TSR Collaboration

Mar 15, 202321 min

TSR's 2023 D2 Indoor Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #4 (FINAL)

Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Written by Marissa Kuik & Grace McLaughlin

Additional edits and commentary by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin


Do you have an interest in writing for The Stride Report? We're looking for high school coverage writers and potentially NAIA coverage writers. Want to know more? Read this and send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com to let us know!


Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.

Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.

TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.


KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in our rankings.

The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last update.


25. Aryelle Wright, Senior, Colorado Mines (Unranked)

This was the fifth national meet that Aryelle Wright qualified for in the 800 meters. And heading into this past weekend, she had never qualified for the 800 meter final.

Well, all of that changed over the weekend. Wright used her prior experience in championships settings to set herself up for success. She qualified for the final with Helen Braybrook as they ran away from the field to secure the two automatic qualifying marks.

After essentially earning All-American honors, there was nothing left for Wright to do except give it her all in the final. And that’s what she did as she left Virginia Beach with a 5th place finish in the 800 meters. She placed herself in the thick of a wide-open event and despite placing 5th, the Oredigger veteran could have very well been the runner-up as less than six-tenths of a second separated Wright from Braybrook.

We thought a breakthrough for Wright was coming and she confirmed that with her national meet performance. She’ll look to build off of this effort and return to the outdoor circuit just as strong.

24. Allison Beasley, Sophomore, Western Colorado (Unranked)

After consistently making TSR’s “Just Missed” list, Allison Beasley finally enters our top-25 in the last edition of our indoor track rankings. Her consistency over the winter months and her fantastic performance at the indoor national meet has propelled her to TSR #24.

Beasley started her championship meet by making it out of the tricky preliminaries in the mile. Then a few hours later, Beasley ran a monster first leg of Western Colorado’s DMR, splitting 3:30 for 1200 meters and was a big reason why the Mountaineers finished 3rd in the event.

Then, on the final day of competition, she finished 7th place overall in the mile, coming away with All-American honors in her first-ever attempt on the national stage.

Beasley had a strong indoor track season throughout this winter, but it was not until the national meet that she proved she could hang with the best of the best in Division Two.

Getting out of the mile preliminaries is no small feat, especially for someone who does not have the same kind of experience as her opponents. She also hung with some of the fastest legs of the DMR which is very impressive for a first outing at the indoor national meet.

Beasley will definitely be someone to look out for going into the outdoor season.

23. Luisarys Toledo, Sophomore, NW Missouri (Unranked)

With Luisarys Toledo having plenty of experience in the 400 meters and the multi-events, we were unsure if Toledo would choose to contest the 800 meters and how that would affect her ranking.

However, Toledo opted for the 800 meters. And even though she lacked the experience of working through preliminaries and the finals, she looked like a veteran and ultimately finished 4th overall in the half-mile event.

And even though TSR focuses on disciplines of 800 meters and up, Toledo also contributed to NW Missouri’s 4x400 meter relay team, splitting 53.66 seconds and helping her squad to a national title in the event.

With that kind of speed and such an impressive performance over 800 meters, we do not doubt that Toledo will continue to contest this event in the spring. With even more practice racing the half-mile distance, Toledo could make herself one of the title favorites on the outdoor oval.

22. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State (+3 / 25)

Precious Robinson’s indoor track season began slowly despite her strong 15th place finish at the cross country national meet. However, once mid-February and March hit, she looked more like herself, running a huge PR in the indoor 5k at Boston, finishing in 16:23.

She also had a good showing at the RMAC Championships, finishing 3rd in the 3k.

At the indoor national meet, Robinson came away with a strong 6th place finish in a highly competitive 5k field, proving to us that she is still just as competitive with the rest of Division Two on the oval as she is on the grass. She would return the following day to finish 12th in the 3k, running a personal best of 9:32, and finishing four spots better than she did last year.

