TSR Collaboration
Apr 214 min
Written by Garrett Zatlin & Marissa Kuik
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.
Don't see a top name? Click here, they may be listed as a redshirt this season.
NOTE: Because we are in a new season, we are treating this week's rankings update as a new series of top-25 names. Therefore, we are not indicating any movement from our winter lists.
Trying to figure out our final spot in these rankings was exceptionally difficult. The introduction of the 10,000 meters and the steeplechase as outdoor national meet events opens up the door a handful of new faces to enter our rankings.
However, at the same time, there are other early-season results that have been too good to ignore -- and Adams State's Jessica Simon posted one of them.
The Grizzly veteran had a fantastic 800-meter race against CSU-Pueblo's Helen Braybrook (who was running unattached) at altitude. There, Braybrook got the narrow win, but Simon still ran an eyebrow-raising time of 2:07, an outright PR. And after conversions, that time now sits at 2:06 on the national leaderboard!
Admittedly, Simon has never been an All-American as an individual, failing to make it past the 800-meter prelims in her last four national meet showings. And while that's obviously not a great trend, having that much championship experience does carry tons of value. However, more importantly, a 2:06.97 conversion is huge. For perspective, that time would have put Simon at NCAA #4 going into last year's outdoor national meet.
For that reason, we struggled to overlook the upper-tier time and have placed Simon at our TSR #25 position in these rankings.
24. Kate Hedlund, Rs. Junior, UC-Colorado Springs
With each season, Kate Hedlund gets a little bit better. And the 2023 outdoor track campaign was no different. She ran an impressive PR of 4:22 in the 1500 meters and placed 7th in the same event at the outdoor national meet. She continued her success in similar distances this winter, running a 4:46 (mile) PR to earn 8th place at the indoor national meet.
Hedlund has continued to improve her racing skills and ability to navigate through preliminary rounds at both the indoor and outdoor national meets. Plus, with a PR of 2:09 in the 800 meters, she has the turnover to match almost any moves in tactical championship racing.
With the potential of only racing the 1500 meters as opposed to the addition of the DMR at the indoor national meet, Hedlund will take a stab at her best finish yet on the national stage and perhaps even a top-three result.
23. Vienna Lahner, Rs. Freshman, Adams State
It can be especially difficult to rank freshmen at the advent of each season, and Vienna Lahner is no exception. But her improvement throughout the winter made it nearly impossible to leave her out of these rankings.
Lahner's performances during the cross country season were respectable but nothing out of the ordinary. And in the winter, we were unsure of her potential in the mile, considering most of her races were at altitude and received generous conversions. But she silenced any doubts and didn't let her rookie status get in the way of a 5th-place mile finish at the indoor national meet.
Lahner will likely look to better that performance in the metric mile, but there is some mystery about her potential in the other events. She could be another athlete who Adams State attempts to convert into a steeplechaser, or maybe she jumps up to the 5k. What we do know is that Lahner's poise belies her experience, and she seems to race at her best on the biggest stages.
22. Morgan Hykes, Junior, Adams State
Even though Morgan Hykes did not finish the indoor track season in a way that met her full lofty potential, her progress during the winter months and her steeplechase forte earned her inclusion in our first outdoor track rankings of the year.
Hykes ran some strong times on the indoor oval this year, most notably a 3k PR of 9:17 which should translate well to the same distance when water pits and barriers are added.
Her 11th-place finish in the 3000 meters at the indoor national meet wasn't her best, but it's a strong baseline for this versatile distance star as she prepares for her optimal event and searches for a second consecutive steeplechase All-American finish and her 5th place overall (including cross country) All-American honor.
21. Sarah Koomson, Freshman, West Texas A&M
While Sarah Koomson is only a freshman and has yet to really race on the outdoor oval (a 16:25 PR in the 5k last weekend was a strong start), she already has some quite notable accomplishments to her name.
Koomson rocked the Division Two world when she finished an incredible 6th place at the 2023 cross country national meet after a strong regular season. And though her regular season on the indoor oval was relatively quiet, she peaked perfectly for the national meet. Koomson qualified for both the 3k and the 5k, placing 6th overall in the former.
Koomson wasn't in our rankings for much of the indoor track season, but a second All-American result in as many collegiate campaigns earns her a spot here as we consider her vast potential.
We know she can compete well in the longer events, but could she become a steeplechaser? Or might she reign in the 10k? Only in the next couple of months will we get a clue.
20. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State
Adams State has its fair share of athletes who are adept at carrying their regular season success into the postseason -- and Precious Robinson is definitely one of those names. She sometimes gets overshadowed by her elite teammates, such as Brianna Robles and Gracie Hyde, but Robinson is an aerobic-centric star herself.
