TSR Collaboration
Jan 25, 202215 min
Written by Grace McLaughlin & Garrett Zatlin
Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.
Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.
TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.
Was not ranked in our last update.
First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings.
The second number indicates where they were ranked in our last update.
This Greyhound veteran has wasted no time getting to work on the indoor oval, covering the mile, the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters so far this winter with one week still left in the month of January.
Eaton has run 17:02 for 5000 meters (NCAA #8), 9:50.99 for 3000 meters (NCAA #16) and a flat-track converted 5:02 in the mile (NCAA #31). None of those marks are going to dramatically alter the NCAA landscape, but it's clear that Eaton can do a little bit of everything at a competitive level.
When you consider the fact that it's only January and that Eaton didn't give us any indication that she had this kind of talent while at Belmont University, then it may be fair to say that her past three performances may only be the start of an exciting February and a massive spring season. Keep an eye on this graduate student moving forward.
One of the recent breakout distance talents on the D2 scene this year has been Gemma Rebollo, a rookie from Wingate. Her cross country season was solid and fairly respectable, but it didn't lead us to believe that she would be running as well as she has this winter.
Rebollo has thrown down times of 17:00 (5k) and 9:43 (3k) so far this season, putting her at NCAA #17 and NCAA #11, respectively, on the national leaderboard.
There is still so much that we don't know about Rebollo. We're not quite sure what her speed is like or what her best event is. At the same time, being as young as this Wingate runner is can often lead to major hot streaks where a runner finds unfettered potential.
Could that be the case for Rebollo who is asserting herself as a national-caliber name at the D2 level? As of right now, it seems more likely than not.
It shouldn't come as any surprise that Beckford made it into our rankings once again. She's a highly experience middle distance veteran who is super consistent and is no stranger to running fast.
The speed-oriented talent from Lincoln (MO) ran 2:12 for 800 meters this past weekend, one of the top times in the nation so far this season. However, the more important development is that she took down Academy of Art standout Natalia Novak in the process.
Novak is a top-tier name and has a personal best of 2:09. Seeing Beckford take down an experienced middle distance standout like Novak is a massive statement and it shows us that Beckford is still at the top of her game.
Queens is a program that doesn't get enough credit for how often they produce top-ranked distance talents on the women's side. Veteran Stevie Lawrence is one of those names who has risen to a point where she now needs to be listed in our rankings.
The Royals standout is currently ranked at NCAA #9 in the 3000 meters (9:39) and NCAA #17 in the 5000 meters (17:18). Her first mark in the 3k is strong and although her 5k mark isn't quite on the same level, it's still a solid result that pairs well with her aforementioned 3k.
Lawrence is clearly on a hot streak where she is realizing her full potential and posting new personal best after new personal best. However, the mile may be her ideal distance given her newfound fitness and past PR of 4:59.
Rypma is one of the more underrated names in the NCAA, mainly because her team is loaded with numerous All-American-caliber talents as well as multiple title contending stars. That, of course, doesn't make Rypma any less talented.
The GVSU runner is more of a long distance specialist, currently owning a time of 16:54 for 5000 meters which sits at NCAA #4 for the event. Her personal best of 16:50, which she ran at the outdoor national meet last spring en route to an All-American finish, is now within striking range this winter on the always more challenging indoor oval.
Assuming that Rypma can replicate her success from last spring come March, then another All-American could be in her future.
A flat-track converted time of 2:12 for 800 meters seems to be on par for Acheson who has also run a quietly impressive mark of 1:33 for 600 meters.
Yes, Acheson does drop in our rankings, but it's not like the start of her indoor track season has been bad by any means. She has been excellent in her opening rust-busters and seems to be trending towards another indoor campaign where she qualifies for the national meet.
The U-Mary star has consistently delivered top-five All-American finishes in the women's 800 meters on the national stage and as long as she runs fast enough to extend her postseason, we like her chances of earning another top-five finish in March.
Few middle distance women in the NCAA are as tactically savvy and as consistently great on the national stage. Keep that in mind when talking about sleeper picks in March.
Celine Ritter may capture all of the attention for the Lee women, but Toni Moore is a highly accomplished talent in her own right who deserves some praise. After a great cross country season, Moore has gone on to run 4:56 in the mile and 16:57 for 5000 meters.
Moore is clearly a long distance specialist, so seeing her run 4:56 gives her resume some middle distance speed. In an ideal world, Moore's mile prowess pairs with her 5k stamina and makes her a superstar 3k runner.
We'll see if that ends up being true, but considering that she is nationally ranked in two events right now, we thought a top-20 ranking was appropriate.