In Robinson’s short career, she’s proven to be a stronger runner as the distance get longer. And while that may be the case, she also has enough foot-speed to compete in most racing situations. We could see Robinson bump up to the 10k this outdoor track season, but we feel comfortable suggesting that she’s an early All-American pick for the 5k.

21. Najwa Chouati, Senior, Stanislaus State (Unranked)

Najwa Chouati is a newcomer to the rankings since this is the first indoor track season Stanislaus State that has contested, but after getting into the indoor national meet in not one, but two events, Chouati enters our final rankings.

At her first indoor national meet, Chouati finished in 13th place in the 5k and then 7th place in the 3k, earning All-American honors in the latter event. And while that 13th place result isn’t anything to get incredibly excited about, it was also her first time contesting the event on the national stage.

Plus, she chose the bold decision to go out with the aggressive pacing of Lindsay Cunningham and Brianna Robles before ultimately fading.

What was more impressive, though, was Chouati's ability to bounce back from a tough 5k and come away with an All-American finish in the 3k which was another aggressively paced affair. Being able to double back in the 3k with a better performance is something to be proud of and speaks to the strength-based fitness that Chouati has.

Despite this being her first indoor national meet, Chouati raced like the veteran that she is and was rewarded with an All-American trophy for it. She’ll be on our radar this spring.

20. Kate Hedlund, Sophomore, UC-Colorado Springs (-10 / 10)

After an impressive finish of 6th place at last year’s national meet in the mile, the expectations were very high for Kate Hedlund going into this year’s national meet. She also came in with one of the better seed times while continuing to flex solid versatility.

Naturally, all eyes were on Hedlund and what she could do.

Unfortunately, the preliminaries got the best of Hedlund where she failed to make it to the mile final. Hedlund actualyl still ran well in her preliminary, but she got out-leaned in the end and was the first one out of the finals.

Though it was disappointing not to see Hedlund make it out of the preliminaries, she was still able to come back a few hours later and run an incredible fourth leg for the Mountain Lions’ DMR. She was given the baton in 5th place and split 4:45, almost running down 4th and 3rd place. In the end, the Mountain Lions would finish 5th, but she definitely kept them competitive throughout the whole relay.

Hedlund is still a dynamic middle distance runner and we are eager to see how she bounces back for the outdoor season. Her 2022 indoor campaign was probably better, but it's clear that she's generally the same runner now as she was back then.

19. Molly Maksin, Sophomore, Colorado Mines (+1 / 20)

Molly Maksin put together a nice indoor track season this year, coming away with big PRs in the 5k and the 3k. She also came away with a lot of experience, racing both events in two championship settings, including the RMAC Indoor Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships.

Though Maksin did fail to earn All-American honors in both events, she still finished close to the top of the field in both events with a 9th place finish in the 5k and a 10th place finish in the 3k. She also barely missed 8th place in the 5k, getting out-leaned at the line by a tenth of a second.

For Maksin to come away with strong finishes in both events at her first indoor national meet gives us a lot of confidence that she is ready for an outdoor campaign which may better suit her strength.

Maksin is a true distance powerhouse and does her best in events like the 10k. With her huge improvements during the winter months, expect even more progress on the outdoor oval for this Colorado Mines distance talent.

18. Courtney McAlindon, Senior, Westminster (UT) (+6 / 24)

Courtney McAlindon slowly put together a very strong indoor campaign, ending her season on the national stage. The rising veteran came away with a huge PR in the mile in early February and also helped Westminster’s (UT) DMR team qualify for their first indoor national meet in the event.

Though the Griffins did not have the greatest DMR performance, finishing 11th overall, McAlindon did make it out of the mile preliminaries which is always an accomplishment, even for a veteran.

For McAlindon to make it to the mile finals in her first time on the national stage and also finish in an impressive 6th place makes herself a force to be reckoned with come the spring. That series of results will at least give her some momentum heading into April.

The Utah-based distance star has proven to us that she can work through tactical race situations and still come away with an All-American finish, meaning that we don't see her drifting away from the 1500 meters later this spring.

