TSR Collaboration
Apr 211 min
Written by Conor Daly, Kevin Fischer & Gavin Struve
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.
NOTE: Because we are in a new season, we are treating this week's rankings update as a new series of top-20 names. Therefore, we are not indicating any movement from our winter lists.
20. Alessia Sarussi, Junior, Washington U.
Coming off of her highest national meet finish ever, Alessia Sarussi put down a solid 800-meter season debut with a 2:11 mark at the Washington U. Distance Carnival this past weekend. Yes, she lost to two women who are not in our top-20, but she competed well and put herself in the mix. And more importantly, her top-half All-American result from less than a month ago holds more weight in our eyes compared to a few others.
Sarussi opened the spring of 2023 with a 2:14 result and managed to finish the season as an All-American, so it has to be a promising sign that she is ahead of where she was at this time last year. We have no doubt that Sarussi is one of the best middle distance runners in the country.
19. Maddie Kelly, Senior, U. of Chicago
After an outstanding cross country campaign, Maddie Kelly was fairly quiet this winter. However, she looks to be getting herself back on track after a nice season opener last weekend. While her 4:32 (1500) and 2:15 (800) double was by no means jaw-dropping, it was the closest she’s been to her prime form in a while.
Normally, we wouldn’t be all that excited to see a former national runner-up with a personal best of 4:22 run 10 seconds slower than that mark. However, with added context, this was a huge step in the right direction. We know what Kelly can do when she is really rolling, and that is getting closer to being a reality.
18. Lexi Brown, Senior, Wartburg
Lexi Brown hasn’t yet made her outdoor season debut, but the five-time All-American should feel really strong about her momentum from this winter after finishing 5th place in the 3000 meters at the indoor national meet.
With personal best marks of 4:29 for 1500 meters and 16:39 for 5k (she doubled in those two events at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships), Brown should once again be highly competitive on the national stage.
17. Penelope Greene, Junior, SUNY Geneseo
An early season 5000-meter victory for Penelope Greene at her home meet puts her in a great position for the rest of the outdoor track season. Her winning time of 17:19 doesn’t look particularly impressive on paper, although it seems that the purpose of her race was more to lead a teammate, who was one second behind her, to a personal best. With that in mind, she executed as well as she could have on that day.
We didn’t learn much new about Greene in her seasonal debut, but we didn’t really need to. With top-five finishes at both the cross country national meet and the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet, there is little doubt that she will once again be one of the best true long distance runners in Division Three.
16. Lexi Fernandez, Sophomore, MIT
The strides that Lexi Fernandez has made over this academic year have been truly incredible. She followed up a breakthrough cross country season by immediately translating her success to the indoor oval, particularly in the mile where she ultimately finished 5th place in her first individual track national meet appearance.
That surge was enough to merit a nomination for "Most Improved" in our End of Season Awards. And while we have yet to see Fernandez in action this spring, we have every reason to believe that she is here to stay.
15. Shaelyn Hostager, Junior, Wartburg
The indoor track season was highly successful for Shaelyn Hostager, but the addition of the 10,000 meters on the outdoor oval makes her even more of a scoring threat. Last spring, she finished in 6th place, nationally, in that event. And nowadays, she looks to be in much better shape than she was back then after nabbing her first 5000-meter All-American finish in March.
A 23-second 10k personal best to finish runner-up behind Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel at the Washington U. Distance Carnival was a statement that we knew Hostager was capable of making to open up her spring season. That may "only" put her at NCAA #5 on the D3 national leaderboard, but it’s hard to see many people running faster than 34:39 outside of those who have done so already.
It’s also pretty unlikely that Grace Hadley will contest the 10,000 meters at the outdoor national meet despite sitting at NCAA #3 in the event right now. In other words, Hostager is in a great position to improve upon her national meet finish from last year and may be a double All-American candidate in May.
14. Genna Girard, Senior, Williams
Genna Girard hasn’t raced yet this outdoor track season, but an indoor track campaign that ended with a 4th-place national meet finish over 5000 meters sets her up well for success this spring. It was also a nice bounce-back from a finish to her cross country season that didn't reflect Girard's true talent.
What we saw from her throughout the rest of this academic year indicates some serious All-American potential in both the 5k and the 10k. After all, Girard has earned those honors in both events before.
13. Dale Leonard, Freshman, Ramapo
The lone freshman in these rankings, Dale Leonard could be a mainstay in our top-20 for years to come. After a strong, but somewhat unassuming cross country season, the Ramapo ace posted sub-5:00 mile efforts at six different meets culminating in a 4:53 PR and 4th-place finish at the indoor national meet.
Could a similar rise be in store for the spring season? It's unlikely that Leonard breaks out in the same way, partially because a comparable leap would make her a true national title contender. However, it's also because she broke through in a distance (the mile) that has a close counterpart on the outdoor oval (the metric mile) compared to the contrast between the cross country 6k and the mile.
That suggests that her ceiling and newfound expectations should be similar to where they stood at the end of the winter. But Leonard also now has the confidence of a successful collegiate track season and national meet performance under her belt.
