TSR Collaboration
Jan 2210 min
Written by Marissa Kuik & Grace McLaughlin
Additional edits & commentary by Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve
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, but not strict, guide when determining eligibility.
Was not ranked in our last update.
First number indicates how much the individual has moved in our rankings.
The second number indicates where the individual was ranked in our last update.
25. Mckenna Cavanaugh, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (Unranked)
After running a three-second PR in the mile, Mckenna Cavanaugh hops into our rankings. Her time of 4:46 at the Vanderbilt Classic not only lands her at NCAA #4 in that event this season, but it also puts her in a good spot -- at this early juncture -- to not only reach the indoor national meet, but also advance to the mile finals.
She also contested the 800 meters at the same meet, crossing the line with a time of 2:19. Sure, that mark doesn't exactly jump off the page, but that was still a solid effort for one of the harder doubles in track and field. If anything, her 800-meter time is a nice way to further refine her ability to eventually contest multiple races at the national meet with shortened rest.
If Cavanaugh continues this momentum of setting PRs that she started back in the fall, then we will be interested to see what she could run in some of the other events like the 3k. In theory, that may actually be her best distance.
24. Nicole Lawrence, Senior, Adams State (-1 / 23)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
23. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado (-2 / 21)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
22. Riley McGrath, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-2 / 20)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
21. Aryelle Wright, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-3 / 18)
For someone who is considered to be more of a 400/800-meter runner, moving up to the mile seemed like a pretty big jump. However, Aryelle Wright put together a sound showing in the first individual race that she completed this winter, running a converted time of 5:02 at the UCCS Invite en route to a victory.
Though the time may not look impressive to some, we view it more as Wright rounding out her skillset and building her strength to refine her half-mile abilities.
Seeing her improve her endurance over that distance should lead to an improvement over 800 meters which is arguably her best event. It could also make the difference between again being a top-half All-American or something more this winter.
So although she falters a bit in our rankings, just know that it's more so based on the performances of a few other women rather than that she has done.
20. Maggie McCleskey, Sophomore, Adams State (Unranked)
After running a converted 4:47 time in the mile at the MLK Invitational and beating some top Division Two competition -- including Eleonora Curtabbi -- Maggie McCleskey has forced her way into our rankings.
That mile time that she just ran matches the mile mark that she posted around the same time last year. That season, she went on to win the RMAC mile title and finish 8th at the indoor national meet over the same mile distance.
With a year of added experience, could she be capable of even more?
Seeing McCleskey return to form definitely has us excited for how one of the more open distance events could play out (although her new teammate could have a heavy say in that). We also know that she has the capability to be a major threat in that event, and perhaps others, at the indoor national meet.
McCleskey is undeniably an All-American-caliber talent in multiple events, but where in that conversation she belongs is what the rest of this season will hopefully tell us.
19. Tristian Spence, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (0 / 19)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
18. Emily Schoellkopf, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 17)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
17. Lauren Kiley, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (-1 / 16)
A couple of weeks ago, Lauren Kiley dropped down in distance and ran 4:51 for the mile at Grand Valley State’s home meet. Though that time doesn't pop as much as some of the other results from these past two weekends, a 4:51 mark is still very encouraging for Kiley who boasts a more aerobic-centric skillset.
After a phenomenal freshman cross country campaign, Kiley had to go through the learning curve of D2 competition last winter. But for her to kick-off her 2023-24 indoor track campaign in a similar fashion to how she did back then shows us that she has a comparable, strong starting point. We also know that once she moves up in distance, likely as soon as her next race, that she'll only be more competitive.
16. Morgan Hykes, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 15)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
15. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 14)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
14. Katie Heck (née Fankhouser), Junior, Fort Lewis (-1 / 13)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
13. Zoe Baker, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-1 / 12)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
12. Allison Beasley, Junior, Western Colorado (-2 / 10)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
11. Ana Tucker, Senior, Grand Valley State (-2 / 9)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
10. Taryn Chapko, Junior, Grand Valley State (-2 / 8)
We have yet to see Taryn Chapko run in her primary event this season, but she has still strung together several strong performances so far this season.
