TSR Collaboration
Nov 25, 202315 min
Written by Marissa Kuik & Grace McLaughlin
Additional edits & commentary by Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve
NOTE: These rankings are based on how an athlete fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at the NCAA XC Championships or at a singular meet. You will notice that these rankings may mirror the national meet results, but not precisely. That is intentional. These rankings are intended to be an aggregate. They are not recency lists.
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, Junior, Fort Lewis (Unranked)
After a slow start to her season, Katie Heck improved immensely over the fall months, topping off the season with a 22nd finish at the cross country national meet.
In some ways, it should not be a surprise that she fared well this season considering how impressive she has been over 1500 meters last spring. But while she was competitive before the national meet, Heck truly elevated her performance when the stakes were highest.
After the Lewis Crossover (where she placed 36th), Heck strung together a solid and consistent championship season, finishing 17th at the RMAC XC Championships, 18th at the South Central Regional XC Championships and then her aforementioned 22nd place finish on the national stage. Needless to say, she rounded into form right on time and ended the season looking like a completely different runner than her usual solid self.
24. Clare Peters, Senior, Colorado Mines (Unranked)
Though this is the first time that Clare Peters enters our rankings, the Oredigger talent ran about as consistently as any runner in our rankings all season.
Peters helped her team to a 3rd place finish at the national meet and it's hard not to think that her high-level consistency rubbed off on her teammates as well.
She placed 9th at the Lewis Crossover, 16th at the RMAC XC Championships, 6th at the South Central Regional XC Championships and then finished it off with a 25th place run at the NCAA XC Championships. Peters really stepped up for this team after the departure of Zoe Baker and she helped fill in some of the holes the Orediggers had from last year. Her level of consistency for an All-American on a podium squad made her worthy of a spot in our final rankings.
23. Helen Braybrook, Junior, CSU-Pueblo (+2 / 25)
CSU-Pueblo is known for racing often and this season was no exception as Helen Braybrook definitely had her fair share of races this fall. Even so, she managed to string together a consistent season in which she looked like an All-American throughout.
The ThunderWolf ace also peaked at the perfect time, putting together a very impressive championship campaign where she was 9th at the RMAC XC Championships and 12th at the South Central regional meet before earning another All-American finish at the cross country national meet with a 24th place finish.
That result was almost an identical finish to what she produced last fall. And as such, that demonstration of year-over-year consistency was wildly encouraging to see, particularly considering that she's even better on the track.
22. Tristian Spence, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (Unranked)
Another runner to enter our rankings for the first time this fall is Tristian Spence. She was a redshirt freshman for the Grizzly squad and she really stepped up to the plate despite her relative youth. Without the likes of Stephanie Cotter and Precious Robinson, this team was desperate for scoring power, and Spence definitely did her part.
Adams State tried their hand with various lineups, but Spence found her way into most of them and clearly began to hit her stride during the championship season where she placed in the top-20 in three uber-competitive settings.
After finishing in the top-15 at both the RMAC and South Central regional meets, Spence fell just short of that range at the NCAA XC Championships where she landed in 16th place -- a monumental performance which showcased how dangerous her youth-based upside makes her.
Consequently, Spence ended up as the Grizzlies' second scorer and played a huge role in their runner-up team finish. Despite her inexperience, Spence performed like a veteran and deserved to join these other women in our rankings.
21. Kendall Kramer, Junior, Alaska Fairbanks (-8 / 13)
Kendall Kramer takes a bit of a tumble in our rankings because of the high expectations that her resume had established.
While a 23rd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships may appear underwhelming on paper after placing 8th last year, it's hard to believe that Kramer is wholly upset about her latest result despite not matching her breakout race from a year ago.
The Alaska Fairbanks standout won her the conference and regional individual titles this year and added a second All-American honor to her coffer. Even though she does fall in our rankings to make way for women who were more successful on the national stage, Kramer is still one of the best pure cross country runners in Division Two.