12. Megan Johnson, Junior, Central College
Megan Johnson has in large part made her bread over 3000 meters, given that's where she's earned both of her top-eight individual finishes on the national stage (including a 6th-place finish in the 3k at the 2024 indoor national meet).
But when Johnson opened her outdoor track season, it was in the 10,000 meters. And when she toed the line, the Central College standout fared pretty well, running 35:00. This is someone who also ran 2:14 over 800 meters in the same month.
It's improbable that Johnson contests either of those events on the national stage, but that versatility helps explain her success at that aforementioned unconventional distance (the 3000 meters) and in an even more unconventional event (the steeplechase). We're eager to see the reigning steeplechase All-American debut in that event soon.
11. Ellie Rising, Junior, George Fox
Ellie Rising proves a difficult athlete to place in our inaugural outdoor track rankings. That's not necessarily because she's unproven or because we have questions about her focus or fitness. Rather, she's someone who's a back-to-back bronze medalist at the half-mile distance at the indoor national meet, but has yet to be an All-American over 800 meters on the outdoor oval.
That's likely to change late next month. Rising ran a PR by over a second (2:09.80) in late February and just ran 2:11 for a 10-second win at a veritable rust-buster to open her outdoor track season.
10. Caroline McMartin, Senior, Central College
Even if her backend All-American finish in the mile last month was a few places behind where we expected her to be, Caroline McMartin appears to have reached another level of star power this academic year.
And that's saying something for someone who was a cross country All-American and a bronze medalist in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 2022-23. While it will be challenging to improve upon that latter finish, it's not outlandish to suggest that McMartin has an outside chance at a steeplechase national title over Aubrie Fisher this spring.
But she also ran 16:29 (5k) to beat a strong Washington U. Distance Carnival field this past weekend for the NCAA #1 mark this season. McMartin has worse odds at a national title in the 5000 meters, but it's worth noting that she doubled back over that distance on the national stage last year.
9. Natalie Bitetti, Senior, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Truthfully, this ranking feels a bit low for Natalie Bitetti. It's not an indictment on the cross country silver medalist's ability, but rather a reflection of the surplus of talent surrounding her and the question of what her optimal event is on the outdoor oval.
That query mostly stems from the fact that she has yet to race at an outdoor national meet. The most likely answer for Bitetti is the 5k, given she ran 16:33 over that distance in early December. But the Athena ace opted to run the 3k/DMR double at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning silver in the former event and bronze in the latter.
One could also argue that her skillset (3k success and cross country strength) seems to fall in line with that of a steeplechaser. And she opened her season in a 10k, recording a "DNF." We'll be closely monitoring Bitetti's progress over the coming weeks.
8. Allison Sibold, Junior, St. Lawrence
This 1500-meter specialist is due up for another big season after having a breakout indoor campaign. In the last few months, Allison Sibold not only broke the 5:00 (mile) barrier for the first time, but she had an incredibly consistent season that culminated with a runner-up finish over that distance at the indoor national meet.
Although Sibold has yet to open her outdoor season, we feel confident that she will be in the same form she displayed throughout the winter, earning her a spot safely in our top-10.
7. Hope Murphy, Junior, Baldwin Wallace
This winter's 800-meter national meet runner-up has kept busy in the opening weekends of the outdoor track season. Hope Murphy first ran a respectable, but by no means elite, 36:50 (10k) before heading to Raleigh Relays the following weekend. There, the Baldwin Wallace ace ran a time of 17:19 (5k) before running 2:19 (800) the next day.
Of course, those 5k and 10k performances don’t tell us much about what the middle distance-centric Murphy can do over the half-mile and metric mile events, nor does that 800-meter effort since it was on a double. Coming off of a March that saw her run 2:09 twice, Murphy enters the outdoor season as the focal name to watch in the women’s 800-meter scene behind Emma Kelley.
6. Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel, Junior, U. of Chicago
After finding success in cross country, this miler focused her efforts on the 3k and the 5k this indoor track season. So far, Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel has only continued to go up in distance, contesting her first 10k in impressive fashion last weekend.
The first-timer ran 34:25 for the distance which places her among the top women in the nation. What’s equally encouraging is that she took down a reigning 10k All-American in the process.
Coming off of a pair of bronze medal finishes between the 3k and the 5k at the indoor national meet, Battleson-Gunkel could very well be in for just as good, if not better, of a result in the 5k and the 10k at the outdoor national meet.
5. Grace Richardson, Senior, NYU
This veteran had an awesome indoor track season that positioned her in the hunt for a national title in the mile, the 3k and the 5k. Choosing to run the 5k/3k double at the indoor national meet, and almost upsetting Fiona Smith in the former, was seemingly a sign that Richardson will continue to focus on the longer distances on the outdoor oval.
Most recently, Richardson destroyed her 10k PR by over two minutes at Raleigh Relays, crossing the line in 34:06. We now expect Richardson to attack a 5k, her best event on paper, in the near future. With impressive closing speed and a rapid rate of improvement as of late, be on the lookout for Richardson this spring.
