TSR Collaboration
Feb 615 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. Katie Heck (née Fankhouser), Junior, Fort Lewis (-11 / 14)
Taking a not-so-small tumble in our rankings this week is Katie Heck, the accomplished distance standout from Fort Lewis.
Heck had a very busy weekend at the New Mexico Team Open where she raced the 800 meters, the mile and was a part of her team's 4x400-meter relay. We'll start our analysis with her mile performance where she ran a raw time of 5:04.
To be honest, that effort left more to be desired. Heck had an incredible outdoor track season over 1500 meters, so we thought that her mile season debut would be a little quicker. Her half-mile effort, in which she ran a converted time of 2:13 to reach top-40 on the national leaderboard, was much more promising. Then, she continued to work on her speed, toeing the line for her team's 4x400-meter relay.
Heck still is someone to watch out for. Keep in mind that she still holds an NCAA #11 converted mark over 3000 meters. Though her mile time was less than ideal, she bounced back by displaying some great speed in the shorter events.
She's still very dangerous when it comes to the mile, especially if a championship battle comes down to a fast final lap.
24. Mckenna Cavanaugh, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (+1 / 25)
As the season progresses, teams are starting to put together their relays, and women of Lee (Tenn.) were no different this past weekend. Mckenna Cavanaugh played a huge role in the Flames’ fantastic DMR performance in Boston, acting as the fourth leg and bringing her relay to an NCAA #5 time of 11:42.
The D2 veteran also competed over 3000 meters at the same meet, running an outstanding PR of 9:26 and moving herself onto the national leaderboard at NCAA #8 in that event.
Cavanaugh is having a truly impressive season, producing numerous personal bests before the month of February. Naturally, that makes us wonder how much more she can improve over the next five-ish weeks.
Where will Cavanaugh find herself by the end of this indoor track season, and more importantly, which event(s) will she choose to contest on the national stage? With a promising NCAA #12 mile mark to boot, it's safe to say that Cavanaugh is a force to contend with in whichever distance she chooses.
23. Aryelle Wright, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-2 / 21)
Aryelle Wright's racing schedule remained fairly busy in recent weeks. However, since our last update, she has worked more on her speed.
In the time since our last rankings update, the Oredigger ace debuted in her main event (the 800 meters) and then moved down in distance to the 400 meters. At her home meet, she ran the third leg of the Orediggers’ impressive DMR performance before running an altitude-converted 2:11 mark to earn a half-mile win.
Then, this past weekend, Wright ran a leg of the 4x400-meter relay before dropping an impressive time of 56.10 in the open 400 meters. She's now on the national leaderboard in two events, and she appears to be nearing her peak, anaerobically.
Even so, this is all roughly what we would expect from a true veteran like Wright. There is certainly more talent within her and we imagine that we'll see that in the coming weeks.
22. Maggie McCleskey, Sophomore, Adams State (-2 / 20)
Though Maggie McCleskey made a small improvement on her mile time this past weekend, she moves down a couple of spots in our rankings. Although, that has to do more with the other performances around her than any fault of her own.
McCleskey raced to a very strong converted time of 4:47 in the mile at the New Mexico Team Open -- a one-second improvement from her mile effort the weekend before despite placing 5th this time around.
Of course, improvement is still improvement which is why she still deserves to be in these rankings. Plus, McCleskey is a name who has proven to arguably be at her best in a championship setting.
Last year, this Grizzly standout took home the RMAC indoor mile title and snagged the final All-American placement at the indoor national meet in the same event. She did that all while running virtually the same times that she is currently running.
If anything, McCleskey is right where she needs to be as we head deeper into February.
21. Kate Hedlund, Rs. Junior, UC-Colorado Springs (Unranked)
After a disappointing cross country season, Kate Hedlund opened up her indoor track campaign with a huge bang in late January. She was the first leg of the Mountain Lions’ DMR lineup at the Mines Winter Classic before competing in the mile the next day.
There, she helped her team to an incredible NCAA #1 converted time of 11:31 in the relay, splitting 3:32 for the 1200-meter leg. She then took home the meet win in the mile, running a resume-boosting, altitude converted mark of 4:43, putting her at NCAA #5 on the D2 national leaderboard.
After such a strong weekend, we're led to wonder what Hedlund will do next. She already holds strong marks in both the mile and the DMR, so she could (potentially) already be set for that specific double at the indoor national meet.
Whether she decides to drop down in distance, move up or hold steady, we are pretty confident Hedlund will improve upon her PRs as she did this past weekend. A 4:43 converted mile suggests that she's as good as she's ever been -- and that's not a good sign if you're someone who has to race against her on the national stage.