The Laker veteran ran 1:33 to win the 600 meters at the GVSU Bob Eubanks Open which is 2:04 (800) pace for reference. That was a fantastic display of the speed and turnover that we knew Chapko holds, although it was her most recent performance that was arguably even more promising.
The Grand Valley State junior ran a PR of 4:49 to win the mile at the GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Open. To add to how impressive that performance is, she also won the race by nearly seven seconds, posting a time that puts her at NCAA #7 on the D2 national leaderboard.
That display of stamina, in addition to her speed, indicates that she’s ready to excel over the 800-meter distance, her signature event which is fairly wide-open from a national title perspective. And although she drops slightly in our rankings, that's only because two athletes made significant jumps since our last update.
9. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M (-6 / 3)
Eleonora Curtabbi drops several spots in our first rankings update, but she remains in our top-10 largely based on her history of success and reliability.
The Buffalo star posted an altitude-converted 4:50 mark in the mile at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational over the weekend to open her season. That's a solid time for this point in the season and it puts her at NCAA #8 in the event. However, she did fall to Adams State's Gracie Hyde and Maggie McCleskey in that race.
That being said, we wouldn’t read into this performance too much. That was Curtabbi's first race of the season, and she may excel more in the 3k or 5k, especially after flexing her endurance during the cross country season.
Additionally, Curtabbi has a history of starting seasons more conservatively and then shining during the postseason. She may have dropped in our rankings during this update, but we don’t expect her to stay "down" here as the season gets into full swing.
8. Ava O'Connor, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 7)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
7. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 6)
Klaudia O’Malley began her indoor track season in a unique way, but one that isn't completely unheard of.
The Grand Valley State ace already ran a fantastic time of 9:17 over 3000 meters -- currently the NCAA #4 mark (D2) -- at Boston University back in December. As such, we expected her next race to be the mile, which is arguably her strongest event.
But rather than eight laps around the track, O’Malley ran half that distance and showed impressive speed and turnover by posting a 2:12 mark for an NCAA #6 spot over 800 meters at the GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Open.
She has run faster on the outdoor oval and has a PR of 2:10 in the event, but this was a solid performance. In theory, competing in the shorter races will aid her efforts in distances like the mile and 3k later in the season, especially in tactical affairs.
Based on her talent from the grass to the 800 meters, O’Malley is the most dynamic athlete in our rankings and has some of the most impressive range in Division Two. She’s now run a PR in the 3k and an indoor PR over 800 meters so far this season.
What can we expect from her in the mile?
6. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (-1 / 5)
Yes, Florance Uwajeneza moves down one spot this week, but it's due to no fault of her own.
The West Texas A&M veteran extended her momentum from her NCAA #5 mark of 16:17 (5k) in December by recently running an NCAA #10 time of 9:36 (3k) at the Stan Scott Memorial. But perhaps more importantly, after not racing for over six months, she won that first race and lost only to a Division One talent in the second.
These performances are about where we might expect Uwajeneza to be at this point in the season based on her PRs and previous success on the oval. But the fact that she hasn't skipped a beat after not racing in the fall (due to exhausted eligibility) is impressive.
The Buffalo ace is firing on all cylinders and is one of the top returners in both long distance events this winter (3k and 5k). She is a clear (and somewhat heavy) favorite to be a double All-American come March, although the next step in her development will be seeing how close she can get to women such as Robles and Cunningham.
5. Gracie Hyde, Senior, Adams State (Unranked)
There were plenty of fast times and breakout performances over the past few weeks, but Gracie Hyde's emergence is easily the biggest storyline of this rankings update.
The former Arkansas runner transferred to Adams State this past winter. And as a result, she has had an immediate impact on the Division Two scene.
In her debut for Adams State, Hyde ran a jaw-dropping 4:37 mile time (altitude converted) at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational in New Mexico. She was the top collegiate runner in the race by over 10 seconds and is eight seconds ahead of the next-fastest Division Two runner in the event this season.
