25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels
10. Virginia Cavaliers
Flotrack’s #10: Colorado State Rams
Flotrack's Ranking of Virginia: 12th
Coach: Pete Watson
Flotrack's Ranking of Virginia: 12th
Coach: Pete Watson
Notable Departures: N/A
Notable Additions: N/A
Projected Scoring Five: Henry Wynne (JR) [ET#19], Chase Weaverling (JR) [ET#45], Zach Herriot (SR), Thomas Madden (SR), Brent Demarest (SO)
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One of the more underrated top-tier teams in the nation are the Virginia Cavaliers. They seem to be competitive every year whether they graduate key scorers or rely on returners.
In 2015, Virginia was a favorite in many meets including their opener Panorama Farms (which they hosted). The Cavaliers were able to defeat two very good Oklahoma and Furman teams by putting up a 41 point score. The Wisconsin Invite, was about just as good as the self proclaimed "Wahoo's" finished 4th in the team standings partially thanks to Wynne's 9th place finish overall.
ACC's would be the first time of the year where we see the first actual slip up from Virginia as they placed 3rd in the conference. Syracuse was the favorite to win (which they did), but NC State's upset over Virginia certainly wasn't expected. At regionals, Virginia entered as the favorites to win the title. However, no one expected Louisville to pull together the race of the year as they shocked UVA and the rest of the field to get the win. Still, Virginia would get an automatic qualifier to nationals and have another shot to prove themselves. Unfortunately, it was at NCAA's where UVA had the worst race of their season and they finished 22nd overall.
In 2016, Virginia will return their entire squad from last year's nationals meet. Henry Wynne has proven that he can be a low-stick and should (theoretically) be a top-20 runner in the nation. The only aspect he needs to improve is his consistency. His performances during the post-season weren't quite as impressive as his Wisconsin run, but it's clear that his talent level is one of a leader.
Chase Weaverling, meanwhile, could be a great compliment to Wynne this season. He was consistently finishing just behind Wynne and was even the top runner for Virginia at nationals. He was close to being an All-American last season and his consistency could earn him that honor by the end of this season.
Others like Thomas Madden and Zach Herriot are great guys to have at the three and four positions. They are very experienced and have been improving every year. They've been to nationals and they've raced the best, so there shouldn't be many excuses for them not to do well this year.
The fifth spot will most likely go to Brent Demarest who was a freshman last fall and made multiple appearances as a scorer. His experience on the big stage (and simply having another year under his belt) is a huge advantage for this Cavaliers squad. The young guys always have a lot of upside and the sky is the limit for Demarest.
UVA is set for an excellent season. However, they will need to be more consistent and be resistant to upsets. But now the experience is on their side and the leadership is strong. Returning everyone from last year is a near-guarantee that Virginia will be perform better than they did in 2015 and make them a top 10 team.
One of the more underrated top-tier teams in the nation are the Virginia Cavaliers. They seem to be competitive every year whether they graduate key scorers or rely on returners.
In 2015, Virginia was a favorite in many meets including their opener Panorama Farms (which they hosted). The Cavaliers were able to defeat two very good Oklahoma and Furman teams by putting up a 41 point score. The Wisconsin Invite, was about just as good as the self proclaimed "Wahoo's" finished 4th in the team standings partially thanks to Wynne's 9th place finish overall.
ACC's would be the first time of the year where we see the first actual slip up from Virginia as they placed 3rd in the conference. Syracuse was the favorite to win (which they did), but NC State's upset over Virginia certainly wasn't expected. At regionals, Virginia entered as the favorites to win the title. However, no one expected Louisville to pull together the race of the year as they shocked UVA and the rest of the field to get the win. Still, Virginia would get an automatic qualifier to nationals and have another shot to prove themselves. Unfortunately, it was at NCAA's where UVA had the worst race of their season and they finished 22nd overall.
In 2016, Virginia will return their entire squad from last year's nationals meet. Henry Wynne has proven that he can be a low-stick and should (theoretically) be a top-20 runner in the nation. The only aspect he needs to improve is his consistency. His performances during the post-season weren't quite as impressive as his Wisconsin run, but it's clear that his talent level is one of a leader.
Chase Weaverling, meanwhile, could be a great compliment to Wynne this season. He was consistently finishing just behind Wynne and was even the top runner for Virginia at nationals. He was close to being an All-American last season and his consistency could earn him that honor by the end of this season.
Others like Thomas Madden and Zach Herriot are great guys to have at the three and four positions. They are very experienced and have been improving every year. They've been to nationals and they've raced the best, so there shouldn't be many excuses for them not to do well this year.
The fifth spot will most likely go to Brent Demarest who was a freshman last fall and made multiple appearances as a scorer. His experience on the big stage (and simply having another year under his belt) is a huge advantage for this Cavaliers squad. The young guys always have a lot of upside and the sky is the limit for Demarest.
UVA is set for an excellent season. However, they will need to be more consistent and be resistant to upsets. But now the experience is on their side and the leadership is strong. Returning everyone from last year is a near-guarantee that Virginia will be perform better than they did in 2015 and make them a top 10 team.
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