TSR Collaboration
Apr 1614 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.
25. Jessica Simon, Senior, Adams State (0 / 25)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
24. Zoe Baker, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (Unranked)
This established long distance veteran has looked great in the early goings of this 2024 outdoor track season. Zoe Baker started her spring campaign with a converted 4:27 mark over 1500 meters, but then made a huge statement with her 15:58 (5k) PR at the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend!
Few women at the D2 level have as much experience as Baker has. And in terms of raw fitness, she is one of the more naturally talented 10k/5k specialists in this division.
So in that case...why is she only ranked at TSR #24?
The postseason will need to be a greater area of emphasis for Baker. She admittedly struggled at the indoor national meet this past winter. And in prior national meet appearances, she's been solid, but she has also been capable of more. Thankfully, the introduction of the 10k this season should bolster her resume once she attacks that distance.
23. Sarah Koomson, Freshman, West Texas A&M (-2 / 21)
After an encouraging 16:22 (5k) performance at the Texas Relays a few weeks ago, Sarah Koomson ventured to the Bryan Clay Invitational. Once there, the West Texas A&M rookie posted solid times of 16:33 (5k) and 4:33 (1500).
As a whole, Koomson's weekend could mostly be considered positive. Although, in terms of her full potential, its clear that this Buffalo rookie is capable of so much more. We imagine that Koomson will take some time off after a busy racing schedule and prepare to attack a 10k race which, in theory, could be her best distance.
22. Emily Schoellkopf, Junior, Adams State (-4 / 18)
After posting a converted 10:30 steeplechase time in her season debut, Emily Schoellkopf would head to the Bryan Clay Invitational looking for a much faster time. That, however, didn't happen as the Adams State junior settled for a mark of 10:42 over the barriers and water pits.
Of course, if you go back and watch the replay, you'll find that the Grizzly steeplechaser ran into some trouble on a water pit early in the race. With no room to hurdle the bar in front of her (she would have hit another runner who quickly cut into her space), Schoellkopf simply ran up to the bar and couldn't jump over it.
And when you consider that she was already in the back of the pack, that lone instance ultimately halted any chance of a competitive time for Schoellkopf.
There was some level of redemption for Schoellkopf who rebounded to run 16:30 (5k) in what turned out to be a very challenging weekend double. And although this past weekend didn't turn out in her favor, it's hard to look at a flukey isolated hiccup as a direct reflection of her talent and fitness.
21. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 20)
There admittedly isn't much to discuss when it comes to Precious Robinson. And of course, as we have said multiple times, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
So far this spring, the Adams State talent has run a converted 4:29 mark for 1500 meters and is fresh off of a very solid 34:06 (10k) performance from this past weekend. But truthfully, those were very predictable times given what Robinson has previously shown us. For that reason, we didn't feel the need to dramatically alter her ranking during this update.
20. Vienna Lahner, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (+3 / 23)
After a highly successful indoor track season where she earned All-American honors in the mile (and produced a 4:44 PR in that event), Vienna Lahner has returned to racing, looking just as good as she did in March.
The redshirt freshman from Adams State was fantastic this past weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The traditional miler did attack the 1500-meter distance and produced a very strong time of 4:22, but we also really liked that she ran 2:12 for 800 meters during that same weekend! That's an encouraging display of turnover that isn't going to blow you away, but is still useful in tactical scenarios if properly utilized.
19. Elizabeth Acheson, Rs. Junior, U-Mary (-2 / 17)
Yes, Elizabeth Acheson may be falling back in our rankings by two spots, but that's not necessarily her fault -- other women simply required a boost that surpassed her in our top-25.
The U-Mary middle distance star, who peaked beautifully at the NCAA D2 Indoor Championships, began her spring campaign with a pair of solid, but unexciting, 1500-meter and 800-meter efforts.
However, Acheson took full advantage of the highly competitive fields at the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend. The U-Mary veteran, after many seasons of waiting, finally cracked the 2:08 mark to run a new 800-meter PR of 2:07 before posting a less surprising 1500-meter PR of 4:34.
Running 2:07 (800) feels like a substantial turning point for Acheson. Her performance at the indoor national meet felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, but her latest run validates that silver-medal result. Now the question is...can she build on that over the next two months?