20. Tristian Spence, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (-1 / 19)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
19. Emily Schoellkopf, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 18)
Similar to her teammate, Precious Robinson, Emily Schoellkopf ran the mile and the 3k at the New Mexico Team Open. However, Schoellkopf comparatively struggled a bit more with both of her races. Her raw times of 5:07 (mile) and 9:52 (3k) put her behind Robinson and generally behind where we thought Schoellkopf would be at this point of the season.
Her 3k time did convert down to 9:38 (which is fairly solid), but with how fast Division Two is getting, that mark might not be fast enough to advance to the indoor national meet. That performance also doesn't quite line up with the NCAA #6 mark over 5000 meters that Schoellkopf dropped in Boston just after the end of the cross country season when she potentially held greater aerobic strength.
And yet, what we do know about Schoellkopf is that she is a tested and proven competitor who knows how to turn it on when it comes to championship racing. Though her times may seem a little behind where they should be right now, we still believe that Schoellkopf will be competitive on the national stage next month.
For that reason, she doesn't fall back much in these rankings.
A name who is slowly making herself known as a mainstay over 800 meters is Alaysia Brooks. After all, she just ran 2:09 for the half-mile distance and moved up to NCAA #1 for that event so far this season.
Brooks first came onto the scene last winter when she ran a half-mile PR of 2:09 and qualified for the indoor national meet. She then went on to run 2:07 on the outdoor oval and qualified for the national meet once again.
While Brooks failed to make it to the finals in both of those meets, she is seemingly ahead of schedule in her fitness development for this season (compared to 2023).
And now that she is equipped with more experience under her belt, as well as knowledge of how to navigate through the qualifying rounds, Brooks should find herself towards the front of the 800-meter field come March.
17. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State (-2 / 15)
Since her very impressive altitude converted time of 9:26 (3k) back in December, Precious Robinson hasn't quite run times up to the standard that she started her season off at.
Two weekends ago, Robinson ran unconverted marks of 4:59 in the mile and 9:52 in the 3k at the New Mexico Team Open. That latter result was still a ways off from her December time and the former mark isn't particularly competitive toward the top of Division Two.
That being said, a raw 4:59 mile time for someone who's at her best in the longer events is still very solid and even promising. Plus, it was a PR for her!
Not only that, but doubling back for the 3k in the same weekend might explain why she did not improve upon her previous 3k mark. And when you factor all of that together, you begin to realize that Robinson hasn't necessarily regressed. If anything, she may be refining her fitness a bit further.
Robinson is still someone to look out for in the 5k and her improvement in the mile means that she is making an effort to be a more well-rounded distance talent in an NCAA scene that's more competitive than ever.
16. Zoe Baker, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-3 / 13)
After anxiously waiting for Zoe Baker to make her season debut, she opened up her indoor track campaign by toeing the line for the 3000 meters at the Mines Winter Classic. And at the end of it all, Baker took home the win with a converted time of 9:34.
Then, this past weekend, she raced in Boulder at the Colorado Invitational and improved her 3k time to a converted mark of 9:31. Though it was a small improvement, it still moved her up the D2 national leaderboard to the NCAA #10 spot.
Baker has always been more inclined towards the longer distances, so both of these marks in the 3k are roughly where we would expect her to be considering that she did not race in the fall. It's the 5000 meters, however, where she'll be able to truly display her value in these rankings.
15. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado (+8 / 23)
Last spring, Leah Taylor emerged as a national-caliber star with her fantastic 3rd place finish over 1500 meters at the 2023 outdoor national meet. But over these past two weekends, the sophomore hinted that her incredible outdoor track accolades may have only been the beginning of something far more grand.
First, Taylor came away with a couple of excellent performances at the Mines Winter Classic where she ran a converted time of 4:45 in the mile while running the fourth leg of Western Colorado’s DMR team at the same meet. The latter effort helped the Mountaineers to a converted 11:37 mark and NCAA #4 spot on the D2 national leaderboard.
Then, this past weekend, Taylor toed the line for the 800 meters, coming away with the win in front of the home crowd in an altitude-converted time of 2:11.
All of these performances add up to a very fit and competitive version of Taylor -- as can be attested to by top-18 marks in three different individual events -- who has just built on performance after performance since her phenomenal spring season. With this kind of momentum on her side, Taylor is going to be very dangerous over the next five weeks.
14. Lauren Kiley, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (+3 / 17)
Lauren Kiley is slowly building up her indoor track resume this winter. She has now added a highly promising 9:27 mark for 3000 meters (NCAA #9) to her list of personal bests and is seemingly primed for a move up to the 5k.