This Grizzly ace now has the opportunity to build off of the momentum she has created for herself from the winter season. She ran PRs in both the 3k and the 5k at the indoor national meet, finishing 5th in the latter event and a respectable 12th place in the former. Robinson running PRs at the biggest meet of the season shows her ability to peak when it matters most. But it also shows she is improving late in her career and we see no reason why that trend won't continue over the coming months.
She'll look to make an even bigger jump between the 5k and, perhaps more importantly, the 10k where she was an All-American last spring.
19. Tristian Spence, Rs. Freshman, Adams State
As a redshirt freshman, we don't have a ton to go off of when ranking Tristian Spence. However, her cross country and indoor track success throughout this academic year were great enough to warrant inclusion here.
Spence finished a strong 16th at the cross country national meet and then went on to run a blazing fast time of 16:08 for 5000 meters in December. After a two-month absence, she eventually placed 4th overall in that distance at the national meet while also competing over 3000 meters.
This emerging Grizzly star seems more inclined to the longer distances, so we're excited to see what she can do in the 5k and potentially the 10k on the outdoor oval.
18. Emily Schoellkopf, Junior, Adams State
Emily Schoellkopf might not have the flashiest PRs or even race as well as some of the other names on this list during the regular season. However, when the national meet comes around, she finds a way to get on the podium.
Schoellkopf made huge improvements at last year’s outdoor national meet, running a PR of 10:27 in the 3000-meter steeplechase to go with another PR (16:16 in the 5000 meters) on the national stage. That helped her pull off an impressive double in which she placed 3rd in the steeplechase and 6th in the 5k!
Though her times during the most recent fall and winter campaigns weren't anything special, Schoellkopf still continued to make small improvements and finished as a backend All-American both on the grass and the indoor oval (7th in the 5k). She feels like one of the biggest locks to reach the steeplechase finals in late May.
17. Elizabeth Acheson, Rs. Junior, U-Mary
After a 2:09 personal best helped her finish as the 800-meter runner-up at the 2024 indoor national meet, Elizabeth Acheson surged up our final indoor track rankings update. And as we dip into the spring months, we're employing more of a "wait-and-see" approach with her placement here.
Acheson's silver medal was a surprise after she didn't even reach the 800-meter finals at the 2023 outdoor national meet and hadn't done so since 2021. However, she now has three All-American honors. Not only that, but she seems to have rediscovered, and perhaps improved upon, her early 2021 form in which she finished top-five over 800 meters at both the indoor national meet and the outdoor national meet.
16. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado
The result that has the most impact on this ranking for Leah Taylor was a breakout bronze medal over 1500 meters at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. And all that she's done since then is build on that momentum.
In the fall, Taylor placed 13th for a podium team at the cross country national meet. And this past winter, she ran PRs between the 800 meters, the mile and the 3k, before finishing 6th in the mile at the outdoor national meet (where she also helped the Mountaineers to a 4th-place finish in the DMR).
It will be difficult to improve upon the metric mile national meet finish that she enjoyed last spring, but Taylor's growing momentum certainly bodes well for her.
15. Taryn Chapko, Junior, Grand Valley State
While she has yet to win an elusive individual national title, it's an understatement to say that Taryn Chapko knows how to compete well in the postseason.
The Laker ace has finished as an All-American in each of the seven 800-meter races that she has run on the national stage. That kind of high-level consistency is practically unheard of in an event that is inherently unpredictable with preliminary rounds and little margin for error.
Chapko isn't a one-trick pony either, given that she's a past cross country All-American and holds a 4:21 (1500) PR. A few factors keep her from being ranked higher: she's historically been better on the indoor oval than on the outdoor track, holds "only" a 2:07 (800) PR and hasn't proven to be a true national title threat despite all of her success.
That being said, Chapko is one of the most proven stars over the half-mile distance in recent years and is almost assured of a finals appearance. That's hardly a bad starting point.
14. Katie Heck (née Fankhouser), Senior, Fort Lewis
One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 outdoor national meet was Katie Heck’s runner-up finish over 1500 meters. Heck showed some promise throughout the early months of 2023, but nothing that necessarily suggested the potential for a runner-up national meet finish in an always-competitive event.
While Heck was inconsistent this past winter -- and surprisingly chose to race the half-mile at the indoor national meet -- she was even quieter during the 2023 indoor track campaign. Luckily, her experience, proven turnover and ability to peak at the right time will give her a chance to near her season-ending performance from last May.
13. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State
Natalie Graber is one of the ultimate jack-of-all-trades runners.