20. Hannah Rhem, Senior, Cedarville (+3 / 23)
The beauty of Hannah Rhem this season was seeing her confidence build with each race. She started with a 42nd place finish at the Louisville XC Classic, but thrived in smaller, yet still competitive, settings after that race. She won the UAH Chargers XC Invitational and placed runner-up on both her conference and regional stages.
Not to mention, at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, she defeated a pack of Lakers, including Natalie Graber, Klaudia O’Malley, Lauren Kiley and Ana Tucker. Though those women got the best of Rhem at the cross country national meet, this Yellow Jacket ace still crossed the line in a very impressive 21st place, helping her team to another top-10 finish and solidifying herself as a top-flight individual competitor.
19. Gianna Bomarito, Sophomore, Sonoma State (+3 / 20)
Some may suggest that Gianna Bomarito’s 3rd place finish at the West Regional XC Championships was a minor slip up, especially considering that she had won every other race that she toed the line for at that point (including the Griak Invitational "Maroon" race). But regardless of what you made of her regional meet performance, Bomarito responded beautifully on the national stage.
The sophomore ace raced with poise in her first national meet appearance, coming away with a top-half All-American finish (19th). It's evident that Bomarito's self-belief never wavered as she pieced together a dream season and redefined her potential.
18. Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, Junior, Colorado Mines (+3 / 21)
Speaking of runners who improved immensely throughout the season, Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge also put together a commendable fall campaign. Her best season yet, in which she consistently delivered on the star flashes that she had previously shown, helped the Orediggers to another podium finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
Ramsey-Rutledge was strong from the beginning, placing 11th at the Lewis XC Crossover, but she really turned it on during the championship season with two top-10 performances and then a 20th place run at the cross country national meet.
We knew that Ramsey-Rutledge was capable of putting together a season like this when she transferred from Emporia State, but it was exciting to finally watch her put it all together with the Orediggers.
17. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado (Unranked)
A 13th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships is definitely one way to get into our rankings. But even more so, Leah Taylor earned her spot because of the way that she improved throughout the season.
Taylor started off well with a 14th place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, but really worked her way up in the Division Two ranks with 11th and 14th place finishes, respectively, at the RMAC XC Championships and the South Central Regional XC Championships. That former performance is what truly caught our eye and made us ask, "What is her ceiling on the national stage?"
At that point, we thought that the Mountaineers' second star was a strong All-American candidate, but nothing suggested that she was in store for a top-15 finish on the national stage after barely reaching that status in her previous two postseason meets this fall.
Nonetheless, Taylor closed the gap on her star teammate, Allison Beasley, to cement a season to remember for herself and Western Colorado who took the last podium spot.
16. Holly Moser, Senior, Colorado Mines (-1 / 15)
There truthfully is not much to say about Holly Moser who completed an incredibly consistent season just like many of her other teammates. For the most part, this Colorado Mines veteran was the focal low-stick star of this team and in what we would consider to be her three most important meets of the season, she stepped up each and every time.
Moser finished 18th overall at the cross country national meet which backed up her other great races, specifically a huge 4th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships and a 7th place effort from the Lewis XC Crossover. Clearly, larger, top-heavy fields benefited Moser.
After missing All-American honors last fall, Moser used this season to establish herself as one of the nation's preeminent low-sticks on an elite team. And truthfully, there may be argument that she shouldn't fall at all in our rankings.
15. Ava O'Connor, Rs. Sophomore, Adams State (+1 / 16)
This is the first time that we have seen Ava O’Connor finish out a cross country season for Adams State and it was one of the best seasons that she has had for the Grizzlies in terms of her consistency.
O’Connor never had any clear-cut breakout races, but she continued to run well for Adams State towards the top of their scoring five. She was someone who the Grizzlies could rely on, often finding herself near superstar teammate Brianna Robles and rarely far from rival, Holly Moser.
The redshirt sophomore came away with a 17th place finish at the cross country national meet, top-six efforts at both the RMAC and South Central regional meets, a 23rd place finish at the Louisville XC Classic and was a big reason why this team took home a top-half podium finish.