17. Katie Doucette, Junior, Western Colorado (-8 / 9)

It is always disappointing when we have to drop athletes so many places in our rankings, but unfortunately, Katie Doucette was unable to perform up to her standards at the national meet. And a result, we were forced to drop her eight positions in our rankings.

This past weekend, Doucette competed in the 3k and also was the Mountaineers’ fourth leg of the DMR. Doucette helped her relay team to a 3rd place finish, holding off Colorado Mines and the UC-Colorado Springs. On that anchor leg, she split 4:49 (mile) and was a big part of earning bronze for Western Colorado.

Unfortunately, she struggled to double back in the 3k where she would finish 19th place overall. Doucette seemed unable to respond to the rest of the pack when the pace picked up.

Nevertheless, we know that Doucette is still a monster of a competitor and someone to look out for with the outdoor track season just around the corner. This may not have been Doucette’s best overall showing at a national meet, but we know that she has a lot more to give come outdoor season.

16. Amanda Montplaisir, Senior, Minnesota State (+2 / 18)

Throughout this indoor season, Amanda Montplaisir has showcased some stellar range from the mile all the way up to the 5000 meters. However, despite that strong range, Montplaisir never committed to an event, making her a "jack of all trades."

This past weekend, in the women's DMR, almost no one thought that Minnesota State had a real shot at finishing in the top-eight (including us here at TSR). But with the help of Montplaisir’s incredible 4:47 split on the anchor leg, which allowed her relay to make up three spots in the final results, the Mavericks snuck into the 8th place position and finished with All-American honors.

Then, the next day, Montplaisir once again snuck into All-American honors, finishing 8th in the 3k with a personal best time of 9:24, defeating some big names in the process.

Though Montplaisir ran some good, but not incredibly fast, times this season, she finished her indoor campaign with two All-American honors and she now has some of the best momentum of anyone in D2 going into the spring months.

Montplaisir had a huge fitness jump this season and can be traced back to her incredible cross country season. That improvement in fitness and racing ability has put her in the conversation with other Division Two elites and she’s more than deserving of our TSR #16 spot.

15. Kylie Anicic, Senior, Edinboro (-2 / 13)

Another runner to take on the 5k/3k double this past weekend was Kylie Anicic who started off the season strong with a 5k time of 16:26 in early December. The Edinboro ace chose to focus on other events for the rest of the winter months before coming back at the indoor national meet to contest the 5k once again.

Anicic would back up her impressive December performance by finishing in 5th place over 5000 meters and earning All-American honors this past weekend. She then came back in the 3k and just missed the top-eight, finishing three seconds behind 8th place.

Considering that this was Anicic's first time doing the 5k/3k double at the national meet, her performance on the national stage should be considered a successful one despite the two-spot drop in our rankings.

With some huge improvements over the last few months, and the possible racing distances increasing to 10k (where she seems to thrive), Anicic will definitely be one of the top names to watch in that event and an early candidate for All-American honors once again.

14. Zoe Baker, Junior, Colorado Mines (0 / 14)

The veteran from Colorado Mines took another shot at the 5k/3k double at the indoor national meet and was ever-so-close to that top-three finish in the 5k. Even so, Zoe Baker ran an incredibly smart race and was rewarded with a 4th place finish in a historically top-heavy field.

When Lindsay Cunningham, Brianna Robles and Florance Uwajeneza took off on an aggressive pace, Baker stayed back with the rest of the pack and stayed relaxed throughout her effort. She was then able to outwork the rest of the field to finish in an impressive 4th place, the highest of her career.

The Oredigger star returned to contest the 3k on Saturday, finishing in 13th place overall.

Seeing Baker come away with two All-American honors would have admittedly bettered her overall rankings value and maybe even put her in the top-10. Even so, this was the most composed and measured national meet race that we've ever seen from her. And that general improvement of particular race situations makes Baker someone to watch if she moves to the 10k in the spring.