It's important to not overreact to early-season results. That's why we initially left Marissa D'Atri out of the first edition of our D2 outdoor track rankings despite her running 10:27 and then 10:14 in the steeplechase.
But after going to the Bryan Clay Invitational and posting a fantastic steeple PR of 10:08, there is no denying that this Chico State veteran is deserving of a top-25 spot in our rankings. Her latest steeplechase time now sits at NCAA #17 all-time (D2) and positions her to be the silver medal favorite in this event at the national meet (because, ya know, Gracie Hyde).
Admittedly, D'Atri did struggle at last year's outdoor national meet, something that is still fresh in our minds. Even so, if she continues to post performances like these leading up to late May, then we'll have no issues eventually moving her into our top-10.
17. Morgan Hykes, Junior, Adams State (+5 / 22)
Wow, Morgan Hykes has been on absolute fire so far this spring.
The Adams State veteran has been making statement after statement in each of her three meets this season. The Grizzly junior first ran an altitude converted time of 4:23 (1500) at New Mexico, later produced a converted 10:30 steeplechase effort at CSU-Pueblo and more recently posted an outstanding 10:20/16:26 (steeple/5k) weekend double at the Bryan Clay Invitational!
In the early goings of the spring months, Hykes looks as good as she ever has. And while we haven't necessarily learned anything new about her, we can still acknowledge that her momentum is among the best in Division Two right now.
16. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado (0 / 16)
After a rust-buster at CSU-Pueblo, Leah Taylor opted to do the always popular 5k/1500-meter weekend double at the Bryan Clay Invitational. There, she earned a very strong 5k PR of 16:17 before going on to run 4:29 for 1500 meters.
Taylor was a mile and 3k runner throughout the winter months, although her raw talent and exceptional end to her cross country season suggested that she could be a great 5k competitor as well.
It's been apparent for a few seasons that Taylor has a ton of talent, she just needed to refine it to be a nationally competitive name. Now, we're finally getting to see that talent permeate across events and bolster the value of her overall resume.
15. Aryelle Wright, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-5 / 10)
After a very strong start to her spring campaign (running 2:07 for 800 meters in Miami), Aryelle Wright took a step backwards at the Bryan Clay Invitational. There, she posted a 2:10 mark for the half-mile distance which wasn't all that close to what she's capable of producing.
One "off" day shouldn't completely tank someone's ranking, but on a big stage with crowded competition, this was a great opportunity for Wright to further impose her talent against other women of a similar caliber. Of course, given her tendency to peak in the postseason, we wouldn't fret too much about this result.
14. Ana Tucker, Senior, Grand Valley State (-3 / 11)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
13. Tristian Spence, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (+6 / 19)
Wow...Tristian Spence is the real deal.
The redshirt freshman was excellent over 3000 meters and 5000 meters this past winter, running some outstanding times that validated her top-20 finish at the NCAA D2 XC Championships. And after this past weekend, you could argue that Spence is only getting better with no signs of slowing down.
At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Spence dropped an incredible 5k time of 15:58! That kind of time is a huge performance that definitively puts her in a new tier of long distance contenders at the D2 level.
Not only that, but she also ran 4:26 for 1500 meters during that same weekend.
There are few types of runners more dangerous than an extremely talented underclassman who has tons of upside and all of the momentum in the world. And when we talk about Tristian Spence, that description seems to fit her quite well.
12. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State (+1 / 13)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
11. Taryn Chapko, Junior, Grand Valley State (+4 / 15)
"Consistency" is the first word to come to mind upon seeing Taryn Chapko’s name. She may not always run flashy marks that shoot her to the top of the NCAA leaderboard, but she is still incredibly reliable when it comes to posting quick times in both the 800 meters and the 1500 meters.
Over the past two weekends, Chapko has gone 2:09/4:27 and 2:09/4:25 in the half-mile and metric mile, respectively, putting her in the mix in both events with marks that are a few seconds off of her PRs. But more importantly, we know that she’s especially reliable when it comes to racing on the national stage. Chapko feels like one of the most secure All-American locks between the men’s and women’s D2 distance events.
The Laker veteran's combination of consistency and reliability makes her deserving of a rise into the top-half of our rankings.