Kiley has found more success in the longer events, but still has great PRs in the mile and the 1500 meters. With the addition of her recent 3k improvement, Kiley is not only looking like she is going to make a big jump in her 5k PR, but she may also be ready to earn an All-American honor on the track after twice doing so on the grass through two tries.
For someone who is an aerobic-centric sophomore, her turnover is still pretty good, meaning that, in theory, she will be better prepared to respond to a more tactical 5k if the national meet turns into that. Plus, with four full seasons of collegiate racing under her belt, Kiley shouldn't necessarily be shocked and awed by the bright lights of the national stage like most underclassmen are come March.
And after this past weekend, Kiley is proving that she is even better than last year.
13. Elena Carey, Junior, Adams State (Unranked)
Elena Carey is another athlete who just began her indoor track season in recent weeks. And while she may have been late to the party, she still made a grand entrance.
That came via a fantastic mile effort at the New Mexico Team Open. Competing with many of her teammates, Carey came away as the top collegiate, crossing the line with a fantastic time of 4:49! Plus, she earned a strong altitude conversion, dropping her time all the way down to 4:42 which is good enough for NCAA #3 this season!
Carey showed promise during the cross country season, placing 9th at the competitive South Central Regional XC Championship and then 60th at the cross country national meet. Now, she is starting to show some potential on the oval and has put herself into the growing bag of names who could potentially take the mile national title.
Since this is the only time that we have for Carey this season, we will have to wait and see her potential in the other events and if she can match her recent mile effort. Experience at the highest level matters quite a bit on the national stage, especially when contending for a top finish. However, few D2 women have begun their current indoor track seasons in such a way as Carey just did.
12. Ana Tucker, Senior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 11)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
11. Taryn Chapko, Junior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 10)
Taryn Chapko was entered in the 800 meters at the Meyo Invitational and recorded a "DNF." However, she did not record any splits, and it appears that she did not start the race.
Chapko did not record any other performances since our last rankings update.
10. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M (-1 / 9)
We don't have much analysis to offer for Eleonora Curtabbi this week.
The Buffalo ace has had a slower start to her indoor track season and currently sits at NCAA #16 in the mile with a converted mark of 4:50 from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational. Curtabbi most recently recorded a "DNF" at the New Mexico Team Open.
Based on her proven talent and extensive experience, Curtabbi stays in our top-10 through this round of rankings despite not having the performances this season to back it up (yet). However, if we still have limited results to work with by our next update, then that will be more accurately reflected within our top-25.
9. Morgan Hykes, Junior, Adams State (+7 / 16)
Morgan Hykes is on fire right now and deservedly earns one of the biggest jumps in our rankings this week. The Grizzly junior was firmly on our radar after she ran an NCAA #4 time of 16:17 over 5000 meters in December, but she recently showed even more fitness and range at the New Mexico Team Open.
Hykes ran the NCAA #7 mark in the mile with an altitude-converted 4:45! That's a fantastic combination of distance results. And for someone who's found great success as a steeplechaser in the spring, we can only assume that an eye-catching 3k effort is in Hykes' near future. And given that her PR in that event already sits at 9:23, any improvement would put her toward the top of the national leaderboard in a third event.
The Adams State ace is showcasing a new level of confidence and consistency this year, putting herself in elite company and firing on all cylinders. Hykes' last two performances have increased her overall stock dramatically and move her into our top-10.
8. Ava O'Connor, Junior, Adams State (0 / 8)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
7. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State (0 / 7)
After she ran a 3k PR of 9:17 in December and then 2:12 for 800 meters in her next competition, we were excited to see Klaudia O'Malley contest the nexus of those two distances: the mile.
The GVSU veteran rewarded our patience soon enough, running 4:46 in the mile for the NCAA #8 mark at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational. That is undoubtedly a solid time, but it's also about where we would expect O'Malley to be, fitness-wise, at this point in the season (hence the lack of movement in her ranking).
While O’Malley is running well right now and is top-10 in two events, she has yet to truly “wow” us with a performance this season. But we could just be holding her to an incredibly high standard due to her level of experience, consistency and range of talent.
6. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (0 / 6)
Florance Uwajeneza already showed that she was back and better than ever when she produced her NCAA #5 mark over 5000 meters back in December. However, she then further validated her fitness and competitive prowess at the New Mexico Team Open over the last few weeks. In Albuquerque, the West Texas A&M veteran ran a converted 3k time of 9:16 for 3rd place and now sits at NCAA #4 in that event.
