TSR Collaboration
Nov 29, 202015 min
The altered D2 cross country season is all wrapped up. Just like D1, we're handing out our "End of Season Awards" (minus the "Best Distance Coach / Team" award). Keep in mind that these awards and nominations are based on performances that took place this season. Past results from other seasons are not taken into consideration.
NOTE: Final voting results can be found at the bottom portion of this article
*Redshirt freshmen are not included in this award
Nominees: Anthony Farmer (Lewis), Nicodemus Rotich (TAMU-Commerce), Collen McLain (Washburn), Cortland Ross (Illinois-Springfield)
Anthony Farmer (Lewis): Farmer joined the Lewis team this fall and immediately asserted himself as their lead option from day one. In each race he toed the line for, Farmer was Lewis’ top scorer. He ran 18:41 over 6k to win the GLVC R1 Tri-meet before running 24:25 over 8k at the GLVC East Divisional where he finished 2nd to Blake Jones. To wrap up his season, Farmer led the Lewis men to a conference title via a runner-up finish to Blake Jones (once again) at the GLVC Championships. Farmer earned GLVC Freshman of the Year and was a major reason why the Flyers had success on a consistent basis this season.
Nicodemus Rotich (TAMU-Commerce): Until the very end of the season, all Rotich knew how to do was win. Rotich almost won out this season, emerging victorious in every race he ran in until the D2 National Invite where he finished runner-up. It should go without saying that he was TAMU-Commerce’s top scorer. Rotich also captured the Lone Star Conference individual title in a time of 24:51 in addition to earning LSC Runner of the Year honors. He'll be a big name to watch over the next few years.
Collen McLain (Washburn): He didn't get a ton of attention this season, but McLain quietly put together a pair of solid performances. The Washburn rookie was 9th at the Newman Team Invite and later finished 15th at the D2 National Invite, emerging as the second-best freshman in the field behind only Nicodemus Rotich. McLain wasn't necessarily a top-notch low-stick, but he was a solid talent who held his own in his two races this season.
Cortland Ross (Illinois-Springfield): He wasn't a superstar, but Ross was a key name for Illinois-Springfield this fall and he put together some very solid finishes. Ross finished 4th at the GLVC Pod 2 meet in his season debut before placing 11th in the very underrated GLVC East Divisional race. An 8th place finish at the GLVC Championships showed us that Ross could consistently produce top results against respectable competition regardless of his inexperience.
*Redshirt freshmen are not included in this award
Nominees: Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa), Teja Young (Walsh), Claire Mills (North Georgia), Madison Nash (Missouri Western)
Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa): She had one of the best seasons in Colorado Mesa history by posting top-tier performances all season long. The highlight of her season had to be earning RMAC Freshman of the Year honors after finishing 16th in what is considered to be the most competitive conference meet in all of Division Two.
Of course, MacGill didn't stop there as she eventually secured a clutch 9th place finish at the D2 National Invite. With a 14th place finish at the Colorado Mesa Maverick Invitational also on her resume, MacGill showed impressive consistency that most freshmen are unable to match.
Teja Young (Walsh): Young only got better as the season went on which culminated in her being named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year. However, more importantly, she was Walsh’s fifth runner and her 9th place finish at the G-MAC Championships allowed the Cavaliers to win the conference title for the second time in three years. She showed a lot of promise in her first year and will only become a larger part of this team as she gains more experience.
Claire Mills (North Georgia): Although North Georgia lost on a tie-breaker at the Peach Belt Conference Championships, that did not stop Claire Mills from leading the charge for the Nighthawks. As the 6th place finisher, Mills won the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year award and was named an All-Peach Belt performer. After running her best 5k time of the year (18:43) at the PBC Championships, it's clear that Mills is trending in the right direction.
Madison Nash (Missouri Western): The MIAA did not have a fall championship this year, but that did not stop Nash from leaving her mark on the D2 scene. She finished 5th at the Newman Team invite which was made up of mostly MIAA teams, a surprisingly strong result for the first race of her season. Nash then toed the line at the D2 National Invite where she was the second-best freshman to only Colorado Mesa’s Kira MacGill by the slimmest of margins. It was a small sample size of races, but Nash was a respectable scorer who ran very well despite her limited opportunities.