Running a converted mark of 9:39 for 3000 meters this season seems to be on par for an Adams State star who was incredible this past fall. Her rust-buster 3k wasn't Earth-shattering, but it did lead to an improved effort this past weekend.
Althaus has now proven that she can translate her cross country success to the indoor oval for a race that is half the length of the NCAA XC Championships. When she moves up in distance to her presumably ideal event, the 5000 meters, then she could make some major noise.
Drury and McCune go hand-in-hand as both parties are fairly underrated in the D2 distance world...well, at least in our eyes they are. McCune has run a time of 4:50 in the mile this season, a mark that is four seconds better than her previous personal best.
However, McCune is more of a long distance talent, making her mile race that much more impressive. The Drury ace has also run 9:43 for 3000 meters this season, but for whatever reason, she's not listed on the TFRRS national leaderboard.
And before you say it, no, she was not racing unattached, either.
We're not sure what the deal is there, but McCune is on a hot streak, improving her middle distance speed and further extending her already strong and nationally competitive 3k fitness to a new level.
Another year, another Adams State runner emerging as a star.
Robinson has posted a heavily converted mark of 9:31 for 3000 meters this season, losing only to teammate Brianna Robles and beating out top talent Franziska Althaus, another teammate, in the process.
After an encouraging cross country season, it's hard to dislike anything that Robinson has done over her last few races. Inexperience in the postseason may be a factor that we need to consider, but otherwise, she's a top name who is on the rise.
We knew that this Queens sophomore was a top talent in D2, but Alanis is solidifying that idea with her performances over the month of January. The Royals ace has run 4:53 in the mile and 9:37 for 3000 meters this season, giving her a level firepower rarely seen by underclassmen.
Oh, and did we mention that both of those times were recorded at the same meet on the same day? Talk about an incredible double...
After such an outstanding cross country season, Alanis may be better suited the 5000 meters. She clearly thrives in the longer distances and owns a personal best of 16:20 in the event. Given that she was able to muscle her way through an incredible double this past weekend, we think that Alanis may be one of the last women who any top D2 distance talents would want to face this year.
Natalia Novak was predominately known as a miler coming into this season and that remains to be true. However, the Academy of Art star just ran a huge time of 9:40 for 3000 meters earlier this month, showing off a level of endurance and stamina that we never realized that she had.
Novak is undoubtably one the most versatile distance talents in all of D2, recently posting a time of 2:13 for 800 meters, losing only to Kelly-Ann Beckford and complementing her endurance-based 3k mark with some speed.
The mile is Novak's best event and if she is already running this well in her "off-distance" events, then she has the potential to be a problem on the national stage for her fellow competitors.
Ines Macadam enters our indoor track rankings after her NCAA #4 performance in the 800 meters with a huge time of 2:10 at the Tiffin Revolution College Open. The Tiffin ace won the race by a jaw-dropping total of 13 seconds, so she can probably run even faster in a race with more competitors who are capable of pushing her.
Macadam is a wild card in the fact that this is her time ever being in the national spotlight. In fact, when she runs at the indoor national meet, it will be her first time on the national stage regardless of the season.
This rising sophomore star can be a contender in the 800 meters if she continues to build off of her latest half-mile effort. She does, admittedly lack the experience that several other seasoned middle-distance runners boast. However, her sky-high potential and untapped talent could make her a bigger threat on the national stage than some may realize.
Comastri is a talented distance runner who has the second-fastest time in the 5000 meters with her 16:44 mark. Her most recent race was a 4:57 mile effort which she won at the Bellarmine Invitational.
The Southern Indiana veteran had a disappointing end to her cross country season with a DNF result at the cross country national meet.
Yet, despite hiccup, Comastri is still amongst the D2 elites. She is easily one of the most experienced long distance talents in the NCAA and appears to be an aggressive racer who is unafraid of top fields.
If this the season where it all comes together for Comastri and she wins NCAA gold? Maybe, but for right now, she's a top-10 talent who has a disappointing finish at the cross country national meet that she likely wants to avenge.
Alexa Leppelmeier jumps up 11 spots in our rankings after her performance in the mile at the YSU College Indoor Invitational where she ran 4:53 to win the event. The Walsh veteran also maintained her NCAA #3 time in the 5000 meters which is a blistering mark of 16:48.
The speed shown in her mile performance and the endurance shown in her 5000 meter performance tells us that she could probably throw down a solid 3000 meter time as well.
Leppelmeier is coming off of the high momentum of a successful cross country season where she placed 2nd at the Midwest Regional Championships behind TSR #10 runner Jennifer Comastri and then placed 13th at NCAA XC Championships for her fourth All-American performance.