What’s even more impressive about that result is that she finished eight seconds ahead of Brianna Robles (who was on a two-day double) which is no easy feat. It was also a 13-second improvement from her previous effort in the same event just two weeks prior.
Uwajeneza is firing on all cylinders and her current momentum indicates that she could replicate her double All-American performance in the same events from last year. She's truly one of the most elite long distance talents in Division Two over the past half-decade.
5. Gracie Hyde, Senior, Adams State (0 / 5)
We don't have much analysis to offer when it comes to Adams State’s newest star.
Gracie Hyde recorded a "DNF" in the mile at the New Mexico Team Open. The results show that she ran through 1209 meters and we can speculate that she was possibly pacing her teammates, Morgan Hykes and Elena Carey, to PRs and qualifying times.
But make no mistake, Hyde is still a major threat for the mile national title and holds the NCAA #1 mark over that distance. A simple pacing job doesn't change that.
4. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State (0 / 4)
Natalie Graber’s NCAA #3 performance of 16:08 (5k) from December was impressive, but her 4:42 mile from two weekends ago was arguably just as good. Graber won the latter race by nearly eight seconds on her home track at the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic and now sits at NCAA #2 in the event this season.
While this was a PR according to TFRRS and a fantastic performance, it wasn't all that surprising given the talent and speed that we saw from this Laker veteran last winter. Graber split 4:39 for 1600 meters in the DMR at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships to win the national title in record fashion.
Seeing her run at a similar level at this point of the season is promising moving forward. And with top-three (!) times in both the mile and the 5k, we have a similar question for Graber as we did for Hykes: What can she do over 3000 meters this season?
Graber was entered in that event at the Bill Clinger Classic, but recorded a "DNF," although we are unsure if she was pacing her teammates. Regardless, Graber is just as good as she has ever been.
3. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State (0 / 3)
Kaylee Beyer just keeps getting better and better.
The Winona State senior may have solidified her status as a national title favorite (depending on how you feel about Gracie Hyde) after her mile performance at the Lewis Invitational. At that meet, Beyer ran a three-second PR and won the race by over nine seconds in an outstanding unconverted time of 4:43!
While that mark puts Beyer at NCAA #4 in the mile, her current momentum and level of experience in the event gives her a case as the most known quantity in the event, particularly after producing a 4:48 mark in a win earlier this season. Not to mention, she was a top-10 All-American on the grass mere months ago and produced an NCAA #3 result over 3000 meters with a victory over superstar teammate, Lindsay Cunningham, in mid-January.
There aren't many athletes who have consistently been able to level up in the way Beyer has.
2. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State (0 / 2)
Is there an event Briana Robles doesn’t excel at?
The Adams State endurance star displayed impressive leg speed at the New Mexico Team Open, winning the mile in an altitude-converted time of 4:46. She later came back for the 3000 meters and ran an impressive converted mark of 9:23 for 4th place. But mind you, she ran over 10 seconds faster in December.
The Grizzly ace currently sits at NCAA #9 in the mile, NCAA #2 for the 3k and NCAA #1 for the 5k. Robles’ continued excellence and expansive range across all distance events keeps her at TSR #2 in this round of our rankings.
1. Lindsay Cunningham, Junior, Winona State (0 / 1)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
Elena Carey (Adams State)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
Alaysia Brooks (Ursuline (OH))
KICKED OFF
Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)
Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)
Nicole Lawrence (Adams State)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)
Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)
Nicole Lawrence (Adams State)
Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)
Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)
Luisarys Toledo (NW Missouri)
Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)
Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado)
Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)
Khot Juac (Sioux Falls)
Holly Moser (Colorado Mines)
Jessica Simon (Adams State)
Maria Mitchell (Grand Valley State)
Shannon King (Colorado Christian)
Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)
Lina Hanich (Academy of Art)
Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)
Elizabeth Acheson (U-Mary)
Kaylee Harp (NW Missouri)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Fiona Hawkins (Adams State)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Allie Arnsman (Grand Valley State)
Savannah Ackley (Cedarville)
Sira Bo (Wingate)
Grace Southern (Academy of Art)
Katja Bauerle (UW-Parkside)
Reina Paredes (Adams State)
Sarah May (Grand Valley State)
Lieke Hoogsteen (Adams State)
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)
Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)
Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (Colorado Mines)
Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)
Lainy Williams (Southwest Baptist)
Lydia McGlocklin (NW Missouri)
Kate Dawson (Pittsburg State)
Emma Kjellsen (Western Colorado)
Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)
Notes
- N/A