For someone who has built her reputation on the track, O'Connor's consistency on the grass (while racing at such a high level) was a better-than-expected development).
14. Ana Tucker, Senior, Grand Valley State (-8 / 6)
It seems odd to be dropping Anastasia Tucker by a decent margin after she helped her team to a dominant win at the NCAA XC Championships. However, it would be unfair to have her ahead of several of these women who were roughly as good as her throughout the season and slightly better on the national stage.
Nevertheless, this former D3 star was an incredibly reliable high-end addition for GVSU this fall. The Division Three transfer made a seamless transition, finishing 9th at the Louisville XC Classic and finishing as the 4th place finisher at the often-loaded early-season meet, Spartan Invite. A 14th place finish at the cross country national meet was a fitting end to her season.
Her presence as another dependable low-stick scorer was huge for a Laker team that was simply couldn't be challenged by anyone this fall.
13. Kylie Anicic, Rs. Junior, Edinboro (-1 / 12)
Look no further to see a top-end talent who reached new heights this season.
This Edinboro ace dominated meets on the east coast while also finishing 5th at the Lewis XC Crossover before finishing her season with a 12th place effort at the NCAA XC Championships. We put Kylie Anicic in the middle of our rankings after the Lewis XC Crossover, and that placement ended up being pretty accurate.
Admittedly, Anicic drops one spot in our rankings despite posting a national meet performance that matched her prior TSR #12 ranking. That's not necessarily her fault as women who dropped in our rankings, specifically the one at TSR #11, still had resumes from this season that we simply viewed as a stronger.
There isn’t too much else to say about Anicic other than she made a jump in fitness this fall and has developed more experience and firepower to rely on moving forward. She has been a familiar name in championship results in the past, but now she’s someone who can really make some noise.
12. Liz Wamsley, Junior, Hillsdale (-2 / 10)
Liz Wamsley drops two spots in our rankings to TSR #12 due to no fault of her own.
The Hillsdale junior made a statement this season, matching her reliable and veteran experience with bolstered low-stick-caliber fitness. After seeing her place 4th at the Lewis XC Crossover, we went into the cross country national meet with pretty high expectations for Wamsley.
The Hillsdale star then placed 11th on the national stage which was about on par with how we thought she would perform based on her regional and Lewis XC Crossover efforts. And yet, despite the lack of surprise, this was a fantastic result for the Charger veteran and an improvement from her 22nd place finish last fall.
All told, Wamsley peaked perfectly, showcased solid fitness and clearly held a greater level of confidence this season.
11. Lauren Kiley, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (-7 / 4)
It was hard to come to grips with dropping Lauren Kiley this far down our the rankings. She seemed on track to repeat what she did last year at the NCAA XC Championships as a true freshman when she placed 5th overall.
So when she placed 15th last weekend, we were a little underwhelmed.
Even so, Kiley placed in the top-five of every race that she toed the line for this fall except the national meet. Perhaps we should have seen she wasn't in the top-five conversation after placing 5th at the GLIAC XC Championships and not racing on the regional stage -- maybe those developments had no correlation to how she ran on the national stage.
Either way, this is someone who finished runner-up at the Spartan Invite and was a jaw-dropping 5th place at the Louisville XC Classic. Those are two tremendous performances which ultimately limit Kiley from fall back much further than this.
10. Anna Fauske, Junior, UC-Colorado Springs (+4 / 14)
If there’s one runner who made the jump from “great” to “exceptional” this season, it’s Anna Fauske. The Mountain Lion ace capped off her stellar season with a 9th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, improving upon her 24th place finish from a year ago.
Fauske showed impressive consistency this fall with a 4th place finish at the South Central Regional XC Championships and 5th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships. However, you could argue that 14th place finish at the Louisville XC Classic was just as good.
Her top-10 finish at the cross country national meet and improved fitness and reliability this season lands Fauske a coveted TSR top-10 spot in our final round of rankings.
9. Khot Juac, Junior, Sioux Falls (+10 / 19)
The biggest jump in our rankings this week and one of the biggest storylines from the 2023 cross country national meet is Khot Juac.