Leppelmeier has steadily improved throughout her years at Walsh and has been successful in a variety of events. However, it seems like the 5000 meters might be her best shot at a title, or at least a top-three All-American finish, this season.
Hannah Becker moves down several spots in out rankings simply because she has only run one race the entire season: an impressive 9:35 time which sits at NCAA #6 at the D2 level.
Becker was the cross country national champion last fall, as well as the national runner-up in both the 3000 meters and the steeplechase last year. In other words, Becker is clearly talented a title contender in her respective events.
However, given her recent lack of results, we opted to drop this Grand Valley State superstar a few spots. Seeing her record a few decent performances would likely reverse our rankings adjustments made during this update.
Brianna Robles has become Adams State’s next star runner. She jumps up seven places in this round of rankings due to her NCAA #4 time in the 3000 meters, an altitude converted 9:28 mark. Not only that, but she has also run an NCAA #7 time in the mile with an altitude converted result of 4:50.
Robles recently placed 4th in the mile at the MLK Jr. Collegiate Invitational, coming across the line after several talented Division One runners. The Adams State ace placed 6th at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall after dominating races throughout the regular season. However, seems like the speed of the track might be more of her forte.
Robles is certainly a major contender in both the 3000 meters and the mile this season, but the Grizzlies tend to throw in some surprises at the end of the season, so we will see if she if she ventures up to the 5000 meters, an area that would pair well with her cross country resume.
Chapko is better known for her success in the 800 meters, but she has clearly improved her strength, running 4:51 in the mile following a monumental 14th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships back in November.
The GVSU youngster is an up-and-coming star and is clearly benefitting from the extra year of training and experience. With improved stamina in the longer distances, Chapko should be able to handle an aggressively-paced 800 meter time and go after a big new PR.
Her 4:51 mile effort may not make noise on the national stage, but if it translates to the 800 meters like we think it will, then she'll be a problem for even the best half-mile talents in the nation.
Ludge comes in at TSR #7, moving down one spot, but at no fault of her own. The Laker veteran has the NCAA #6 time in the mile with a mark of 4:50 as well as the NCAA #3 time in the 3000 meters with a mark of 9:27.
Ludge is an experienced competitor and is likely going to be an All-American in both events. She could even emerge as a potential factor in the 5000 meters! However, the question that we have for her is just how high can she place at the national meet?
On paper, she's strong enough to earn individual NCAA gold, but we don't know if that theory will hold true come March.
Another possibility to consider is if Ludge ends up on the Lakers’ DMR team like she did last indoor season. She attempted the triple at the indoor national meet last year, but ended up with a DNF in the 3000 meters, placing 4th in the mile and assisting in a DMR title victory.
With another year of experience under her belt, Ludhe could be one of the top all-around performers this year across her three events.
Since our last update, Streff has only contested one 600 meter race and has made one appearance on a 4x400 meter relay. However, her 1:33 mark for 600 meters and runner-up finish at the MLK Jr. Collegiate Invitational shows us that she is potentially fine-tuning her speed for another fast 800 meter effort.
As of right now, Streff boasts the NCAA #3 time in the 800 meters with an altitude converted time of 2:09 and the NCAA #4 mark in mile with an altitude converted time of 4:49. With so much change happening in our rankings, it was tough not to give Streff a top spot.
Simon Fraser's Alison Andrews-Paul, a former runner for Baylor, made her name known two weekends ago and earned herself a top spot in our TSR rankings after posting the fastest 800 meters time in the nation (currently) with a 2:08.61 result at the UW Preview.
Andrews-Paul won the race by eight seconds, so we're curious to see just how fast she will run when faced with similar competition. She only ran one race last outdoor season, a 2:09 in the 800 meters, and previous to this, she ran at Baylor University.
During her time in the BIG 12, Andrews-Paul ran a massive mark of 2:06 for the half-mile distance, as well as a very strong time of 2:46 for 1000 meters.
On paper, Andrews-Paul is a realistic contender for the women's national title this year. If she's able to run 2:08 uncontested in her season opener, then she could be a major problem for her competitors come March.
Yasmine Hernandez moves up one spot in our rankings due to her top times in the middle distance events. She has the second-fastest 800 meter time this season with an altitude converted mark of 2:08, as well as the third-fastest D2 mile time in the country with an another altitude converted time of 4:47.
Not only that, but Hernandez has been running on CSU-Pueblo’s 4x400 meter relay team and she also ran the 600 meters in a time of 1:33 at the MLK Jr. Collegiate Invitational.