That performance was simply fantastic. Although, if you're at all familiar with the time that she spent with the Razorbacks, that shouldn't come as a shock. She did, after all, run 4:37 in the mile during her time with Arkansas and qualified for the 2021 indoor national meet, placing 9th in the finals.
As a result, Hyde has potentially solidified herself as the new national title favorite in an event that we thought was pretty wide-open at the beginning of the season.
While that race was phenomenal in and of itself, her pedigree and reemergence suggests that this is hardly her peak. Gracie Hyde’s future at Adams State looks bright and you should likely get used to seeing her name in our rankings from here on out.
4. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State (0 / 4)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
3. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State (+8 / 11)
An eyebrow-raising flat-track converted 9:12 (3k) performance at the UW-La Crosse Pat Healy Classic was enough to send Kaylee Beyer skyrocketing up our rankings. But the final time isn't necessarily the most impressive part of that effort.
Not only did Beyer win that race, but she also beat superstar teammate, Lindsay Cunningham, by nine seconds! She now sits at NCAA #3 in the event this season. And if that wasn't impressive enough, Beyer also ran a flat-track converted time of 4:45 in the mile (NCAA #2) the week prior.
We knew that this Warrior veteran would be great this season based on her massive improvements on the grass...but even then, she has simply exceeded all expectations.
Beyer has turned into a legitimate national title contender in both the mile and the 3k with her recent performances. We're still in the early portions of this indoor track track season which poses the question: How much faster will Beyer be running in a few weeks?
2. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State (0 / 2)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
1. Lindsay Cunningham, Junior, Winona State (0 / 1)
While we briefly considered a changing of the guard atop our indoor track rankings, we decided that Lindsay Cunningham's body of work, particularly in the postseason, was too great to strip her of this mantle, a least not yet.
The reigning cross country (and outdoor 5k and 10k and indoor 5k) national champion opened her indoor track season with a 9:21 (3k) mark at the UW-La Crosse Pat Healy Classic. In that solid rust-busting performance, the Winona State star finished 2nd behind teammate, Kaylee Beyer.
While the margin of defeat was considerable, we're not too worried about this result. If anything, it's more of a positive for Beyer than a negative for Cunningham (and thus a positive for Winona State as a whole).
Cunningham is a more endurance-focused runner while Beyer has more turnover, so you could potentially make the argument that the 3k aligns more with Beyer’s strengths. That was also Cunningham's first race of the season and it gave her the NCAA #5 mark, so there's not much reason to fret.
We expect that we may have a gaudy 5k result to examine the next time that we discuss Cunningham in our rankings.
Gracie Hyde (Adams State)
Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)
Mckenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))
KICKED OFF
Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)
Luisarys Toledo (NW Missouri)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)
Luisarys Toledo (NW Missouri)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)
Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado)
Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)
Liz Wamsley (Hillsdale)
Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)
Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)
Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (Colorado Mines)
Khot Juac (Sioux Falls)
Philippine de la Bigne (Azusa Pacific)
Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))
Holly Moser (Colorado Mines)
Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)
Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)
Jessica Simon (Adams State)
Maria Mitchell (Grand Valley State)
Shannon King (Colorado Christian)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Allie Arnsman (Grand Valley State)
Susanne Bruennig (Biola)
Savannah Ackley (Cedarville)
Linda Weigang (Fort Lewis)
Sira Bo (Wingate)
Grace Southern (Academy of Art)
Alaysia Brooks (Ursuline (OH))
Katja Bauerle (UW-Parkside)
Reina Paredes (Adams State)
Sarah May (Grand Valley State)
Lieke Hoogsteen (Adams State)
Lisa Hanich (Academy of Art)
Ines Macadam (Tiffin)
Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)
Erin Dorn (Davenport)
Taylor Stone (Flagler)
Liza Kellerman (Lee (Tenn.))
Margot Thomas (CSU-Pueblo)
MaKenna Thurston (Minnesota State)
Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)
Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)
Notes
- N/A