10. Elena Carey, Junior, Adams State (-1 / 9)
After two strong showings over 1500 meters, Elena Carey remains in the top-10 of our rankings and continues to set herself up for national-level success.
Two weekends ago, Carey put forth a metric mile time of 4:23 which was altitude-converted to a head-turning mark of 4:17. She then went to the Bryan Clay Invitational and ran a time of 4:25 which was a ways off from her altitude-converted mark, but pretty close to her raw personal best.
Some people may look at that 4:25 effort and not be all that impressed. Of course, it's important to remember that Carey is in her first year of NCAA racing. And with the NCAA #2 time over 1500 meters this spring, she looks to be carrying over the form that made her a bronze medalist in the mile last month.
9. Katie Heck (née Fankhouser), Senior, Fort Lewis (+5 / 14)
With each weekend, Katie Heck seemingly gets closer and closer to the times that she ran last year en route to a national meet runner-up finish over 1500 meters. Although Heck has not run any personal bests in 2024 yet, she has put up some great marks, including a recent 2:09 effort over 800 meters and a 4:25 mark for 1500 meters.
That latter result helped her edge out Elena Carey at the Bryan Clay Invite and was the impetus for her move into our top-10.
Heck is at her best in high-stakes racing situations, so not seeing her name as high on the national leaderboards as some of the other women in our top-10 is no reason for concern. Her experience and tactical savvy make her an incredibly dangerous name as we get closer to the RMAC and national meet sendoffs.
8. Allison Beasley, Rs. Sophomore, Western Colorado (0 / 8)
While the steeplechase is becoming more and more competitive with each passing season, Allison Beasley still presents herself as one of Division Two's most elite individuals in that event.
And sure enough, she has proven it these past couple of weekends.
The Western Colorado star posted a 10:32 mark at altitude during the Chuck Haering Invitational as she beat a couple of talented Adams State competitors before producing an unconverted 10:12 effort (a massive PR) at the Bryan Clay Invite. She also doubled back and ran 16:36 (5k) at the latter meet for good measure.
Even with defending national champion Eleonora Curtabbi having graduated, this reigning steeplechase national meet runner-up will be hard-pressed to nab gold after Gracie Hyde's introduction to the D2 ranks. Even so, Beasley, who ran unattached during the winter months, looks improved and is ready as ever to compete well when it matters most.
7. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State (+5 / 12)
The incredible double that Klaudia O’Malley put together this past weekend would likely be receiving a lot more well-deserved recognition if not for Gracie Hyde's record-breaking weekend double at the same meet.
O’Malley kicked off her Bryan Clay Invite with a massive PR in the 5k, running a time of 15:51. That mark landed her the top spot on the national leaderboard this season and a faster mark than her RMAC counterparts at the same meet. Then, she doubled back to run 4:20 in the 1500 meters which was only one second off from her PR!
The more encouraging element of O'Malley's weekend was not how fast she ran, but rather her ability to do so in back-to-back days. O’Malley has struggled in the past (relative to expectations) when running multiple events on the national stage. But after this weekend, we have a lot of faith that she could potentially find herself on the podium in both of those events come late May.
6. Alaysia Brooks, Junior, Ursuline (OH) (0 / 6)
The start of the outdoor track season has been fairly quiet for the most recent 800-meter national champion. Alaysia Brooks opened up her season with a respectable 2:11 half-mile mark in a win and she also put down an impressive 56-second 400-meter time.
While Brooks has run nowhere near the 800-meter time that she needs to in order to advance to the outdoor national meet, we fully expect her to turn it on towards the end of the season. Brooks did just that during the winter, running PR after PR in the last couple of weeks of her indoor track campaign before her convincing postseason victory.
5. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (0 / 5)
In some ways, Florance Uwajeneza’s 10,000-meter time of 32:52 at the Bryan Clay Invitational feels very expected. She did, after all, almost run the exact same time last year at the same meet. In other ways though, this year feels different, mainly because the 10k national title picture looks wide open.
With Lindsay Cunningham potentially not competing this season (which is not confirmed) and Brianna Robles appearing to be focusing on the 5k (for now), Uwajeneza may be the fairly clear 10,000-meter national title favorite at this moment. That's particularly true after she won the most recent indoor 5k national title over Robles and others.
