2023 D3 XC End of Season Awards

Written by Kevin Fischer, Conor Daly & Gavin Struve, votes via TSR D3 staff

Additional edits & commentary by Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve

Welcome back to a trimestrial classic, our End of Season Awards!

Below, we listed our five seasonal awards for the men and five seasonal awards for the women, all for the Division Three level. These awards are a way to highlight the accomplishments of certain individuals from the entirety of this cross country season. You'll also find our criteria for each of these awards as we list our nominees.

In the second-half of this article, you'll find the votes from our TSR contributors (click that link if you want to skip all of the summary parts).

Let's begin...

*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: BJ Sorg (North Central), Harrison Dow (Amherst), Isaiah Hammerand (Wartburg), Yichen Sun (MIT), Evan Markelz (Lewis & Clark), Ben Hughes (Middlebury)

BJ Sorg (North Central)

After a red-hot start to the season where he was consistently finishing among North Central’s top stars -- most notably producing a 15th place finish at the Augustana Interregional -- rookie standout BJ Sorg cooled off a little bit in the postseason. He was 6th at the CCIW XC Championships, 22nd at the Midwest Regional XC Championships and 92nd at the cross country national meet. We saw Sorg as a potential All-American in mid-October, so those postseason results weren't exactly what we were hoping for, but he was still the highest finishing freshman at the national meet, and a scorer for a podium team. Those are all accomplishments worth celebrating.

Harrison Dow (Amherst)

Harrison Dow was consistently a key scorer for a competitive Amherst team. He finished as their second scorer at the Mideast Regional XC Championships and their fourth scorer at D3 Pre-Nationals, the NESCAC XC Championships and the cross country national meet. His 126th place finish on the national stage was the second-highest among all freshmen. However, his steadiness has been the most impressive thing about him as he never really had any bad races this season. That's easier said than done, especially for underclassmen.

Isaiah Hammerand (Wartburg)

In spite of his youth and inexperience, Isaiah Hammerand saved his best performance of the year for the perfect time with a 130th place finish at the cross country national meet to emerge as the final scorer for a top-five team. That’s not to say that his results weren’t solid throughout the season, but they didn’t necessarily indicate that he would finish in the top-half of that field. Hammerand earns himself a nomination after coming through in the biggest collegiate race of his career thus far.

Yichen Sun (MIT)

At the cross country national meet, Yichen Sun was MIT’s seventh man for the first half of the race, but then the difficult course got to Henry Hardart and Pablo Arroyo. Suddenly, Sun found himself in a scoring position. Even though that was a difficult circumstance for someone with no collegiate championship experience to be thrust into, he maintained his composure and avoided dropping any further back before ultimately finishing in 150th place. It's not hyperbole to say that Sun saved the Engineers dozens of points and perhaps their top-10 finish. That was a solid day for Sun and it was more or less in line with expectations given his 18th place finish at the East Regional XC Championships and 61st place finish at D3 Pre-Nationals.

Evan Markelz (Lewis & Clark)

Evan Markelz is the only nominee on this list who did not compete at the cross country national meet. Even so, he belongs here based on his impressive body of work throughout the season. He was strong throughout September against fields riddled with Division One and Two talent. The Lewis & Clark ace went on to finish 3rd at the Northwest Conference XC Championships behind Peter Weiss and Alex Mills of George Fox. At the West Regional XC Championships, Markelz finished 19th, but failed to secure an individual bid for the national meet by a margin of just 2.5 seconds. If his team had qualified, Markelz may very well have beaten several of these nominees.

Ben Hughes (Middlebury)

Ben Hughes may not have produced the national meet performance that a few of his fellow nominees enjoyed as he settled for 191st place. However, he posted a few results this season that were too good to ignore. Hughes' two best races came at the Paul Short “Brown” race, where he finished 13th (and the three Division Three men in front of him went on to finish 35th, 102nd and 108th at the national meet), and the Mideast regional meet where he was 14th and finished as the top freshman ahead of Harrison Dow. He put together a complete first-year resume this season.

*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Morgan Uhlhorn (NYU), Audrey Maclean (Middlebury), Elizabeth Csikai (Emory), Hailey Erickson (Calvin), Vivienne Larson (Washington U.)

Morgan Uhlhorn (NYU)

Morgan Uhlhorn was a huge addition for the Violets this season and played an integral role in their bid for a national title that fell short by only three points. Not every big-time recruit finds immediate success at the collegiate level, but Uhlhorn had no trouble with the transition. Her first big splash was in the "Brown" race at Paul Short where she finished 4th. She went on to record an 8th place finish against a solid interregional field at Connecticut College and she also took a 4th place finish in arguably the best conference in the country. The bright lights proved not to be too much for her as she recorded a 15th place cross country national meet finish which was consistent with her performances throughout the fall.

Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)

After finishing 7th in the "Brown" race at Paul Short, Audrey Maclean went on to beat everybody she faced not named Fiona Smith, Genna Girard or Grace Richardson — all of whom are nominees for our "Most Valuable Runner Award" — entering the NCAA XC Championships. Once she reached the national stage, Maclean recorded a massive 10th place finish which was the highest a true freshman has placed at the cross country national meet since Coast Guard’s Kaitlyn Mooney finished 4th in 2017.

Elizabeth Csikai (Emory)

Elizabeth Csikai only raced twice all season, but she made her efforts count when she did toe the line. Her collegiate debut came at the South Regional XC Championships where she finished 3rd behind Lynchburg’s Kayla Werner and teammate Brigid Hanley. She went on to comfortably record an All-American finish at the cross country national meet, finishing 22nd. Her abbreviated season and fast success belied what we usually see from first-year talents. We’ve only been given a small glimpse of Csikai so far, but it is already enough to know that she is the real deal.

Hailey Erickson (Calvin)

Hailey Erickson produced some really nice performances in her debut campaign. After opening the season with a win at the Dickinson College Long-Short Invitational, she went on to place 19th at the Augustana Interregional, 2nd at the MIAA XC Championships and 9th at the Great Lakes XC Regional Championships before closing her season with a 78th place cross country national meet finish. That was a steady and strong start to her career and we are excited to see what’s next for Erickson.

Vivienne Larson (Washington U.)

Washington U. faced tough competition throughout this season, throwing Vivienne Larson directly into the fire as she began her college career. She used her challenging “welcome to the NCAA” experience to improve substantially in the latter-half of the fall months. After being on the fringe of the Bears' top-seven throughout September, she developed into an integral scorer for a top-15 team, ultimately finishing 79th overall at the cross country national meet. Larson was the third Bear to cross the line and finished less than a tenth of a second behind Erickson, a fellow nominee.

*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this fall. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of cross country) of collegiate competition. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Vince Simonetti (RPI), Caleb Silver (Central College), Ivan Appleton (Tufts), Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams), Chasen Hunt (Lynchburg)

Vince Simonetti (RPI)

We knew Vince Simonetti would be good this fall after seeing him qualify for the outdoor national meet over 10,000 meters this spring. Still, we didn’t anticipate that he would be this good. His 8th place finish at the cross country national meet was stunning and it was really cool to see him not only translate his track success to the grass, but to improve on it in a major way. If you go back as far as last fall, where he finished 29th at the Liberty League XC Championships, you can see just how much Simonetti has improved over the past year.

Caleb Silver (Central College)

In 2022, Caleb Silver broke through with his best performance of the season at the cross country national meet, finishing in 25th place. Going into this year, it was hard to know just how much stock to put into that performance given that he hadn't yet replicated it. Plus, the conditions at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships may have played a part in producing some of the unpredictable results that we saw. Silver had some success on the oval this year, but it came in the steeplechase — where he was 8th at the outdoor national meet — so we once again weren’t sure how that would translate to the grass. But now we can say that he has cast all doubts aside after an incredible season highlighted by his 7th place cross country national meet finish paired with a fantastic win over a strong Connecticut College Invite field.

Ivan Appleton (Tufts)

After finishing 141st at last year’s cross country national meet, Ivan Appleton made some decent improvements on the track, running 9:08 (steeple) and 14:43 (5k). Even so, we didn’t necessarily see him as an All-American-caliber name based on his previous resume -- that's why his 2023 season came very much as a surprise. Even after seeing him achieve a breakthrough this fall, most of us predicted that he would finish somewhere in the 30s at the cross country national meet, and he completely blew that out of the water by placing 13th.

Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)

Every nominee for this category has made significant improvements, but Nathan Tassey is the only one whose name was completely off of our radar entering this fall. In 2022, he won the Commonwealth Coast Conference title which, admittedly, is not a super strong league, but he did not compete on the regional stage. He raced just once on the track, producing an unexciting 15:20 (5k) effort. However, over the last couple of months, Tassey has been leaps and bounds ahead of where he was before, losing only to Cory Kennedy, Nikhil DeNatale, Vince Simonetti, John Lucey and Anthony Rodriguez before the NCAA XC Championships where he ultimately finished 22nd overall.

Chasen Hunt (Lynchburg)

Chasen Hunt was 53rd at the 2023 cross country national meet, but his season as a whole was even more impressive. He was most notably within a second of teammate Frank Csorba, a top-half All-American, at both Paul Short and the Mike Woods Invitational. For Hunt to finish as high as 53rd and have that feel a little bit underwhelming is really incredible considering that he did not make Lynchburg’s varsity lineup last fall and has mostly specialized in the middle distances on the track.

*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this fall. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of cross country) of collegiate competition. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Grace Hadley (WPI), Riley Buese (Lewis & Clark), Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire), Riley Capuano (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Lauren Iagnemma (Case Western), Mckayla Felton (UW-Stout), Allison Sibold (St. Lawrence)

Grace Hadley (WPI)

Grace Hadley’s breakout began this winter when she ran 4:57 in the mile — after previously holding a 4:51 (1500) personal best — as well as a 9:50 (3k) mark. But even after her All-American finish in the 5k at the outdoor national meet, it wasn’t quite clear how Hadley's new level of fitness would translate to cross country season where she hadn’t enjoyed all that much success in the past. She was unranked in our preseason top-20, but quickly eliminated any doubts about her prowess on the grass with a complete season that culminated in a 4th place finish at the cross country national meet.

Riley Buese (Lewis & Clark)

After finishing 165th at the 2022 cross country national meet, Riley Buese began to make some significant strides during the outdoor track season with marks of 17:02 over 5000 meters and 36:20 over 10,000. However, those results were not enough to reach the outdoor national meet. Buese continued her rapid progression this fall, running way above expectations even if you gave her the benefit of the doubt with her track times. After finishing 6th at the West Regional XC Championships, Buese beat three of the women who had finished ahead of her on her way to a 17th place national meet finish.

Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire)

When you’ve competed in multiple national meets on the track and have finished within the top-100 at two cross country national meets, then you have to do some pretty amazing things to get yourself onto our "Most Improved" nominee list. However, Carolyn Shult did some pretty amazing things this fall. Her only losses prior to the NCAA XC Championships came to Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (TSR #8) and Fiona Smith (TSR #1). So when Shult ultimately finished 5th in the country, we were impressed, but we had already learned throughout the previous two months not to be surprised.

Riley Capuano (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

Prior to this fall, Riley Capuano had raced at one cross country national meet where she finished in 257th place. And on the track, she has been a middle distance specialist, only recording results over 800 meters, 1000 meters and 1500 meters. That’s why we were super impressed with how she started her season as a key scorer for the Athenas. But that was nothing compared to how she ended her fall campaign, posting an 11th place finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships that none of us could have predicted.

Lauren Iagnemma (Case Western)

Lauren Iagnemma's progression has been fun to follow, not just in terms of her improvement from previous seasons, but also throughout this fall. And depending on your criteria, that may make her the favorite for this award. Entering the 2023 cross country season, she had never raced at a national meet in any season, nor had she raced any distance longer than 1500 meters on the track. Some of Iagnemma's early-season performances pointed to a massive jump, but they didn't indicate that a top-20 national meet finish (18th) was in the cards. Iagnemma put the icing on the cake on Division Three's biggest stage to cap off an already-memorable season.