The Sioux Falls junior entered our radar earlier this season and really got our attention after taking down Kaylee Beyer to win silver at the Central Regional XC Championships. But a 5th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships? I don't think anyone was expecting that high of a finish from Juac even after her previous impressive showings.
Juac was also 2nd at the Augustana Twilight Meet, 5th at the Griak Invitational (Maroon race) and 3rd at the NSIC XC Championships. Those were all solid results, but certainly not indicative of a top-five finish at the NCAA XC Championships which makes her performance this last weekend all that more impressive.
Juac finishes at TSR #9 after gaining momentum throughout the season, but her good-not-great regular season keeps her below a few women with more complete season-long resumes.
8. Allison Beasley, Junior, Western Colorado (-1 / 7)
Allison Beasley has displayed some of the most praiseworthy linear improvement in the NCAA over the past few seasons. She improved from 29th place result at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships to 19th place a year ago and 10th place this past weekend. That kind of three-year progression is not only impressive, but somewhat rare, too.
We knew that the Mountaineer ace would be good this fall after her success on the oval, but maybe exceeded what we thought she was capable of throughout the season. Beasley was a steady superstar throughout the fall, placing 8th at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, 2nd at the RMAC XC Championships and 3rd at the South Central Regional XC Championships.
If anything, her 10th place result on the national stage was one of her "lesser" races this season. But that's why she's ranked higher than her national meet finish. Plus, that race still highlights her consistent excellence amid a development into a dynamic talent.
7. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State (+2 / 9)
Klaudia O’Malley started off her season a bit slower than expected, but she built momentum with every race and finished with her third (!) top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships in as many seasons.
The Laker veteran placed 8th this past weekend, making her cross country national meet history 24th, 2nd, 3rd and 8th. That level of consistency is absurd and it puts her among a select few to be four-time cross country All-Americans.
No, O'Malley wasn't a national title contender this fall, but few women offer more value and certainty on the championship stage. With her level of reliability and experience, we’d liken her to Kelsey Chmiel (NC State) from the Division One level.
6. Sarah Koomson, Freshman, West Texas A&M (+5 / 11)
After emerging as a star with a huge 3rd place finish at the Louisville XC Classic, all eyes were on Sarah Koomson to how she would handle the championship stages. Admittedly, her conference and regional races were, but unexciting.
Luckily, the West Texas A&M rookie ended posting a phenomenal 6th place finish at her first cross country national meet. And when you pair that effort with her Louisville XC Classic result, the argument for Koomson to be our TSR #6 talent is very much there.
To put it simply, Koomson is going to be a problem for her Division Two competitors for the next few years. The way she burst onto the scene and excelled this season indicates that she is just getting started when it comes to success on the grass.
5. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State (+3 / 8)
Kaylee Beyer is one of those athletes who you can rely on to be in the mix and race without fear. And sure enough, the Warrior star did just that at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and posted a fantastic 7th place finish.
This Winona State standout moves up three spots in our rankings thanks to that performance aligning with the consistent success that she had throughout the fall. She also gets a significant bump as other top women who were ahead of her in these rankings fell back with lesser national meet performances.
Reliability and consistency clearly pay dividends.
This long-time Warrior veteran built incredible momentum over the past year and greatly improved upon her 36th place finish a year ago. Beyer’s clear jump in fitness and increased level of firepower this fall have been amazing to watch, especially when she has attacked the chase pack that has often pursued her teammate, Lindsay Cunningham. She has been a big part of Winona State’s rise to top-program status.
4. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State (-2 / 2)
Dropping Brianna Robles down two spots after the season that she had doesn’t feel right, but it has more to do with the success of other athletes rather than her own faults.
The Grizzly ace finished 4th at the NCAA XC Championships and comes in at TSR #4 in our final round of rankings. Robles was incredibly consistent and her ability to always be in the mix is a testament to her competitive prowess.