At any rate, the thought of Uwajeneza winning a national title in either the 5k or the 10k this spring appears far more likely than the notion of her emerging with gold in March seemed.
4. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State (0 / 4)
While she didn't run a new PR, Brianna Robles shined once again at the Bryan Clay Invite with one of the fastest 5k times in Division Two this season (15:53). That mark is very much on par with her past seasons and serves as further proof of her continued high-level reliability.
Beyond the 5k this spring, Robles has run two 1500-meter races with both marks being quite strong for someone who's more inclined toward the longer distances. We will have to wait and see if Robles returns to the 10k this season, but it appears that she could be focusing on her turnover in hopes of winning a 5000-meter national title if the race turns tactical.
Whatever she decides to race, Robles is a good name to bet on to finish in the top-three at the national meet for what would be the 11th time in her career.
3. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State (0 / 3)
Similar to O'Malley, it feels like Kaylee Beyer's success in recent weeks has been overshadowed by Gracie Hyde reaching an even higher plane at the Bryan Clay Invite.
Beyer opened her outdoor track campaign with a solid solo effort in the 5k, running 16:09. And at the Bryan Clay Invitational, she focused on her signature event, the 1500 meters, and ran another personal best (4:19).
Just like the indoor track season, Beyer figures to have her hands full with Hyde over 1500 meters. But if Beyer chooses to move up in distance, she might be able to find herself in contention for a 5k national title based on her improved fitness throughout this academic year (starting in the fall) and the turnover that she possesses which will help her in any tactical race setting.
2. Stephanie Cotter, Senior, Adams State (0 / 2)
It feels strange writing about Stephanie Cotter as our TSR #2 runner, but this Ireland native is an elite second banana for the Grizzlies after almost a year off from collegiate racing.
Cotter's first race of the outdoor track season led to a respectable, but unexciting, 2:15 effort for 800 meters. However, at the Bryan Clay Invite, she dropped her half-mile time down to 2:08 while also running 4:27 over 1500 meters. That metric mile time will need to be faster to ensure a spot at the outdoor national meet, but we have no concerns about Cotter being ready for championship season.
After all, Cotter has shown on numerous occasions in her career that as long as she gets into the national meet, her ability to execute on that stage will override everything else she did in the regular season.
Cotter's speed appears to be ahead of her strength, and perhaps that's how she'll try to set herself apart. Or maybe she's even trying to break into a more open 800-meter scene? We're eager to see what the next few weeks have in store for the 2021 metric mile champion who's also the 2023 mile champion.
1. Gracie Hyde, Rs. Senior, Adams State (0 / 1)
To be honest, Gracie Hyde setting two new NCAA records this past weekend was not too surprising. What was surprising, however, was how far under the previous records she went in both the 1500 meters and the 3000-meter steeplechase.
On the first day of the Bryan Clay Invite, Hyde destroyed the previous D2 steeplechase record of 9:40, running a time of 9:28. And the next day, she broke the 1500-meter record from 2010 by a little over two seconds with a time of 4:08.
Not only is Hyde by far the fastest woman in Division Two right now, but she would be ranked toward the top of our Division One rankings (from whence she came) as well. That, in turn makes her one of the most well-rounded and dynamic runners in all of NCAA.
It’s Gracie Hyde’s world and we are just living in it.
Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)
KICKED OFF
Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State)
Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)
Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)
Ila Davis (Western Washington)
Kate Dawson (Pittsburg State)
Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)
Kaylee Harp (NW Missouri)
Marian Ledesma (Western Washington)
Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley State)
Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Ava O'Connor (Adams State)
Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)
Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)
Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)
Mckenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))
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)
Reina Paredes (Adams State)
Della Molina (Chico State)
Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)
Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
Katharina Goetschl (Academy of Art)
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)
Elizabeth 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)
Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))
Nicole Lawrence (Adams State)
Margot Thomas (CSU-Pueblo)
Ellie Frye (Dallas Baptist)
Sophia Camacho (Azusa Pacific)
Betty Bajika (West Texas A&M)
Notes
- Lindsay Cunningham has not raced since the weekend of February 10th and we are unsure of her status as she prepares to transfer to the University of Wisconsin next academic year. As such, we have removed her from our top-10 and our rankings at large.