*Focuses on athletes who were in the national picture, does not include freshmen
Nominees: Tony Torres (Colorado Mesa), Blake Jones (Illinois-Springfield), Joseph Leventry (Montevallo), Mark Testa (Colorado Mesa)
Tony Torres (Colorado Mesa): Torres solidified his spot as Colorado Mesa’s top scorer this year after floating as the team's third scorer last season. He consistently finished near the top of races this year. Although he had an underwhelming run at the RMAC Championships where he finished 18th overall, Torres still snagged Second-Team All-RMAC honors before bouncing back in stellar fashion to win the D2 National Invite in what was an upset victory.
Blake Jones (Illinois-Springfield): Jones didn’t finish outside of the top-two in any race that he lined up for this season. While that may not seem like a big deal during this altered season, it's important to note that he made massive improvements in his times and earned a conference title.
Jones made the jump into a nationally-competitive tier this fall, shattering the 25-minute barrier for 8000 meters and threatening to do the same to the 24-minute barrier, notching a 24:06 at the GLVC East Divisional. After a 6th place finish in 2019, Jones took home GLVC Runner of the Year honors with his conference title this fall.
Joseph Leventry (Montevallo): Last year, Leventry finished in 54th at the Gulf South Championships. This year, however, Leventry cracked the top-10 at the GSC Championships for the first time ever and he did it as Montevallo’s best-ever scorer, finishing 2nd overall in a time of 24:20. Leventry finished in the top-10 in all of his races this year and took home First-Team All-Gulf South honors to top things off.
When you consider that he was 14 seconds behind an elite, all-out runner like Christian Noble at the GSC Championships, and ahead of top talents like Harold LaCroix and Jay Day, it's understandable why Leventry is in contention to win this award.
Mark Testa (Colorado Mesa): Another Colorado Mesa runner, Testa wasn't quite as strong as Torres was this season, but you could argue that he was more improved. The Maverick veteran finished 77th at the RMAC Championships and 95th at the South Central Regional Championships last year.
This fall, however, he was the 19th place finisher at the RMAC Championships and the 4th place finisher at the D2 National Invite, taking down top scorers such as Jay Day (Alabama-Huntsville). He may not have been the Mavericks top scoring option, but his improvements were just as good as Torres' improvements.
*Focuses on athletes who were in the national picture, does not include freshmen
Nominees: Kaylee Stewart (Alabama-Huntsville), Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist), Hannah Ellis (UC-Colorado Springs), Na’ilah Allen (Clayton State)
Kaylee Stewart (Alabama Huntsville): At the D2 National Invite, Kaylee Stewart ended her season with an excellent 3rd place finish, validating how much progress she has made from last year to this year. She didn’t improve that much at the Gulf South Championships when comparing 2019 to 2020, but she became more competitive at major invites like the UAB Blazer Classic where she finished 3rd behind Mackenzie Taylor (Augusta) and McKenzie Hogue (Samford). She also took home two victories at the Gary Wilson Invite and the John Doc Anderson Meet.
Stewart was more than just the top scorer on her team. She was one of the better front-runners in the country among those who actually competed this year.
Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist): Dallas Baptist seemingly came out of nowhere after quietly finishing 4th at the Lone Star Conference Championships last year. A big reason for their major breakout is Madison Brown as she helped the Patriots pull a “180” this season.
Brown was the lead scorer for her squad at major meets throughout the season. A victory at the Angelo Blue Gold, as well as two runner-up finishes at the Lone Star Conference and D2 National Invite, gave Dallas Baptist victories in each of those meets. It's almost hard to believe that Brown finished 55th at the Lone Star Conference Championships just one year prior.
Hannah Ellis (UC-Colorado Springs): Going from 38th place to 9th place is quite the improvement when talking about progression at the RMAC Championships and that's exactly what Hannah Ellis did. Couple that performance with two other individual victories, and she has looked like a completely different runner this year. Maybe the altered season was better for the junior as she set new personal bests in both the 5k and 6k.