During the 2023 outdoor track season, the Laker star could have raced in virtually any distance event -- from the 1500 meters up to the 5k and including the steeplechase -- on the national stage. She opted for the latter where she finished 4th overall and then went on to squeeze an 8th-place finish in the 5k on that same stage.
She again qualified for a gamut of events on the indoor oval this winter and earned a pair of backend All-American finishes in the 3k and the 5k. Considering the 1500 meters looks pretty saturated and she posted a season-opening 16:02 (5k) effort over the weekend, there's a good chance she will again opt for the steeplechase/5k double this spring.
At any rate, Graber's range and optionality increase her value.
12. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State
We should be fairly happy with Klaudia O'Malley who showcased some excellent fitness at the Raleigh Relays, running 2:09 for 800 meters and 4:22 for 1500 meters. And yet, despite the encouraging display of turnover and speed, the GVSU seemed to be a bit upset with her 1500-meter effort in our post-race interview with her.
But at the end of the day, this isn't all too surprising for someone of her caliber. O'Malley's range is exceptional and she often fares well in fast-paced and aggressive settings. However, tactics, turnover and the ability to hang with the top women who opt to front-run in championship meets are going to be the key aspects for the Laker star to develop this spring.
11. Ana Tucker, Senior, Grand Valley State
Ana Tucker has not raced since the indoor national meet. However, after a huge 3rd place finish over 5000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and the outdoor track season allowing her to contest what may be her ideal distance (the 10k), Tucker's profile has grown even more valuable since last month.
10. Aryelle Wright, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines
A popular pick at the NCAA Indoor Championships over 800 meters, Aryelle Wright thrived in her first race of the outdoor track season, running 2:07 at the University of Miami. That's a big-time mark, especially for this time of the year.
As we all saw during the winter months, Alaysia Brooks holds fitness that is just flat-out better than other D2 half-milers. That, in turn, allowed her to run away for NCAA gold last month at the indoor national meet via a 2:06 (800) effort.
However, Wright's 2:07 mark before the month of April even began gives her a strong starting point for her to build off of over the next two months. She has the experience and tactical know-how to compete with pretty much every title contender over 800 meters this season, but that may not matter if she doesn't have enough raw fitness to match Brooks.
That's why her recent PR is so important.
9. Elena Carey, Junior, Adams State
We're beginning to gain a better understanding of what Elena Carey is capable of. The breakout star from Adams State was fantastic during the winter months, thriving in all-out, time-trial affairs.
The Grizzlies distance star ran a converted 4:42 mile mark during the winter, ran 9:35 (3k) in a quick race at Boston University, ventured to the national meet where she ran an outright mile PR of 4:43 and just ran 4:23 for 1500 meters in her season opener...at altitude.
That latter time converted to a head-turning mark of 4:17.
In terms of raw fitness and talent, Carey is more than deserving of being a top-10 name going into the spring months. A bronze medal on the national stage doesn't hurt her resume, either. But more importantly, the momentum that Carey has collected is matched by very few women at the Division Two level (at least as of right now).
8. Allison Beasley, Sophomore, Western Colorado
After a brief indoor track season which featured two good, but not great, mile efforts on her home track, Allison Beasley has seemingly begun to pick up (some) steam again.
The Western Colorado sophomore was absolutely brilliant during the fall months, but it was clear that something "off" with her during the winter. However, recent converted marks of 2:14 (800) and 4:28 (1500) showed promise while her converted 10:17 mark in the steeplechase left us incredibly encouraged about her spring campaign could hold.
Compared to a few other women in these rankings, we still need to see Beasley incrementally return to the form that she was in last spring and this past fall before she climbs any higher in our rankings. Even so, all signs point to this Mountaineer talent being a problem once again for her competitors over the barriers and water pits.
7. Lindsay Cunningham, Junior, Winona State
After not racing at the indoor national meet, we're a little perplexed as to where we should rank Lindsay Cunningham. The Winona State superstar has yet to race this spring and we can't help but wonder if she'll even race at all in the coming months. For those reasons, she sits at TSR #7 in our rankings.
6. Alaysia Brooks, Junior, Ursuline (OH)
While she hasn't raced since winning the indoor national title over 800 meters last month, there's been nothing that we've seen so far this spring which says that Brooks isn't the best half-miler in Division Two right now (among those who will actually contest that event on the national stage).
5. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M
Running a blistering fast time of 16:00 for 5000 meters at the Texas Relays was incredibly impressive, even for someone as accomplished as Florance Uwajeneza.
The Buffalo standout and recent indoor 5k national champion previously held a 16:07 PR from the same in 2023. Of course, when you're able to take down Brianna Robles for a national title, then maybe we should've seen this coming.
