TSR Collaboration
Oct 23, 20235 min
Written by Conor Daly, Kevin Fischer & Gavin Struve
Additional edits and commentary via Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve
NOTE: These rankings are based on how a team fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria.
Was not ranked in our last update.
First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings.
The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update.
The Lynchburg men and women both forced their way into our rankings this week with strong performances at the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational. However, each squad found success in different ways. Against a slightly deeper field with less firepower than their male counterparts, the Hornet women relied on their depth.
Kayla Werner, a new addition by way of Liberty, provided an infusion of low-stick talent, placing 4th in her Division Two debut. But just as importantly, her teammates, while a bit spread out, held their own against some strong teams.
Allison Dell, Sarah James and Molly Silva went 12-15-21, while another transfer, Courtney Drumm, closed out the scoring in 31st place. That balanced top-five grouping helped the Lynchburg women take home a 3rd place result and defeat Johns Hopkins.
While that was the first time that we saw this group race at full strength, Lynchburg's performance from two weeks ago feels like it could very realistically be replicated as we move into the postseason. Werner provides the Hornets with a bellwether who figures to be toward the front of most races. Behind her, this team should have enough support to be competitive in most settings.
9. Amherst Mammoths (+1 / 10)
Amherst has not raced an “A” team since our last update.
8. Williams Ephs (0 / 8)
Williams has not raced an “A” team since our last update.
7. NYU Violets (Unranked)
NYU made a statement at the Connecticut College XC Invitational. The Violets went from a team that was once on the periphery of our radar this season to a squad that we're now taking seriously as a top-10 outfit -- and perhaps even a fringe podium candidate.
We need to see more from the NYU women before writing anything in stone, but they appeared to be both complete and replete with scoring options in their near 100-point triumph over Central College, Vassar and St. Olaf.
Grace Richardson is entering singular low-stick territory after taking down some strong names nearly two weeks ago. She earned a huge runner-up finish behind Fiona Smith, our TSR #1 runner. That is also Richardson's first loss to another Division Three woman this fall.
Behind her, Vivian Kane (5th) and Kate Cochran (6th) were the reliable scoring pieces and fringe low-sticks that we expected them to be. Meanwhile, freshman Morgan Uhlhorn (8th) was nearly as good. That is an absurd amount of scoring potency for one team to have in a field like that and it's even more impressive when you realize that their fifth and sixth runners finished 15th and 18th.
We're still learning about this team which wasn't even a top-25 squad at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships. And while the Connecticut College Invite was competitive, there weren't any other ranked teams (per TSR) in the field for us to compare NYU to.
However, we'll likely know a bit more after they contest the always competitive UAA XC Championships.
6. SUNY Geneseo Knights (0 / 6)
The Knights had a nice showing at their home meet, the Mike Woods Invitational, two weeks ago by finishing runner-up, just 10 points behind our TSR #3 team, Carleton.
Penelope Greene and Rachel Hirschkind finished 1st and 3rd in the field, respectively, solidifying their status as one of the best scoring duos in the nation. However, the Knights lost a little bit of ground with their third and fourth runners who were unable to crack the top-15.
It’s not that SUNY Geneseo's supporting cast has been bad, but other teams ranked ahead of them have simply shown greater scoring value at the backend of their respective lineups.
If SUNY Geneseo's third, fourth and fifth runners can close the gap a little more towards Greene and Hirschkind, then the Knights can absolutely be a podium team. And luckily for them, Lilly Fowler-Conner has proven in past seasons that she can be better moving forward.
5. MIT Engineers (0 / 5)
MIT has not raced an “A” team since our last update.
4. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas (0 / 4)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps has not raced since our last update.
3. Carleton Knights (0 / 3)
The Carleton women took home victories against very respectable squads such as UW La-Crosse and St. Olaf earlier in the season. However, they have not yet faced a team that resides in our latest top-10 rankings -- that was, until last weekend.
The Knights, who are undefeated against Division Three opponents this year, produced their biggest victory of the season against SUNY Geneseo at the Mike Woods Invitational.
It’s hard not to like this team. They have a steady trio of Phoebe Ward, Hannah Preisser and Sophie McManus leading the way, going 5-6-7 in what felt like a statement performance. And although Preisser has not been the elite superstar that we once thought she could be, she is still running plenty well for team purposes.
However, arguably the most underrated development has been that of fourth scorer Helen Cross. She been improving every time out, snagging an outstanding 10th place finish the other week. She is one of the main reasons why we debated whether Carleton was deserving of our TSR #2 spot.
But at the end of the day, we couldn’t justify ranking Carleton one spot higher, mainly because the Knights' fifth runner fell out of the top-20 at the Mike Woods Invite. That scoring gap needs to be monitored.
Nonetheless, Carleton is (loudly) knocking on Wartburg's door for our TSR #2 spot.
2. Wartburg Knights (-1 / 1)
The Wartburg women were recently the runner-up team at the Augustana Interregional, a result that knocked them from their TSR #1 perch. Yes, they were expected to win (in our eyes), but their performance wasn’t necessarily poor -- the Knights were never an overwhelming TSR #1 squad after all.
The real highlight of their outing was seeing Aubrie Fisher return to form after a bit of a slow start. She was Wartburg’s fourth runner in their prior outing, but was their second runner this time around, finishing a very impressive 4th place overall!
Lexi Brown (3rd) and Shaelyn Hostager (8th) were unsurprisingly great while Ellie Meyer (17th) still held her own despite being capable of a slightly better result. However, with their final scorer falling outside of the top-35, nothing about the Knights' lineup structure surprised us.
Let’s be clear: This demotion doesn’t in any way suggest that Wartburg is out of national title contention. They were defeated by a good bit this time around, but they still have the chance to flip the script in the postseason.
1. U. of Chicago Maroons (+1 / 2)
The Maroons are more than deserving of our TSR #1 spot. After all, they took down Wartburg, our previously top-ranked team, and did so by a significant margin with five runners ahead of Wartburg’s fourth at the Augustana Interregional Invite.
Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel, who held limited collegiate cross country experience prior to this season, has looked fantastic thus far. She took home the individual win on a massive stage, giving her team tons of valuable scoring potency. Behind her, the Maroons made this loaded race look like a rust-buster, putting the rest of their scoring-five in the top-15.
Simply put, the Maroons are the best team in the country right now. Wartburg may have more firepower, but no team in Division Three has a more complete top-five than the U. of Chicago women do.
NYU Violets
Lynchburg Hornets
KICKED OFF
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
St. Olaf Oles
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Washington U. Bears
St. Olaf Oles
George Fox Bruins
Colorado College Tigers
UW-La Crosse Eagles
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Calvin Knights
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
UW Eau-Claire Blugolds
- N/A