Baker is another one who thrives with longer distances and if she can combine this fitness level while elevating her racing profile, then she could be a serious threat to some of the top athletes in her events.

13. Klaudia O’Malley, Junior, Grand Valley State (-7 / 6)

Another veteran in the sport, Klaudia O’Malley, unfortunately, falls from our top-10. But her seven-spot tumble is more so because of the stronger performances of the women above her rather than her own performances over the weekend.

Overall, O’Malley had a very good national meet, helping the Lakers to a national title in the DMR and a Division Two record (11:12) while also finishing in 5th place in the mile final.

O’Malley’s DMR lead-off effort fell behind Stephanie Cotter, but she still kept things within a reasonable striking distance to chase down the Adams State women. That, in turn, ultimately set up Grand Valley State’s fourth leg, Natalie Graber, to overcome the three-second deficit the Lakers had behind the Grizzlies.

Without O’Malley’s strong opening leg, Grand Valley State may have struggled to pull Adams State back in. The next day, O’Malley would race the mile, finishing in a respectable 5th place and earning All-American honors.

Overall, O'Malley was highly productive and clearly held tons of value on a team that is already loaded with standout names. But the title-contending firepower that she has shown in the regular season hasn't always 100% translated to the national stage.

That's largely why she falls seven spots, but remains in our top-15.

12. Kaylee Beyer, Junior, Winona State (+5 / 17)

Kaylee Beyer had a breakthrough season last spring and continued her momentum onto the grass and indoor oval. She comes in at TSR #12 after her impressive performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The Winona State ace was on our radar after her 4:46 mile at the NSIC Indoor Championships, but we weren’t sure if she could repeat the performance on the national stage. Of course, when she placed 3rd in the mile preliminaries in 4:47, it was safe to say that Beyer had established herself as the real deal.

In a more tactical championship mile race, Beyer ran like a veteran and secured a 4th place finish with a mile time of 4:51. It was one of the best races we've ever seen her execute.

Beyer’s development throughout the season and success at the indoor national meet is extremely promising. These kinds of moments could end up building massive momentum for her and eventually lead to her being more of a national-caliber threat than she already is.

11. Ava O’Connor, Sophomore, Adams State (-6 / 5)

Ava O’Connor comes in at TSR #11 after an eventful weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships. O’Connor was successful in the mile at this meet last year, but she opted for the DMR/3k double this year.

O’Connor was the anchor leg of Adams State’s DMR leg in a thrilling battle between the Grizzlies and Grand Valley State. She attempted to hold off Natalie Graber, but ultimately brought the Grizzlies across the line in 2nd place. However, her anchor split was an impressive mark of 4:43, leaving us wondering how she would have done in the open mile.

O’Connor showed her aerobic strength and range the following day in the 3000 meters with her 6th place finish and an outstanding PR of 9:16.

The Adams State sophomore continues to show consistency in her racing tactics and she seems to just be getting better as far as her overall fitness goes.

Sure, she could have maybe finished a spot or two higher in the 3k, but she drops down several spots in our rankings to no fault of her own. Unfortunately, we just had to put a handful of other names in our top-10.

10. Taryn Chapko, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (-3 / 7)

Taryn Chapko comes in at TSR #10 after a solid weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The middle distance star raced the 800 meters three times over the course of the meet and handled it like a veteran despite only being a sophomore (by eligibility).

The Laker standout started off by running 2:10 in the 800 meter preliminaries to place 4th and earn a spot in the finals. She then aided the Lakers’ DMR squad in winning gold and breaking the Division Two record. Her 800 meter leg split was an impressive mark of 2:08.

The following day, Chapko lined up for the 800 meter final as one of the national title favorites. Her mix of experience, postseason success and fantastic range made her the top choice for gold for many writer here at TSR.

She fought to the line for 2nd place, but was beaten by Helen Braybrook ended up with settling for a bronze medal in a still-impressive time of 2:07.