Na’ilah Allen (Clayton State): Not many people have heard the name Na’ilah Allen, but that will soon be changing. The Clayton State senior broke tradition in the Peach Belt Conference by finishing 2nd in a conference usually dominated by Flagler, North Georgia and Augusta runners. Before this year, the middle-distance runner had never broken 19 minutes in the 5k, but she ended up doing just that (twice) this season. An 18:02 for 5000 meters is nothing to sneeze at, especially for your last collegiate cross country race ever.
*Must have run attached
Nominees: Tony Torres Wins D2 National Invite, Christian Noble Runs Fastest Time At Blazer Classic, Joshua Chepkesir Wins Third-Straight PBC Title, Dylan Ko Wins Second-Straight RMAC Title, Colorado Mines Dominates RMAC Championships
Tony Torres’ Earns Surprise Win At D2 XC National Invite: Talk about a surprise when we pulled up the results of the D2 National Invite. We found Torres’ name at the top of the list, indicating that he had pulled off an upset which wasn't anticipated by anyone heading into the weekend.
Before the live feed cut out, the last image that we saw of this race was three Colorado Mesa men leading the field by 10 seconds. Torres outlasted his teammates, and staved off a late charge to take home the win by 13 seconds.
Christian Noble Runs Fastest Overall Time At Blazer Classic: Noble’s team was denied entry to the D1 race at the Blazer Classic. That, however, didn't stop him from running an incredibly fast time. In fact, him not running in that race probably fueled him a bit.
The Flame front-runner set out on the 8k course with ferocity as he raced the clock. In a solo effort, he covered the course in a time of 23:24. The takeaway here is that the D1 race was won in 23:25. We can’t say what the outcome would have been if Noble had toed the line against D1 competition, but we certainly know that he put his name on a short-list of extremely capable D2 runners who contend with the best of the best of D1.
Joshua Chepkesir Wins Third-Straight PBC Title: Chepkesir put on a dominant performance to take home his third-straight PBC title and he made sure to get it over with quickly. After the first split (1.7k), Chepkesir had already established a 13-second lead between himself and eventual 2nd place finisher. Jacob Poston. By 5000 meters, that lead had grown to 19 seconds and by the time he crossed the line, his lead had been built up to 41 seconds. That kind of victory should be a convincing enough argument that Chepkesir had one of the best performances of the 2020 cross country season.
Dylan Ko Wins Second-Straight RMAC Title: Ko didn’t need much time to knock off the rust. After getting wind of him running sub-24 on the track for 8000 meters in a time trial, we knew that he was in shape, we just weren't sure if we would see his fitness at a sanctioned meet in 2020. Sure enough, Ko took home a four-second victory to claim his second-straight RMAC title as he tactfully pulled away from the rest of the field.
Colorado Mines Wins RMAC XC Title With 22 Points: One of the best team performances that we saw this season came from Colorado Mines at the RMAC Championships. We were unsure if we would see this team compete at all in 2020. Luckily, we did see them race once and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Mines scored just 22 points and came away with a 38-point victory. They placed five runners inside the top-eight spots, six runners inside the top-10 and eight runners inside the top-13. The Orediggers have shown the country that they aren't faltering from last year's dominance.
*Must have run attached
Nominees: Lauren Bailey's Dominant Season Opener, Florence Uwajaneza Wins D2 National Invite, Celine Ritter Earns Back-to-Back Gulf South XC Titles, Mackenzie Taylor Stays Undefeated With PBC XC Title, Western Colorado Women Win RMAC XC Title, Zoe Baker Becomes First Mines' Woman To Win RMAC Title
Lauren Bailey’s Dominant Season Opener: Lauren Bailey has been getting better and better for the Greyhounds since she arrived on campus back in 2017. That’s why it was a shame that they weren’t able to have the D2 Indoor National Championships last winter as she would have had a good chance at competing for her first national title.
That, however, didn't stop her from racing to a blistering new 5k PR of 17:07 earlier this season. This time was able to earn her national and conference "Runner of the Week" honors by both the USTFCCCA and the GLVC conference, respectively. Not only that, but she beat 2nd place finisher Jennifer Comastri, a 2019 cross country All-American and one of our top-ranked preseason runners, by a whole minute! It was a wildly impressive performance that shouldn't be overlooked.