Mckayla Felton (UW-Stout)

After running 10:04 over 3000 meters earlier this year, Mckayla Felton was primed for an improvement upon last cross country season. But after the first couple meets, it didn't seem like that was happening to the extent that she would have liked. Then, everything started to click at the Augustana Interregional where Felton finished a strong 16th place in a stacked field. She got even better from there with 4th place finishes at both the WIAC and North Regional XC Championships followed by a 23rd place cross country national meet finish! She is running far and away better than she ever has and the big breakthrough seems to have come in just the last month or so.

Allison Sibold (St. Lawrence)

Allison Sibold enjoyed some success over 1500 meters this spring, running a 4:33 mark that missed out on qualifying for the outdoor national meet by two seconds. But it's hard to equate the middle distances to cross country, and we certainly didn't anticipate the type of jump she has made. Sibold had some experience at the cross country national meet as she was 64th last season, but her improvement to 20th place this year — paired with top-10 finishes at D3 Pre-Nationals and the Connecticut College Invite — is deserving of significant recognition.

*Must have run attached at least once this fall and must have been attached during race in question. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Ethan Gregg avenges prior defeats to Christian Patzka and wins the national title by 18 seconds, Simon Heys beats out top-10 men to win D3 Pre-Nationals, Christian Patzka prevails over elite Augustana Interregional field by one second, Max Svienty beats several Division One and Two talents by placing 6th at the Louisville XC Classic, Ethan Gregg finishes 3rd in a mostly Division One field in the Paul Short “Gold” race

Ethan Gregg avenges prior defeats to Christian Patzka and wins the national title by 18 seconds

If you follow Division Three running, then you know that Ethan Gregg isn’t afraid to go to the front of a race and make it hurt. It’s the same plan every time. And although it didn’t reward him with wins often this season, Gregg won his first race of the fall at just the right time. By the time he got to the one-mile mark of the NCAA XC Championships, Gregg had a seven-second gap on his competition, and by the time that he got to 5k, he had an untouchable 24-second gap. Ultimately holding on for the victory, there was nothing but jubilation on his face as he crossed the finish line.

Simon Heys beats out top-10 talents to win D3 Pre-Nationals

We saw a very top-heavy field toe the line at D3 Pre-Nationals in early October. After coming through the 5k in a conservative effort, Simon Heys had the wheels to close out the final 3k of over a star-studded field. As someone who raced locally for much of the season, this win was resume-defining and huge for Heys’ confidence, making him a national title contender before he faltered a bit in the postseason. At the NCAA XC Championships, the men from this field went on to become four of the top-10 finishers and nine of the top-25 finishers.

Christian Patzka prevails over elite Augustana Interregional field by one second

In one of the nation's most competitive regular season competitions, Christian Patzka rose to the occasion for one of his several 2023 victories. In wet conditions, the veteran battled with James Settles before pulling away and holding on in the race's final stages. This performance was beyond spectacular due to the high-caliber field behind Patza, featuring the 3rd and 4th place finishers at the cross country national meet, as well as an additional six finishers from the top-20.

Max Svienty beats multiple D1 and D2 talents by placing 6th at the Louisville XC Classic

Max Svienty thrives in fast races -- he’s a pedal to the metal type of guy. And luckily for him, the Louisville XC Classic was just that kind of setting. In that outing, Svienty proved that he could mix it up with the best of the best across the NCAA. He beat men who went on to place 12th at the BIG 10 XC Championships, 18th at the ACC XC Championships and 7th at the NCAA D2 XC Championships. That’s a pretty impressive foray into higher-level competition for the Division Three bronze medalist.

Ethan Gregg finishes 3rd in mostly-Division One field in the Paul Short “Gold” race

Sloppy conditions on a fall Pennsylvania day didn’t scare Ethan Gregg. The UW-La Crosse ace went up against the fastest field of the day to take home 3rd place. He just barely finished behind the eventual 105th place finisher at the Division One national meet and beat the 113th place finisher at that same meet. We thank Gregg for putting Division Three on the map in a big way thanks to that performance.

*Must have run attached at least once this fall and must have been attached during race in question. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute, Genna Girard beats two top-five women to win D3 Pre-Nationals by 15 seconds, Grace Richardson takes down an elite field for UAA title, Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel wins Augustana Interregional, Riley Capuano's clutch effort helps Claremont-Mudd-Scripps reach the podium

Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute

This performance speaks for itself. Not only did Fiona Smith win the individual national title, but she did so by gapping the field by over a minute. It’s also worth mentioning that her time was a new championship record, ran on a mountain of a cross country course. When you consider Kassie Parker’s dominance of Division Three over the last few years and realize that Smith took down one of her records, it makes this national title all the more impressive.