Chapko's tenacity as a middle distance runner and ability to be successful in various races makes her an exceptional 800 meter runner. Her balance of speed and strength has allowed her to develop a successful resume despite her relative youth.

Now, we're just waiting for the day when she can win NCAA gold.

9. Helen Braybrook, Sophomore, CSU-Pueblo (+7 / 16)

The CSU-Pueblo star of this winter showed significant improvement on the grass and carried that momentum onto the oval over the last few months.

Helen Braybrook was part of the Thunderwolves' gold medal DMR team last year. But in 2023, her success at the NCAA Indoor Championships was individual-based.

Braybrook secured her spot in the 800 meter finals after winning her preliminary heat in 2:07. The following day, her speed-based talent and turnover aided her in the final 400 meters to hold off Taryn Chapko and cross the line in 2nd place.

Braybrook is only now beginning to realize her full potential and she is quickly creating a very dynamic resume. With the momentum that she has going and her balance of aerobic strength and turnover, what can we expect from her in the spring?

8. Cailee Peterson, Senior, Minnesota-Duluth (+7 / 15)

Caillee Peterson may have arguably had one of the most surprising finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships which elevates her all the way to TSR #8.

The Minnesota-Duluth senior was on our radar as an All-American performer in the mile, but she surpassed our expectations and had one of the best races of the weekend.

After staying with the pack for most of the race, Peterson unleashed a lethal kick in the last lap to go from 4th place to 2nd place in a tactical setting. While her runner-up finish seems unexpected, her season leading up to this past weekend indicated that she was the biggest dark horse in the field and she managed to upset a large handful of women in what was essentially a race for 2nd place behind Stephanie Cotter.

Due to her consistency throughout the season, momentum heading into the indoor national meet and phenomenal kick to win silver, Cailee Peterson deserves a seven-spot jump in our rankings.

7. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (-2 / 5)

Florance Uwajeneza moves down two spots to TSR #7 at no fault of her own. The West Texas A&M star was extremely successful in the longer races at the NCAA Indoor Championships, (mostly) thriving in a handful of settings that suited her strengths.

The Buffalo star started off the meet with the 5000 meters, trying to hang on to the two title contenders -- a decision which ended up paying off in the end. This allowed her to create a substantial gap between herself and the next runner as she secured the bronze medal in a new 5k PR of 16:06.

That was an extremely impressive race and a major PR for Uwajeneza who still needed to match her 5k resume to her recent 3k times. And truthfully, that race alone would have been enough for her to maintain a TSR top-10 ranking, but she then doubled back in the 3000 meters and had an almost-equally impressive performance.

The 3k was one of the hottest races of the meet and the pace was quick from the gun. Uwajeneza managed to stay with the leaders somewhat successfully and ran to an impressive 5th place finish in 9:15.

The West Texas A&M veteran didn’t have the greatest start to her season, but peaked when it mattered the most (and the best she has ever peaked). Uwajeneza finished her season on an extremely high note with two top-five national meet finishes.

That's why it pains us to drop her two spots. It almost feels wrong.

6. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State (+2 / 8)

Natalie Graber comes in at TSR #6 in our final round of rankings after her success at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Grand Valley State veteran might have had the single-greatest weekend of performances that she's ever had.

Graber started off her national meet as the anchor leg of the Lakers’ DMR team. She got the baton in 2nd place and battled with Adam States’ Ava O’Connor. And event, Graber pulled away for the victory with a monstrous move in the last couple of laps, crossing the line in 11:12 which broke the Division Two record by three seconds.

Her anchor split? An astonishing 4:39.

The end of the DMR was one of the most exciting races of the entire weekend thanks to Graber. She brought her strength-based talent and firepower into this race and her relentless drive resulted in a record-breaking performance and gold medal for the Lakers.

Graber returned to the track the next day for the 3000 meters and ran a tactically smart race, one that didn't require the same aggressive pacing that she showed on Friday night. The Laker star stayed in the lead pack and made no drastic moves, clearly understanding how the top portion of this field would unfold.