The Adams State veteran won both the RMAC XC Championships and South Central Regional XC Championships against tough competition. We then predicted that she could have been as high as 2nd at the cross country national meet, but a 4th place finish was still very solid.
There are not really any flaws to be found in Robles' season as a whole -- she just did not have the same burst of firepower last weekend that we saw from other top-five athletes.
3. Natalie Graber, Senior, Grand Valley State (0 / 3)
Natalie Graber stays at TSR #3 in our final round of rankings after earning bronze and leading the Lakers to a team victory at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Graber’s runner-up finish at the Louisville XC Classic indicated that she was prepared to do something phenomenal this season -- and she lived up to the hype.
Overall, Graber is a well-rounded runner with a lengthy resume and loads of talent on the grass. She has been incredibly valuable for Grand Valley State and someone who they could rely on to progress, excel and lead the team.
Graber's 3rd place finish wasn’t all that surprising, but it cemented her rise from "good" to "great" over the past year. It also validated the tremendous ceiling of success that we knew Graber was capable of reaching.
2. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M (+3 / 5)
We knew Eleonora Curtabbi would be in the running for the silver medal at the cross country national meet, but her performance last weekend still exceeded our expectations which elevates her TSR #2.
Similar to the way that she built momentum throughout the season, Curtabbi worked her way up through the race and closed in a blistering 3:00 final kilometer to cross the finish line as the individual runner-up.
Curtabbi is incredibly talented on the grass and has plenty of competitive experience. Her season consisted of a silver medal performance at the NCAA XC Championships, a 2nd place finish at the South Central Regional XC Championships, a stunning 46-second win at the Lone Star XC Championships and a solid 10th place finish at the Louisville XC Classic.
Her season as a whole was phenomenal and makes her very much deserving of this spot. She put her consistency, aerobic strength and confidence on full display.
1. Lindsay Cunningham, Junior, Winona State (0 / 1)
An undefeated season, dominant victories and being crowned the individual national champion keeps Lindsay Cunningham at TSR #1.
The Winona State ace convincingly won the cross country national meet in a blazing time of 19:30. While we had no doubts in her ability to win gold, a 15-second victory validated just how good Cunningham is even when facing elite competition (i.e. the women listed above).
The Warrior junior is in a league of her own, and no one even came close to matching her firepower this season. Cunningham's level of talent, competitive poise and consistency is beyond impressive. She is continuing to build a case to be among the best of the best in the all-time greats D2 discussion.
Leah Taylor (Western Colorado)
Tristian Spence (Adams State)
Clare Peters (Colorado Mines)
Katie Heck (Fort Lewis)
KICKED OFF
Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))
Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)
Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)
Rosie Fordham (Alaska Fairbanks)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Morgan Hykes (Adams State)
Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)
Rosie Fordham (Alaska Fairbanks)
Susanne Bruennig (Biola)
Ashley Reeck (Western Washington)
Regan Hodsden (Fort Hays State)
Cassidy Walchak-Sloan (Saint Martin's)
Sophia Strange (Oklahoma Baptist)
Allie Arnsman (Grand Valley State)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado)
Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)
Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))
Grace Strongman (Colorado Mines)
Elise Leveel (West Texas A&M)
Taryn Chapko (Grand Valley State)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
Savannah Ackley (Cedarville)
Lauren Wallace (Lee (Tenn.))
McKenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))
Aubrey Surage (Augustana (SD))
Abby VanderKooi (Grand Valley State)
Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)
Linda Weigang (Fort Lewis)
Elena Carey (Adams State)
Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)
Alyssa Becker (U-Mary)
MaKenna Thurston (Minnesota State)
Madi Szymanski (Northern Michigan)
Kirstin Williams (Colorado Mesa)
Julie Lafare (Charleston (WV))
Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)
Liza Kellerman (Lee (Tenn.))
Mollie Scott (Wingate)
Mikayla Jones (Catawba)
Jori Paradis (CUI)
Iresh Molina (Chico State)
Della Molina (Chico State)
Madison Clay (Catawba)
Bethany Mapes (Biola)
Sophia Taarud (Winona State)
Notes
- N/A