Genna Girard beats two top-five talents to win D3 Pre-Nationals by 15 seconds

This victory was our signal that Genna Girard was truly on fire. She ran away from the field by a considerable margin over a technically challenging course on her first go. And as our headline suggests, the field was no slouch. The runner-up to Girard was Natalie Bitetti, the eventual runner-up at the NCAA XC Championships. Right with Bitetti, and far behind Girard, was Grace Hadley. We’re talking about the WPI senior who went on to finish 4th at the cross country national meet. This was a simply stunning performance that made Girard an All-American lock and our TSR #2 runner for much of the season.

Grace Richardson takes down an elite field for UAA title

The UAA was a stacked conference on the women's side this year -- and that might be underselling it. Three of the top-10 women at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and seven of the top-20 came from the UAA. And amongst all that talent, only one woman crossed the line in 1st place in Cleveland, Ohio. That was Grace Richardson who then turned around and waited five seconds to see the runner-up finisher.

Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel wins Augustana Interregional

The Augustana Interregional is always a loaded race, and this year was no different. But that truth didn’t phase Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel. The U. of Chicago junior grinded her way through a muddy course to take down one of the best (if not the best) regular season fields assembled in Division Three this fall. That win helped the Maroons defeat Wartburg fairly soundly as Battleson-Gunkel bested all of the Knights' harriers in a setting that also featured the eventual 5th and 7th place finishers at the cross country national meet.

Riley Capuano raises her game to help Claremont-Mudd-Scripps reach the podium

This was one of the nation's more impressive high-end results relative to expectations. Riley Capuano shrugged off her national meet inexperience to place 11th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. She mostly had the resume of an All-American before, but to finish as high as she did — helping CMS to the podium and within striking distance of a national team title in the process — is commendable.

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 cross country season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Amber Williams (Pomona-Pitzer), Derek Stanley (UW-La Crosse), Matt Sinnott (North Central), Dusty Lopez (Williams), Tim Connelly (Carnegie Mellon)

Amber Williams (Pomona-Pitzer)

Any national title is worthy of immense celebration, but this one is perhaps even more deserving given the context. The Sagehens entered the 2022 cross country season as favorites to defend their national title before falling off of the podium altogether. They entered this season at TSR #3, but nearly fell out of our top-10 team rankings after a poor showing at D3 Pre-Nationals. Of course, they then won the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Not to mention, the Pomona-Pitzer men are in their first year under a new head coach (Amber Williams). Given that Williams has a sprints background and little time to prepare for the season, additional kudos should go to assistants Emma DeLira and Christian Mora.

Derek Stanley (UW-La Crosse)

The UW-La Crosse men finished as the runner-up finishers at the NCAA XC Championships, just a single point behind Pomona-Pitzer, and were arguably the most consistent high-level team in the nation this year. Perhaps that makes Coach Derek Stanley the front-runner for this award, right? Not only that, but the Eagles produced the individual national champion (Ethan Gregg) and had the best fifth scorer at the NCAA XC Championships by some margin with Adam Loenser placing 64th.

Matt Sinnott (North Central)

No, they didn't come away with a national title, but the men of North Central were TSR #1 for most of the season and boasted the best top-three at the NCAA XC Championships. They really had the best scoring quartet all season long, but finished on the backend of the podium by virtue of their fourth scorer finishing far closer to their fifth runner (who was very respectable). If every team were to line up and run the cross country national meet again, the Cardinals may remain the favorites.

Dusty Lopez (Williams)

It was a season of fast assimilations and instant success for multiple top-end Division Three men's teams as the Ephs were also led by a first-year head coach in Dusty Lopez. The Williams alum helped his team exceed expectations and return to the podium after a one-year absence. The Ephs were the best team in the Northeast region throughout this season with a NESCAC title, a win at their home meet over defending national champion MIT and a runner-up performance at D3 Pre-Nationals.