And sure enough, after the two leaders broke away, the Grand Valley State ace was still there and matched the increasing pace of the leaders.

She came across the line in 3rd place with a new PR of 9:09.

Graber’s gold medal in the DMR and bronze medal in the 3k were extremely impressive performances highlighting her postseason peak and extensive championship experience. Due to her success at the NCAA Indoor Championships and reliability over the course of the entire season, Graber comes in at TSR #6.

5. Vanessa Aniteye, Senior, Seattle Pacific (+9 / 14)

Vanessa Aniteye took the 800 meters by storm this season and entered the NCAA Indoor Championships as the top seed. And although she had been extremely consistent this winter and had the fastest time in D2, we were slightly concerned by her lack of experience in the event.

I mean, she kinda came out of nowhere this winter!

Aniteye eased through the preliminaries in 2:09 (800). She looked incredibly strong and relaxed during the race, indicating what would come the following day. Sure enough, the Falcon half-miler dismissed our worries about her experience in the finals. She took the lead with a lap to go and never looked back, crossing the finish line in 2:06 to take home gold.

The talent and poise that Aniteye showed at the NCAA Indoor Championships, as well as her success over the course of the season, earn her a TSR #5 ranking.

4. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M (-1 / 3)

Elenora Curtabbi had an amazing indoor track season and had arguably the best momentum of anyone heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships this past weekend.

She ran 4:41 in the mile and the Division Two record of 9:08 in the 3000 meters just a couple of weeks ago, so it was hard not to empathize with her after a somewhat tough end to her season in Virginia Beach.

The West Texas A&M senior fearlessly put herself in the race for gold in the mile final and attempted to cover Stephanie Cotter’s move in the tactical race. However, she did not quite have the necessary turnover and got caught at the line, finishing the race as the bronze medalist.

Following this result, the 3000 meters seemed much more important for Curtabbi, especially as the then-collegiate record holder in the event. Curtabbi started off strong, but with each lap, she was fading. Eventually, she walked off the track.

After the fact, social media depicted a gnarly blood-filled spike. We haven't confirmed the cause of this, but it is safe to assume that this was the unfortunate cause of her DNF result.

This definitely wasn’t the result that we expected for Curtabbi as she was one of the title favorites. But her overall season and her talent level were more than enough to prove that the results from this past weekend weren’t her full potential.

For this reason, she only drops down one spot to TSR #4.

3. Brianna Robles, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 2)

Brianna Robles ended her incredible 2023 indoor track season with two silver medals at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Her consistent success and record-breaking performances in the longer distances have been a staple in the Division Two scene and this past weekend was no different.

The Adams State ace was one of the title favorites in the 5000 meters and broke away from the pack pretty early-on alongside Lindsay Cunningham. However, she lost touch with her long distance rival over the last mile and crossed the finish line in 2nd place with a time of 15:51, just four seconds off of her PR and her previous Division Two record.

Robles lined up for the 3000 meters the following day and raced like a true veteran. She was in the lead pack from the gun and covered Stephanie Cotter’s move in the last couple of laps.

In the final 200 meters, it was between the two Grizzlies.

Robles made an aggressive move to get around her teammate, but Cotter’s mile speed prevailed, leaving Robles as the silver medalist. Both athletes ran under the previous Division Two record of 9:08 and Robles crossed the line in a new 3k PR of 9:06.72.

It's easy to overlook just how talented Brianna Robles is.

Even when she comfortably runs under the former 3k collegiate record (D2), she still doesn't win gold. And when she moves up to the 5k, her previous collegiate record is no longer there and she has to deal with one of the fastest D2 runners that the event has ever seen.

But don't let all of that distract you from the fact that Robles had a phenomenal weekend. She is absolutely in the same tier as the two women above her and could even better this spring once she attacks the 10k.

2. Lindsay Cunningham, Sophomore, Winona State (+2 / 4)

Lindsay Cunningham has been on fire this year and the NCAA Indoor Championships were no exception.