4. Aubrie Fisher, Senior, Wartburg
Aubrie Fisher takes a massive leap in her ranking compared to the indoor season now that she will be able to showcase her talents in the steeplechase. She is, after all, a two-time national champion in the event (as well as the runner-up in 2022).
The veteran has been quick to run a national lead with a solo 10:24 (steeplechase) time at the Washington U. Distance Carnival. To sit within 10 seconds of her personal best in her first go at the event this season is a really encouraging sign for Fisher.
It feels odd that a fairly likely national champion sits at TSR #4, but each of the women in front of her have also won a national title and did so more recently. However, based on the rate Fisher has been progressing at this year, that could change soon.
3. Grace Hadley, Senior, WPI
Grace Hadley’s best event on the indoor track was (by far) the mile, though she had very strong 800-meter and 3k performances as well.
That's why to see Hadley venture up in distance to attack a 10k last weekend was a shock to many of us at TSR. Even though that's far from her ideal distance, Hadley thrived in her first-ever attempt at the event, running a very strong 34:06 mark.
Do we foresee her running a 10k again this season? No, we don't, it was a flex of range that was likely noticed around the country. There’s not a single competitor of Hadley’s who can say they're able to run 2:12 for 800 meters and 34:06 for 10k.
With her incredible momentum from the indoor track season and this fantastic run to kick-off her outdoor track campaign, Hadley is a national-level name in all of the distance events we cover. Surely this mix of speed and strength will result in unmatched 1500-meter abilities, right? Hadley seems to have a very clear path to a metric mile national title to accompany her mile title from the indoor track season.
2. Emma Kelley, Junior, Washington U.
There's not much new to say in this space about Emma Kelley beyond acknowledging her reliable greatness.
In recent weeks, the three-time reigning 800-meter national champion and soon-to-be Wisconsin Badger ran a 2:04.13 (800) PR at the indoor national meet, opened the outdoor track season on her home track with a five-second win over multiple fellow All-Americans and then ran a 400-meter PR of 54.68. The true question is how fast Kelley will run and how thoroughly she'll beat her competition this spring.
1. Fiona Smith, Junior, St. Benedict
It shouldn’t surprise you at this point that when we tell you that Fiona Smith ran an all-time Division Three mark. At the Stanford Invitational, Smith eclipsed the 33:00 (10k) barrier with a 32:57 clocking that sits behind only former superstar peer Kassie Parker.
To put that performance in perspective, Smith has run over a minute faster than anyone else this season. Or to put it another way, if she ran that pace for half of the distance (5000 meters), she would be the Division Three leader in the 5k.
Yes, it’s early in the season of course, but still…
Despite a scare in the 5k at the indoor national meet, Smith is still considered a heavy favorite in two events (the 5k and the 10k) on the outdoor oval. We don’t see why she won’t finish out her career at the Division Three level with another pair of gold medals before heading to NC State in the fall.
N/A
KICKED OFF
N/A
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Cyna Madigan (UW-Oshkosh)
Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw (Goucher)
Maddie Hannan (UW-La Crosse)
Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)
Deyanneira Colon Maldonado (Aurora)
Libby Ranocha (Emory)
Danielle Schultz (Washington U.)
Brigid Hanley (Emory)
Sara Stephenson (Johns Hopkins)
Riley Buese (Lewis & Clark)
Paige Phillips (Coast Guard)
Rachel Hirschkind (SUNY Geneseo)
Pria Parker (Smith)
Riley Capuano (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Amelia Lehman (UW-Oshkosh)
Haley Schoenegge (Vassar)
Elisabeth Camic (U. of Chicago)
Rachel Krouse (UW-Stevens Point)
Faith Duncan (Wilmington (OH))
Kayla Werner (Lynchburg)
Megan Bell (Rochester)
Kayla Kass (Stockton)
Gillian Roeder (MIT)
Ellie Meyer (Wartburg)
Ella Whinney (Wellesley)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Kate Sanderson (MIT)
Caitlin Jorgensen (U. of Chicago)
Helen Cross (Carleton)
Lucy Gagnon (Williams)
Annessa Ihde (Bethel (Minn.))
Julia Schor (Amherst)
Phoebe Ward (Carleton)
Sophie McManus (Carleton)
Laura Zimmer (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Julia Howarth (MIT)
Mckayla Felton (UW-Stout)
Annie Huang (Johns Hopkins)
Rebecca Markham (Hope)
Peyton Steffen (Central College)
Estelle Snider (U. of Chicago)
Allison Dell (Lynchburg)
Kate Cochran (NYU)
Lara Kallem (Simpson (IA))
Janie Cooper (NYU)
Jules Bleskoski (RPI)
Abby Fernald (Connecticut College)
Helena Teixeira-Dasilva (Washington U.)
Mary Blanchard (Carleton)
Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)
Cat Wimmer (U. of Chicago)
Vivian Kane (NYU)
Claire Anderson (Washington & Jefferson)
Alison Bode (St. Olaf)
Hannah Preisser (Carleton)
Sophie Tedesco (U. of Chicago)
Adriana Crabtree (Illinois Wesleyan)
Kendall Accetta (Colorado College)
Elle Marsyla (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Annika Carlson (Chapman)
Notes
- N/A