Tim Connelly (Carnegie Mellon)

Carnegie Mellon was not a podium team this fall, but the Tartans still had a strong season, moving from just outside the top-10 at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships to 6th place this season even without an individual All-American. What's more, they did so with low-stick Matthew Porter, a Division One transfer pickup, having his toughest race of the season on the national stage after looking like a top-half All-American favorite for much of the fall. The fact that the Tartans were still able to achieve such a successful team result speaks to the resilience and depth built into Coach Tim Connelly's program.

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 cross country season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 11/18 are not considered.

Nominees: Donna Ricks (Carleton), Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU), Chris Hall (U. of Chicago), Dusty Lopez (Williams), Marina Muncan (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Linh Nguyen (Emory), Joe Dunham (Central College)

Donna Ricks (Carleton)

In the offseason, Carleton lost its low-stick superstar (Clara Mayfield) to a top-end Division One program via a graduate transfer. No matter, the Knights won a national title anyway in one of the closest team races in recent memory. Coach Donna Ricks achieved that by developing Phoebe Ward into a low-stick to complement fellow top-half All-American, Hannah Preisser. Paired with all three backend scorers finishing in the top-65, that was enough to move Carleton from the final spot on the podium last season to the top spot in 2023. We didn't know if this team's ceiling was lofty enough to win a national title as recently as a couple of weeks ago, but perhaps it was the Knights' high floor, and Ward's emergence, that put them in that position.

Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU)

The women of NYU went from missing the top-25 at last year's cross country national meet to national runner-up spot 12 months later. On another day, the Violets could have come away with a national title rather than the narrow 2nd place performance that they produced. Maybe they'd even be favored to do so. Nonetheless, the Violets would win the "Most Improved Team" award if we had one, and that may make them deserving of this award as well.

Chris Hall (U. of Chicago)

U. of Chicago spent a significant portion of this season as our TSR #1 women's team and finished just five points back from the national champions, Carleton, at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. It wouldn't even be fair to say it wasn't the Maroons' best day — they got great races from Maddie Kelly (7th) and Elisabeth Camic (19th) and a good one from Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (13th) relative to expectations. It's hard to be upset about notching back-to-back podium finishes by comfortable margins.

Dusty Lopez (Williams)

The only overlap from our men's and women's nominees for this award, first-year head coach Dusty Lopez guided his women's team to a 6th place cross country national meet result which was an improvement on both the top-10 finish they produced at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships and their TSR #8 ranking entering the cross country national meet. The Ephs' postseason success was made even more impressive by the fact that superstar Genna Girard finished about 30 spots lower than expected at the national meet and Molly FitzGibbons never recaptured her 2022 All-American form. Of course, putting four runners in the top-60 goes a long way.

Marina Muncan (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

CMS' finish on the national stage was arguably just as impressive as Carleton's given that the Athenas, at TSR #5, were not viewed as a team in close contention for the national title or as a podium favorite. And yet, they finished within eight points of NCAA gold and secured the final podium spot. CMS held the top 1-2 combo in the country with national runner-up Natalie Bitetti and breakout star, Riley Capuano. The Athenas, who also won D3 Pre-Nationals, peaked for the postseason as well as or better than any team. And for that, Coach Marina Muncan deserves untold praise.

Linh Nguyen (Emory)

Emory enjoyed a similar exponential rise to NYU, but to a slightly lesser extent. The Eagles went from 25th place at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships to 8th place this season. Coach Linh Nguyen's team brought in Division One transfer Brigid Hanley (8th) and freshman Elizabeth Csikai (22nd). Those two eventually finished towards the front of the cross country national meet field. Not only did the Eagles make a significant jump, but they did so through new additions who had no prior Division Three experience.

Joe Dunham (Central College)

The only Division Three women's team to go from not qualifying for the 2022 cross country national meet to finishing in the top-10 in 2023, was Central College, a team that quietly developed some of the nation's best firepower this fall. Caroline McMartin (12th at the NCAA XC Championships) looked like a top-half All-American virtually all season long and Megan Johnson (30th) and Addy Parrott (38th) were great as well. When you consider that McMartin was the only name among that group who advanced to the national meet last fall, it's stupefying how much long-time Coach Joe Dunham's team improved with similar personnel from one season to the next. That's arguably more impressive than doing so with new pieces.