With the introduction of the outdoor track season, long distance standouts like this West Texas A&M star are now able to contest the 10,000 meters. And believe it or not, you could argue that Uwajeneza is just as good in that event as she is over 5000 meters.
With no sign of Lindsay Cunningham and Brianna Robles proving that she can be beaten, there's a somewhat realistic chance that this veteran wins double gold come late May.
4. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State
An altitude converted 4:21 mark for 1500 meters was solid, especially since her raw time of 4:27 was a PR, but we're not all too surprised by this performance. Robles is excellent at altitude and this race was simply knock-off the winter rust and get some speed work under legs. In the grand scheme of things, we didn't learn anything new about this Adams State superstar, but she is still very much a top-five name in Division Two.
3. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State
You could maybe argue that Winona State veteran Kaylee Beyer should be ranked at TSR #2 following the incredible winter campaign she had. Not only that, but the predominant miler just flexed her range even further, dropping an absurdly quick 16:09 (5k) PR in what was a comfortable blowout win.
The 5k isn't an event that Beyer will legitimately contest this spring, but it is good to see that aerobic strength is just as good as we had hoped it would be. Pair that with incredible range over 800 meters, 1000 meters, mile and 3000 meters, and you could convince us to put Beyer at TSR #2 to start this spring season.
2. Stephanie Cotter, Senior, Adams State
There is an argument that Stephanie Cotter is the greatest Division Two distance runner in NCAA history. Her phenomenal success across all three seasons, outright dominance over the 1500-meter and mile distances, elite all-time marks and unreal consistency has made her borderline untouchable over the last few years.
And after sitting out of the indoor track season due to expired eligibility, Cotter has returned to the outdoor oval for one last go.
That being said, we felt like we had to put Cotter at TSR #2 to star this season. She hasn't necessarily done anything to hurt her stock, but her teammate just put together one of the most incredible indoor track seasons in D2 history. Plus, Cotter's recent 2:14 (800) conversion doesn't really leave us with much to be excited about.
Regardless, as long as Cotter makes it back to the national meet, she will be a very real threat to secure NCAA gold one last time.
1. Gracie Hyde, Rs. Senior, Adams State
Explaining why Gracie Hyde is ranked at TSR #1 feels a little pointless. All you need to know is that she put together a historic indoor track season this past winter -- and that may be putting it lightly.
And now that it's the outdoor track season, Hyde has already begun to flex her talent in new ways, running a converted 2:04 mark for 800 meters. That time easily makes her the best half-mile in Division Two...which is ironic because it's unlikely that she'll contest that event on the national stage.
N/A
KICKED OFF
N/A
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
Kate Dawson (Pittsburg State)
Marian Ledesma (Western Washington)
Kaylee Harp (NW Missouri)
Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley State)
Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Ava O'Connor (Adams State)
Jessica Simon (Adams State)
Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)
Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)
Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)
Mckenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))
Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)
Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)
Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado)
Holly Moser (Colorado Mines)
Maria Mitchell (Grand Valley State)
MaKenna Thurston (Minnesota State)
Lieke Hoogsteen (Adams State)
Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (Colorado Mines)
Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)
Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)
Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)
Ila Davis (Western Washington)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Ines Macadam (Tiffin)
Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)
Erin Dorn (Davenport)
Taylor Stone (Flagler)
Emma Kjellsen (Western Colorado)
Luisarys Toledo (NW Missouri)
Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)
Shannon King (Colorado Christian)
Liz Wamsley (Hillsdale)
Khot Juac (Sioux Falls)
Caroline Fuehren (Lenoir-Rhyne)
Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (Cal Poly Humboldt)
Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)
Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)
Lina Hanich (Academy of Art)
Abby VanderKooi (Grand Valley State)
Elise Leveel (West Texas A&M)
Lydia McGlocklin (NW Missouri)
Bailey Blake (NW Missouri)
Maggie Williams (Biola)
Lainy Williams (Southwest Baptist)
Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))
Nicole Lawrence (Adams State)
Reina Paredes (Adams State)
Margot Thomas (CSU-Pueblo)
Ellie Frye (Dallas Baptist)
Sophia Camacho (Azusa Pacific)
Notes
- Both Eleonora Curtabbi (West Texas A&M) and Helen Braybrook (CSU-Pueblo) are listed as redshirt/unattached athletes on TFRRS. As such, they're not featured in our rankings, but would otherwise have strong cases for top-10 placements.
- On paper, we believe that Ava O'Connor (Adams State) is a name worthy of earning a ranking. However, given that she has not competed since December, we have opted to hold off on listing her in our top-25 until she returns to competition.