TSR's 2023 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Rankings (Women): #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Written by Maura Beattie, additional commentary & edits via Garrett Zatlin

NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On rare occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.

Notre Dame did everything right on the cross country course last year.

They flexed tremendous power and held quietly-great depth on the grass week-in and week-out. They nearly gave an all-time dynasty and upset loss and it felt like this squad never had a truly poor race that we could point to.

And in 2023, we don't expect much of that to change for the Notre Dame women.

Yes, four ladies from last year’s national meet lineup are gone, but that sounds far worse than it actually looks on paper. There is still a fantastic core of scorers remaining on this 2023 roster and a new set of Fighting Irish members will help keep the momentum of this program going over the next few months.

Could all of that be enough for this team to threaten for the podium?

In their first real test of the 2022 cross country season, the Notre Dame women held their own home their home course at the Joe Piane XC Championships. However, by having to race the likes of NC State, New Mexico and Alabama, the Fighting Irish didn't seem to be anywhere near that tier of competition.

Star low-stick Olivia Markezich was the first Notre Dame athlete across the line, earning an excellent 8th place finish. Meanwhile, veteran Annasophia Keller finished in 24th place while Katie Thronson, in her first season repping the navy and gold, was right behind her in 25th. Those three women gave their team a nice boost of lead scoring and stability.

Things fell off a bit with Maddy Denner and Erin Strzelecki finishing in 35th and 54th, respectively, but Notre Dame was still able to hold down a clear 4th place finish.

Yes, they were a ways off from the main podium threats who placed in the top-three, but Florida State, Liberty, Toledo and Oregon State were all defeated by the Fighting Irish.

A few weeks later at the Nuttycombe Invite, Coach Matt Sparks’ team nearly replicated their 4th place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational, but came up just five points shy in a field that was much larger and far more competitive. It was a massively impressive performance that beat our expectations for this group by a significant margin.

While she wasn’t able to notch another top-10 finish, Olivia Markezich emerged as a true ace for the second meet in a row. The leading Irish athlete crossed the finish line in 17th place, a massive improvement compared to her 55th place finish at Nuttycombe in 2021.

A trio of teammates -- Thronson, Annasophia Keller and Strzelecki -- ran together and finished within five seconds of one another, going 46-52-61, respectively. And although there were a handful of bodies between them, that group of three offered outstanding scoring that was, truthfully, better than anything we had seen from them in the past.

Rounding out the top-five for Notre Dame was sophomore Siona Chisholm who snagged a surprisingly solid 81st place finish. For Chisholm, who was only competing in her second collegiate race, this was a solid improvement from her Joe Piane showing. And for a team that needed a filler for a struggling Maddy Denner, this rising underclassman was a nice development.

But if you thought that Notre Dame's 5th place finish at Nuttycombe was surprising, then their race at the ACC XC Championships likely felt shocking. That's because we saw five Fighting Irish women cross the finish line at their conference meet before NC State had their top-five runners finish the race.

Yes, you read that correctly.

With Markezich picking up a 3rd place finish and Thronson, Chisholm and Denner crossing together in 6-7-8, Notre Dame was on fire. For a moment, it looked like they were potentially going to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the last few years as nearly everyone had the best race of their season up and to that point.

If Keller had finished five places higher than 14th (which was still a fantastic result for her), then Notre Dame would’ve won the ACC XC Championship title. That didn't happen, but a 2nd place finish, only four points behind the Wolfpack, was the perfect start to the 2022 postseason for the women from South Bend.

After cruising through the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships, Notre Dame was heading back to the NCAA XC Championships, this time riding a massive wave of momentum.

In Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Fighting Irish were in the conversation to be fringe podium threats. They had finished 5th at the 2021 cross country national meet and were, on paper, even stronger in 2022.

Unsurprisingly, Markezich was flat-out fantastic at the NCAA XC Championships. The rising senior improved off of her 11th place finish from the year prior with an 8th place finish in 2022. Her result gave her team a massively potent low-stick to rally around.

Strzelecki, who had typically been towards the backend of Notre Dame's scoring lineup last fall, impressed us by crossing the line as the team's second runner in 54th place. Thronson and Chisholm potentially had more to offer, but finishing 68th and 81st (respectively) were still efforts that commanded major respect.

That was, after all, their first-ever appearances on that stage.

As the points continued to tally up, the Fighting Irish were relying on Keller, Denner and Blachowicz to get across the line shortly after their previously mentioned teammates. Luckily, Notre Dame wouldn't have to wait too much longer as that backend trio went 103-128-205 to round out the team's top-seven.