*Must have run attached this season. Performances past 11/18 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.

Nominees: Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse), Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater), Max Svienty (North Central), James Settles (Colorado College), Simon Heys (Wilmington (OH))

Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

One of the most familiar names in Division Three, Ethan Gregg made a great case for "Most Valuable Runner" this fall. His aforementioned 3rd place run in the top section at Paul Short was beyond impressive and it was an effort that was nominated for our "Best Performance" award. Although he came just short of beating Christian Patzka at WIAC XC Championships and North Regional XC Championships, Gregg flipped the script at the national meet. In fearless fashion, as he always does, Gregg went to the front of the field and put the pedal to the metal, this time breaking the tape. His performance on the biggest stage might make up for finishing runner-up in his two previous postseason outings.

Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)

Other than the one race that he did not run all-out for, Patzka was one meet away from completing a perfect season. The UW-Whitewater veteran won the loaded Augustana Interregional which included fellow MVR nominees, Max Svienty and James Settles. He then established himself as the national title favorite after out-dueling Gregg in consecutive outings. Ultimately, Patzka fell short of a national title, but still ran to a very impressive national meet runner-up finish.

Max Svienty (North Central)

Max Svienty holds the most impressive resume among North Central’s stars. His 6th place result at the Louisville XC Classic against Division One and Two competition was very strong. Then, a 4th place run at the Augustana Interregional was arguably just as impressive. Add in 2nd and 3rd place finishes at the CCIW XC Championships and the Midwest regional meet, respectively, and it’s easy to see that Svienty had a great season leading into the NCAA XC Championships. There, he came away with his highest national meet finish in any season with a bronze-medal-worthy run.

James Settles (Colorado College)

Although James Settles had one of the more surprising breakthroughs of last track season, there was skepticism surrounding how his success would translate to the grass. Well, it didn’t take Settles long to clear up any concerns as he made himself more than known thanks to his mere one-second loss to Patzka at the Augustana Interregional, beating out an otherwise loaded field. Settles then cruised through his conference and regional meets before taking home a fantastic (but not unexpected) 4th place finish at the cross country national meet.

Simon Heys (Wilmington (OH))

Although this small-school talent may not have run to his full potential on the national stage, we can’t overlook the rest of Simon Heys' season. A win at D3 Pre-Nationals was an indication that Heys was the real deal. That victory came over three men who went on to place top-10 at the national meet. Heys then won two less competitive meets before taking home the Great Lakes regional title by a 10-second margin over the eventual 19th place finisher at the national meet, Enrique Salazar. No, Heys didn't live up to his TSR #3 ranking entering the NCAA XC Championships, but he still salvaged an All-American finish and looked like one of the nation's better runners throughout the fall months.

*Must have run attached this season. Performances past 11/18 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.

Nominees: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict), Natalie Bitetti (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo), Grace Hadley (WPI), Grace Richardson (NYU), Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire), Genna Girard (Williams)

Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

This one largely speaks for itself. Fiona Smith was undefeated all season with her work culminating in a national title by over a minute. Outside of that performance, she’s taken down Carolyn Shult, Grace Richardson, Audrey Maclean and Hannah Preisser, the latter four times.

Natalie Bitetti (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

The only Division Three women who Natalie Bitetti lost to this fall are Genna Girard and Fiona Smith. That’s impressive, to say the least. Bitetti fell to Girard at D3 Pre-Nationals, but still finished ahead of an otherwise strong field and got the better of Girard on the national stage. Then, she went on to rack up a pair of wins in her conference and region. These low placements week after week were highly valuable for her podium team. Bitetti came out to play this fall, and it was fascinating to watch.

Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo)

Penelope Greene started off her season strong, emerging as the fastest women of the day across all Division Three competition at Paul Short. She next battled Sara Stephenson and came out victorious, proving herself to be the real deal. After easily winning her lightly-contested conference and regional meets, Greene advanced to the cross country national meet looking ready as ever. She proved that she was with a bronze medal performance for highest national meet finish in any season to date.