Florence Uwajaneza Runs Away From Field At D2 XC National Invite: Florance Uwajaneza is good. No getting around that. After transferring from JUCO powerhouse Iowa Central Community College, she went undefeated in her two races this season. She won the Lone Star Conference Championships over Madison Brown of Dallas Baptist in her first race, establishing herself as a major name to watch.
However, the real race we want to highlight is the D2 National Invite. It was there that Uwajaneza made a name for herself, winning the 6k race by over 30 seconds over (you guessed it) Madison Brown. It looks like Uwajaneza is going to be a major contender to watch over the next few years.
Celine Ritter Wins Second-Straight GSC Title: Lee’s Celine Ritter had a very quiet (but impressive) season and was sometimes overshadowed by the success of teammate Christian Noble. But enough about him, this segment is here to highlight her season which ended in her setting a new 5k personal best in 17:01.
In her four races this season, Ritter only lost once to two Division One opponents at the UAB Blazer Classic against Carolien Millenaar from South Alabama (who won the Sun Belt title) and Louisville’s Purity Sanga )who was a top-25 finisher at the ACC Championships).
Ritter picked up victories at the UAH Open, the Louisville Classic and (most importantly), the Gulf South Championships where she won her second-straight conference title while leading the Flames to a team championship of their own.
Mackenzie Taylor Stays Undefeated With PBC Title: Tell the Augusta men to move over as we have Mackenzie Taylor from the women’s team who went undefeated this season. The major highlight of her season was a win in the Open Race at the Blazer Classic where she beat Alabama-Huntsville’s Kaylee Stewart and other runners from D1 schools.
She was also victorious at the Koala Classic, the PBC Preview and the Peach Belt Conference Championships. With her win and new course record at the PBC Championships, Taylor was awarded PBC Runner of the Year honors for her efforts -- and we think she was very much deserving of that honor.
Western Colorado Women Win First RMAC XC Title Since 2011: The Mountaineers from Gunnison, Colorado finally broke the stranglehold that the Adams State women had on the RMAC this year with their first conference XC title since 2011.
Led by a trio of women, the Big Red Machine won by almost 20 points over Colorado Mines (not Adams State) as Stephanie Cotter did not toe the line for the Grizzlies. Bailey Sharon, Katie Doucette, Alexia Thiros, Malindi Congour, Hannah Mae Gigstad, Brooke Satathite and Alyssa Tatum were key names who broke tradition and put the Mountaineers at the top of the best conference in D2.
Zoe Baker Wins First-Ever Individual Title For Colorado Mines Women: Staying with the RMAC Championships, can we talk about Colorado School of Mines' first-ever individual winner on the women’s side? Zoe Baker broke the tape in a time of 21:11 for 6000 meters and helped the Orediggers take home silver in the team results. This was her first official race of the season, although Colorado Mines did run a time trial earlier in the year where Baker set a new Stermole track 5000 meter record of 17:17.
Much like the performance of Notre Dame’s Yared Nuguse in Division One, she didn’t need a whole season to run fast when it mattered the most.
*Must have run attached this season
Nominees: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)), Dylan Ko (Colorado Mines), Taylor Stack (Western Colorado), Joshua Chepkesir (UNC Pembroke)
Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)): The top low-stick for the Flames continued to dominate this season. His latest race left him as the Gulf South champion for the third-straight season, but it was earlier in the season where we really noticed Noble’s dominance.
At the Blazer Classic, Noble traversed the 8k course in a time of 23:24, a solo effort eclipsing the winner of the D1 race by one second. Whatever may have happened had they raced together is moot now. However, if Christian Noble’s name was entered in the meet, it is plenty realistic that he would have been the champion.
Taylor Stack (Western Colorado): The Colorado native toed the line just twice this season, but each time he did he played a crucial scoring role for Western Colorado. He made an early statement when he won the Colorado Mesa Maverick invitational, although he didn’t run as well at the RMAC Championships where he finished 7th. Even so, Stack was the Mountaineer's second scorer who helped his team to a 2nd place finish that day.
The season was ultimately cut short for Western Colorado, but there’s no doubt in our minds that Stack would have been in contention for the individual win at the D2 National Invite had they competed.