With all of their runners across the line, Notre Dame finished 7th overall in the team race, 60 points behind 4th place. It wasn’t the best day ever for the Fighting Irish women, but it was still a performance that left many of us at The Stride Report highly encouraged.

The 2023 season is fast approaching and the Notre Dame women likely want another shot at a podium finish. This year's team may look a bit different at certain parts of their lineup, but their top-five may be even more naturally talented than what we saw from them in 2022.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame does lose multiple veterans who offered tremendous value at a handful of spots in the Irish's scoring group. Katie Thronson, Maddy Denner, Annasophia Keller and Katie Rose Blachowicz are all out of cross country eligibility. That, in turn, leaves this midwest distance squad with questions about depth and one or two scoring roles.

The good news is that of that group of four, Thronson was the only one who will be a major challenge to replace.

Of course, make no mistake, the trio of Keller, Denner and Blachowicz all offered great scoring contributions in 2022. As a collective whole, just trying to find more depth in 2023 isn't going to be easy.

Even so, many of the scoring efforts that we saw from them last fall were a bit sporadic. And with the natural growth of this roster, as well as the introduction of some talented newcomers, the backed of this lineup should remain fairly strong in 2022.

Sure, we still have questions about the consistency of certain runners and the unknown trajectory of women like Chisholm and Strzelecki. And yet, there is simply too much talent and too much potential within this group to ignore them as a podium threat come November.

During the 2022-2023 academic year, Olivia Markezich was on a roll and since then, the two-time All-American on the grass has only improved.

The Fighting Irish star notched some remarkable speed on the oval this past winter while flexing her endurance as well. If the rising senior has to employ a kick, her 4:34 mile talent will come in handy down the finishing straightaway. And if it’s a grind from the get-go, then her 15:33 (5k) and 9:17 (steeple) marks should allow her to hang with most non-title contenders.

Markezich, our TSR #4 runner in our preseason individual cross country rankings, will continue to be elite on the grass this fall. The Fighting Irish ace is hands-down the leading lady for this team and is expected to bring in yet another top-10 finish at the cross country national meet.

Also returning this fall for the blue and gold are Siona Chisholm and Erin Strzelecki. Both women are rising juniors and they gained valuable experience on the national stage last fall. That should greatly benefit them in the coming months.

As Chisholm enters her second collegiate cross country season, the Notre Dame athlete is right on the cusp of being a legitimate All-American star, at least in our eyes.

Chisholm may not have had the perfect end to her 2022 cross country season that she might have hoped for, but after running a stellar 15:37 (5k) personal best this past spring, she has shown us that her ceiling is still rising.

In fact, we're so high on Chisholm that we even ranked her at TSR #48 in our preseason individual cross country rankings. We truly see her as the second low-stick of this team going into the fall of 2023.

We then come to a very different runner in Erin Strzelecki. She boasts PRs of 15:51 (5k) and 33:57 (10k), all from this past spring. And based off of those recent efforts, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Strzelecki make another jump in her fitness this fall. However, her consistency will be a point of emphasis.

Strzelecki's 58th place finish at the 2022 cross country national meet was fantastic and even a pleasant surprise to those of us at The Stride Report. However, that result will need to be replicated throughout the entirety of this season in order for us to feel more comfortable about putting Notre Dame at TSR #5.

For Chisholm and Strzelecki, their goals this fall will likely be to shorten the gap(s) between themselves and Markezich. Doing so would give this team greater lineup stability despite so many veterans leaving the program. It would also offer this squad greater firepower if these two returners reproduce their best performances on a more consistent basis.

However, the biggest x-factor as far as returners on this team are concerned is Sophie Novak.

The rising redshirt sophomore made a handful of varsity appearances last fall by competing at major meets like Joe Piane, Nuttycombe and the ACC XC Championships. However, she wasn’t strong enough (at that point) to make the team's national meet roster.

But after running 9:48 in the steeplechase during the 2023 outdoor track season, Novak has shown us that patience pays off. The Fighting Irish talent is still finding her footing on the college scene, and her consistency also needs to improve, but running sub-9:50 in the steeplechase is no joke.

Only 11 women (in D1) ran under that time last spring. And when you look at the company that Novak was with on the national leaderboard, then you can't help but wonder if she can be a legitimate lead scorer later this fall.