Based on those latter results, we have good to reason to believe that Hernandez is intentionally working on her speed and turnover which could be a huge benefit going into the latter-half the season, especially when she toes the line for a tactical, championship setting.
Hernandez and teammate Hailey Streff are two of the top favorites in the women's 800 meters this year and they could prove themselves to be a deadly middle-distance duo, more than they already are, come March.
O’Malley is coming off a runner-up performance at the NCAA XC Championships and holds the fastest 3000 meter time in all of Division Two with a blazing 9:23 mark. However, that 3k is the only race that she has run this season, so there is not much to expand on other than the fact that she is a title favorite in the 3000 meters.
We'll be curious to see whether or not she contests the mile or the 5000 meters at some point in the season and just how fast can she run in those events as well.
O'Malley is a wildcard in the sense that there are numerous events that she could run at the national meet, ranging from the mile to the 5000 meters. She could also be part of a DMR, but her balance of speed and endurance suggests that the 3000 meters might be her strong suit.
Cleyet-Merle maintains her TSR #2 spot due to her NCAA #1 time in the mile and NCAA #2 time in the 3000 meters. She has posted impressive marks of 4:40 and 9:26 in her respective events, but she has not posted any performances since our last round of rankings.
Cleyte-Merle was recently a DNF in the mile and also ran in the 4x400 meter relay at the Indianapolis Track & Field Classic. We are guessing that she was on pacing duty in the mile and was put in the 4x400 meter relay to work on her finishing speed which, at this point in the season, is understandable.
There’s not much else to say about the Indianapolis senior other than she will be exciting to watch in both the mile and the 3000 meters throughout the season. Keep an eye on a potential 800 meter effort in the near future given that she is the defending indoor champion in that event.
Celine Ritter maintains her TSR #1 ranking due to her consistent performances and top times across several events.
The Lee ace still holds the top time in the 5000 meters with a 16:23 mark, a whole 21 seconds faster than the next runner. This performance earned her the top spot in our last round of rankings, but her recent performances proved to us that she deserves to keep her TSR #1 spot.
Ritter ran an impressive 4:46 result in the mile at the Vanderbilt Invitational to earn the second-fastest time in Division Two. She then anchored the Flames’ DMR team to an impressive time of 11:40, the fastest DMR result posted this season.
If two NCAA #1 marks and one NCAA #2 time weren't enough to convince you that she has earned the top ranking, she is also listed at NCAA #10 in the 800 meters a mark of 2:13 from the UAB Vulcan Invitational.
Prior to her 4:46 time in the mile, she ran 4:51 at UAB to win the event.
This display of speed and versatility across numerous events shows us that Ritter is ready to earn yet another national title -- maybe two! While she has not yet run a 3000 meter race this season, it is safe to say that she will also be one of the top performers in the event if she ends up contesting the event.
After all, she was the national champion in the 3k last year.
Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser)
Ines Macadam (Tiffin)
Precious Robinson (Adams State)
Claire McCune (Drury)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Stevie Lawrence (Queens (NC))
Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln (MO))
Gemma Rebollo (Wingate)
Claire Eaton (Indianapolis)
Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
PJ English (Augustana)
Florance Uwajeneza (West Texas A&M)
Jessica Gockley (Grand Valley State)
Nicolette Schmidt (Augustana)
Chrissani May (Lincoln (MO))
Layla Almasri (UC-Colorado Springs)
Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist)
Haleigh Reindl (Minnesota-Duluth)
Nicole Lawerence (Adams State)
Riley McGrath (UC-Colorado Springs)
Megan Means (Augustana (SD))
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Xiomara Robinson (Black Hills State)
Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
PJ English (Augustana)
Florance Uwajeneza (West Texas A&M)
Jessica Gockley (Grand Valley State)
Nicolette Schmidt (Augustana)
Chrissani May (Lincoln (MO))
Layla Almasri (UC-Colorado Springs)
Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist)
Haleigh Reindl (Minnesota-Duluth)
Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)
Aryelle Wright (Colorado Mines)
Delanie Dykes (Academy of Art)
Taylor Hestekin (U-Mary)
Morgan Hykes (Adams State)
Eleonora Curtabbi (West Texas A&M)
Carolin Bothe (Wisconsin-Parkside)
Kinga Szarynska (Harding)
Ava O'Connor (Adams State)
Fiona Hawkins (Adams State)
Morgan Hykes (Adams State)
Katie McCune (Drury)
Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State)
Madison Synowiec (Queens (NC))
- Previously ranked name who have not yet raced this season were removed from our rankings, but remain as "Just Missed" names until they compete again.