I have no idea of where to even start. This year is so deep for the individual women's race, and I feel like the women are so much more unpredictable than the men. I say this because it seems like every year there is a new face in the crowd that finishes in the top 15 for cross country or winning an outdoor title despite not having been a national contender beforehand.
If Audrey Miller from Loras were running, I would say she would be the heavy favorite. But I haven't seen anything from her all year and her track finishes weren't what I was expecting from a national runner-up in cross country.
With her out of it, a whole new crowd emerges.
As of now, I like Taryn Cordani from Ithica a lot. She always seems to be in the thick of things and puts herself in a position to contend for the win. Also, her 10th place finish at Paul Short was very impressive. Less so for place, and more so for time. She unfortunately lost to a lot of "no-name" D1 runners, but her good performance remains.
I also like Kaitlyn Mooney out of Coast Guard quite a bit. She may be a freshman, but freshman tend to make big impacts on the women's side rather quickly. A stud in high school, is used to being on the big stage. Downside is the lack of talent around her in terms of teammates and coaching staff (usually).
As for upsets or dark horses,I like Ashlyn Bagge of Wartburg here. Has won every race until prenats, and had a rough day there. I think she can mix it up out there for a top 5 finish, as well.
Is Falicia Koerner of Johns Hopkins hurt? She would be another favorite to contend. Multiple-time all American and one of the top performers.