As veterans of the Notre Dame program, Markezich, Chisholm, Strzelecki and Novak will be tasked with getting the team's newest transfers and incoming freshmen to believe in what the Fighting Irish are looking to accomplish on the national stage.

Two women who are anticipated to make an impact right away for this team are Ericka VanderLende and Andrea Markezich. And yes, the latter is the sister of Olivia Markezich.

Heading south from Michigan to Notre Dame is VanderLende, a true veteran who, at her absolute best, is an All-American star.

During her time with the Wolverines, VanderLende was an All-American on the grass during her freshman year (2019), finishing 25th on the national stage. On the track, she has recorded PRs of 15:48 (5k) and 33:50 (10k).

Looking at VanderLende’s name, we know that she is going to add depth to this varsity lineup in South Bend, but can she bring the same firepower that she displayed in 2019?

Relative to her rookie year expectations, this graduate transfer has been fine at the national meet, but she hasn't always given us the low-stick scoring potency that we've been hoping to see. Since 2019, at the NCAA XC Championships, the former Big Blue runner has recorded finishes of 65th (winter of 2021), 108th (fall of 2021) and 76th (fall of 2022).

To get the most out of VanderLende, Coach Matt Sparks will need to tap into what made her a star as a freshman. If he can do that, then there’s no doubt that VanderLende will be closing in on the top-40 at the NCAA XC Championships.

In that scenario, Notre Dame may be more than just a podium threat. In fact, they could become a legitimate podium favorite.

Joining her identical twin sister, Olivia, in South Bend this fall is Andrea Markezich who will benefit from having some familiarity with this program (given that her sister has attended school there for the last few years).

After completing her undergraduate degree with the Washington women, Markezich could round into a very reliable (and potentially underrated) varsity member of this lineup.

Andrea Markezich hasn't always been super consistent, but this is also someone who was 8th at the PAC-12 XC Championships last fall! In most cases, you're looking at someone who is a fringe low-stick if they place around there. She also ran 15:54 (5k) 32:50 (10k) this past winter and spring.

If we can see Andrea Markezich produce her best results on a more consistent basis, or at least in the postseason, then this is someone who could potentially change the national podium picture this fall. Given the newcomers and the introduction of VanderLende, adding Andrea feels like the final piece of the puzzle who validates this team at our TSR #5 spot.

Oh, and on the freshmen front, Notre Dame truly hit the jackpot!

Incoming rookie Grace Schager tore up the Illinois distance running scene during her senior year. She was a stud on the cross country course, covering the 5k distance in 16:50. And don’t forget that, aside from her individual title at the IHSA 3A XC State Championships, she concluded her 2022 campaign with a remarkable 5th place finish at the NXN Championships!

Based on her endurance -- and you can’t look past a 9:56 (3200) PR -- Schager has the potential to earn a spot in this varsity lineup for the Fighting Irish this fall. If she can master that, then Notre Dame will be a force from top to bottom and depth will not be a concern in the slightest.

Michigan native Arianne Olson is a speedier talent with her 4:44 (1600) PR. Of course, her mile-centric talent isn’t the only major highlight of her resume. When paired with a 16:45 (5k) personal best, this true freshman looks like she could be a problem this fall if she continues to grow and improve.

Notre Dame is the perfect fit for someone of Olson’s caliber as she has the potential to not only improve her own talents, but also aid in helping her team challenge for a top spot at the cross country national meet. And at the very least, she adds great depth.

Staying in her home state of Indiana, Gretchen Farley has some serious range. Her marks of 2:04 (800) all the way up to her 17:27 (5k) PR, make her a wildcard for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame will greatly benefit from Farley’s mix speed and strength, as well as her national meet experience after competing at the Eastbay XC National Championships (2021) and the Champs Sports XC National Championships (2022).

At the end of the day, there’s no way that someone can count out the women of Notre Dame this fall. The collective firepower, depth and upside that these ladies bring to the table is better than some people realize.

Admittedly, a lot of these women need to be more consistent throughout this fall. That's going to be the main priority for a large handful of these distance talents once we reach October and November.

The group of Olivia Markezich, Chisholm, Strzelecki, VanderLende, Novak and Andrea Markezich give the Fighting Irish a lethal mix of low-sticks and legitimate support scorers. Even if one of those women has an "off" day, then everyone else should be able to rally for a strong team effort.

And with one spot remaining in their varsity lineup, there are plenty of rising stars on this Notre Dame team waiting to be called upon.

The Fighting Irish women haven't reached the podium at the cross country national meet since 2004. That, however, has a chance to change if everything goes their way this fall.