The Winona State endurance star took the lead early-on in the 5000 meters which was no surprise considering that only she and Brianna Robles were truly in contention for the national title. Cunningham was simply the better runner on the day and squeezed down the pace in the final mile to drop Robles.

She crossed the finish line in a new Division Two record of 15:41, a whopping 10 seconds ahead of Robles and six seconds under Robles’ previous record.

It’s rare for (nearly) every runner in the race to get lapped at an NCAA Indoor Championships, but Cunningham did so as a sophomore. Given her youth, we will likely see dominating performances like this in the years to come...if she stays in college / Division Two.

While this was an amazing 5k performance, Cunningham’s weekend wasn’t over. The following day, the Warrior superstar lined up for the 3000 meters and continued with her front-running tactics. She stayed with the lead group of women throughout the race, but didn’t quite have the turnover to take down her competitors.

She finished an impressive 4th place overall in a new 3k PR of 9:10.

The NCAA Indoor Championships further reiterated that Cunningham is an incredibly talented endurance athlete and aggressive racer. Despite her relative youth, she runs like a veteran with consistency and firepower.

Cunningham finished her season on the highest note with a national title and collegiate record, earning her a well-deserved TSR #2 ranking.

1. Stephanie Cotter, Senior, Adams State (0 / 1)

It is no surprise that Stephanie Cotter had a successful NCAA Indoor Championship meet. But let’s take a look at just HOW impressive her overall performance was this past weekend and why she deserves the top spot in our rankings.

Cotter started off with a seemingly effortless mile prelim. From watching the race, it appeared that she was pretty relaxed before switching to the next gear in the final lap to secure her spot in the finals.

Next up was the distance medley relay.

To our surprise, and what continues to be a hot topic here at TSR, Cotter was given the lead-off leg. The Irish superstar ran a 3:26 split over 1200 meters to put Adams State in front at the first exchange. Regardless of her position in the relay, she was a key part of making it one of the most thrilling races of the weekend and aided the Grizzlies in earning the silver medal.

The following day, the Adams State ace lined up for the mile final. Her competitors allowed her to take the lead at the beginning and the relatively slow pace turned it into a tactical race which was in Cotter’s best interest, considering that she would be doubling back for the 3000 meters.

Only one athlete really put themselves at the front to battle against her, but once Cotter kicked with 400 meters to go, the race was over and she crossed the line in 4:49 to win her first national title of the weekend.

Her final, and arguably most exciting, race of the weekend was the 3000 meters. The pace was hot from the gun and several women were leading that effort. In the last few laps, Cotter and fellow Grizzly, Brianna Robles, gapped the field and battled for the win. In the final lap, Cotter had the better kick and crossed the line in a new Division Two record of 9:06.03 (3k).

In just over 24 hours, the Irish phenom added two national titles, a collegiate record and a silver medal to her resume. While not necessarily surprising results, Stephanie Cotter’s overall performance this weekend makes it incredibly hard to argue against her being the G.O.A.T. of Division Two distance running.


ADDED

Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)

Aryelle Wright (Colorado Mines)

Luisarys Toledo (NW Missouri)

Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)

KICKED OFF

Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)

Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley State)

Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)

Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Elizabeth Wamsley (Cedarville)

Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley State)

Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)

Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)

Meg Scheske (Hillsdale)

Josii Johnson (Westminster (Utah))

Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)

Ines Macadam (Tiffin)

Reina Paredes (Adams State)

Lieke Hoogsteen (Adams State)

Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)

Ashley Corcoran (SNHU)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Jenna Ramsey (Colorado Mines)

Savannah Ackley (Cedarville)

Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)

Sarah May (Grand Valley State)

Marissa Insinna (Dallas Baptist)

Leah Taylor (Western Colorado)

Morgan Hykes (Adams State)

Gwynne Riley (Hillsdale)

Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)

Lauren Buckner (Saginaw Valley State)

Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)

Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)

    0