Dylan Ko (Colorado Mines): How do you race only once and make this list? Pretty simple, a dominant performance. And that is exactly what we saw from Dylan Ko this year. His one (official) race at the RMAC Championships resulted in a four-second individual win. While taking home that individual title, Ko also led his team to a mere 22 point score and a 38-point victory over 2nd place Western Colorado.
It goes without saying that Ko is an essential piece to the Orediggers who can help lead them back to another national title whenever competition fully returns.
Joshua Chepkesir (UNC Pembroke): Admittedly, Chepkesir didn't race against much top-tier competition this season. That, however, doesn't make him any less talented. He won the Peach Belt title over Jacob Poston in convincing fashion and he showed that he hasn't faltered at all since last fall.
*Must have run attached this season
Nominees: Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist), Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis), Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines), Celine Ritter (Lee (Tenn.)), Florance Uwajaneza (West Texas A&M)
Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist): The junior only lost one race this season, and that was to superstar Lauren Bailey who seemed boarderline unstoppable. She made it clear that if she couldn’t win, then she was going to at least come in 2nd against All-Americans like Taryn Christy (Illinois-Springfield), Jennifer Comastri (Southern Indiana) and Claire McCune (Drury). The Southwest Baptist ace took down some big-time names this season despite the limited racing opportunities.
Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis): It was three races and three wins for Lauren Bailey this year. Highlighted by GLVC title, she simply looked unstoppable against very strong (sometimes underrated) competition. It’s too bad that Indianapolis didn’t get to travel to the D2 National Invite this season as it would’ve been interesting to see her race against Florance Uwajaneza (West Texas A&M) and Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist). Nonetheless, Bailey did all she could do and hopefully we will get to see her race national contenders in the near future.
Florance Uwajaneza (West Texas A&M): Florance Uwajaneza took the reins of the West Texas A&M program and just ran with it. She was out front in both of her races this season and never looked back, earning two individual wins. She was a big reason why the Buffs were the runner-up team at the LSC Championships this year as the rest of the lineup just wasn’t on the same level as Uwajaneza. In what was an "off" year for the Buffs, Uwajaneza was a pleasant bright spot for the women of Canyon, Texas.
Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines): Zoe Baker’s emergence as an elite D2 distance talent felt like it was destined to happen. She was ranked at TSR #9 in our "If Everything Was Normal" preseason rankings, but she was arguably just as good as some of the women who were ranked ahead of her, especially when you consider that she won the RMAC title. Winning the most competitive conference in D2 will always put you in the "Most Valuable" conversation.
Celine Ritter (Lee (Tenn.)): Ritter is an underappreciated star who secured three wins this season and never lost to any non-D1 competition. She ran under 18 minutes for 5000 meters on three separate occasions and nearly scared the 17 minute barrier in two separate instances. With another Gulf South title on her resume, it's hard to argue that Ritter isn't one of the best in the NCAA.
Men
Garrett: Anthony Farmer (Lewis)
John: Anthony Farmer (Lewis)
Eric: Nicodemus Rotich (TAMU-Commerce)
Nate: Anthony Farmer (Lewis)
Women
Garrett: Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)
John: Teja Young (Walsh)
Eric: Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)
Nate: Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)
Men
Garrett: Blake Jones (Illinois-Springfield)
John: Joseph Leventry (Montevallo)
Eric: Joseph Leventry (Montevallo)
Nate: Joseph Leventry (Montevallo)
Women
Garrett: Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)
John: Kaylee Stewart (Alabama-Huntsville)
Eric: Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)
Nate: Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)
Men
Garrett: Christian Noble Runs Fastest Overall Time At Blazer Classic
John: Christian Noble Runs Fastest Overall Time At Blazer Classic
Eric: Colorado Mines Men Win RMAC XC Title With 22 Points
Nate: Colorado Mines Men Win RMAC XC Title With 22 Points
*Tie broken by TSR staff
Women
Garrett: Western Colorado Women Win First RMAC XC Title Since 2011
John: Zoe Baker Wins Mines' First Women's Individual RMAC XC Title
Eric: Western Colorado Women Win First RMAC XC Title Since 2011
Nate: Mackenzie Taylor Stays Undefeated With PBC XC Title
Men
Garrett: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
John: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Eric: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Nate: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Women
Garrett: Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis)
John: Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis)
Eric: Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
Nate: Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis)