NCAAs. Colorado's Kara Wheeler is the only other runner with a serious shot at the crown.

CYBERSOURCES

www.trackwire.com
Same-day coverage of every major collegiate meet

www.trackandfieldnews.com
The official page of Track and Field News