Grace Hadley (WPI)

Even though the fifth-year raced sparingly this fall, Grace Hadley looked like she was on a mission every time she toed the starting line. After winning a small opening meet, Hadley ventured to Pennsylvania to race at D3 Pre-Nationals where her 3rd place finish was a huge step in the right direction. Hadley continued her success with a win at both the NEWMAC XC Championships and the East regional meet, the latter coming by over a minute. She closed out her best season to date with an elite 4th place finish at the cross country national meet.

Grace Richardson (NYU)

After a very strong outing at Paul Short, Grace Richardson went to the Connecticut College Invitational full of confidence. There, she was nowhere close to Fiona Smith, but finished 2nd ahead of a fairly competitive field nonetheless. At the UAA XC Championships, the NYU star took a season-defining win against a loaded field in an effort that is up for nomination for our "Best Performance" award. After a conservative regional meet effort, we expected Richardson to be fresher than ever for the national stage. Yet, that wasn’t exactly the case, although finishing 9th in the nation is still plenty elite.

Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire)

For years, this mile specialist hasn’t enjoyed quite had the same success on the grass as she has had on the track. But this fall, something changed. Carolyn Shult carried herself like a veteran in every race she stepped to the line. After taking two smaller wins, Shult established herself as one of the top names in Division Three with a runner-up finish at the loaded Augustana Interregional. She then won her conference and took a very comfortable runner-up finish at her regional meet, behind none other than Fiona Smith. The UW-Eau Claire front-runner went on to prove that she was nothing less than her resume suggested on the national stage with a 5th place showing.

Genna Girard (Williams)

A win against a load of talented MIT individuals early in the season got us excited about Genna Girard’s potential. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Two weeks later, Girard found herself crossing the line first at D3 Pre-Nationals with a dominant 15-second victory that is up for nomination for "Best Performance" award. Girard continued to look seemingly flawless with convincing wins at her conference and regional meets, both over the eventual 10th place finisher at the national meet, Audrey Maclean. Ultimately, Girard didn’t have her best day at the NCAA XC Championships with a 32nd place finish, but the rest of her season was just too good to overlook.

Men

Conor Daly: BJ Sorg (North Central)

Kevin Fischer: BJ Sorg (North Central)

Gavin Struve: BJ Sorg (North Central)

Garrett Zatlin: BJ Sorg (North Central)

Women

Conor Daly: Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)

Kevin Fischer: Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)
 Gavin Struve: Morgan Uhlhorn (NYU)

Garrett Zatlin: Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)

Men

Conor Daly: Ivan Appleton (Tufts)

Kevin Fischer: Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)

Gavin Struve: Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)

Garrett Zatlin: Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)

Women

Conor Daly: Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire)

Kevin Fischer: Lauren Iagnemma (Case Western)
 Gavin Struve: Carolyn Shult (UW-Eau Claire)

Garrett Zatlin: Mckayla Felton (UW-Stout)

Men

Conor Daly: Gregg finishes 3rd in a mostly-Division One field in the Paul Short “Gold” race

Kevin Fischer: Gregg avenges prior defeats to Patzka and wins national title by 18 seconds

Gavin Struve: Gregg avenges prior defeats to Patzka and wins national title by 18 seconds

Garrett Zatlin: Gregg avenges prior defeats to Patzka and wins national title by 18 seconds

Women

Conor Daly: Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute

Kevin Fischer: Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute
 Gavin Struve: Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute

Garrett Zatlin: Fiona Smith wins her first cross country national title by over a minute

Men

Conor Daly: Tim Connelly (Carnegie Mellon)

Kevin Fischer: Amber Williams (Pomona-Pitzer)

Gavin Struve: Amber Williams (Pomona-Pitzer)

Garrett Zatlin: Amber Williams (Pomona-Pitzer)

Women

Conor Daly: Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU)

Kevin Fischer: Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU)
 Gavin Struve: Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU)

Garrett Zatlin: Tyler Deck Shipley (NYU)

Men

Conor Daly: Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)

Kevin Fischer: Ethan Gregg (UW- La Crosse)

Gavin Struve: Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)

Garrett Zatlin: Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

*Tie broken via TSR contributor, Brett Haffner

Women

Conor Daly: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Kevin Fischer: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)
 Gavin Struve: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Garrett Zatlin: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)