Sam Ivanecky
Nov 25, 201814 min
Was not ranked the week before.
First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings.
Second number indicates where that team was ranked the week before.
First Release Ranking: Unranked
Florida State likely did not enjoy the snowy weather in Madison for NCAA's, but the team still had a solid showing given they were not expected to make Nationals when the season started. The team heavily relied on Militsa Mircheva as a low-stick and Mircheva delivered with a 25th place showing. Only she and their seventh runner graduate which leaves the majority of this squad ready to build on this season in hopes of returning to the national meet in 2019.
24. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (-3 / 21)First Release Ranking: Unranked
For their first-ever run at NCAA's, Southern Utah had a solid day with a 25th place finish. Their number one runner had a great day, but the rest of the team had some struggles, making it difficult to beat other programs. Angie Nickerson just missed out on All-American honors, coming in 47th overall. Without her next year, SUU will be looking for the returning members to step up and build off their NCAA experience in order to return to the meet in 2019.
First Release Ranking: Unranked
Princeton had one of the biggest regional races from three weeks ago when they took down Penn State to grab the second auto-qualifier out of the Mid-Atlantic. The team followed it up with another strong showing at NCAA's, finishing 21st overall thanks largely to a 26 second gap within their top five. The Tigers will lose their 1-6-7 going into 2019, but with Columbia also losing a few top runners, Princeton should be in good position to challenge for the Heps title.
First Release Ranking: 14
Besides their top two runners, the Paladins had a less-than-impressive day at Nationals. Savannah Carnahan had a great day, coming in 20th overall, and Emma Grace Hurley had a solid showing with her 51st place finish. Everyone else was well over the 100 mark which makes it hard for a team to break into the top 20. That said, everyone on the roster will be back in 2019, and with another year of training and experience, they should improve on this fall’s finish.
First Release Ranking: NR
All things considered, the Cowgirls had a solid year. Sinclaire Johnson looked great during September, but struggled a bit at regionals and NCAA's, missing out on All-American honors after placing 15th at Nuttycombe. OK State’s top returner from 2017, Kaytlyn Larson, spent much of the season trying to comeback from injury and was not able to put things together by November. The team is also largely composed of middle-distance runners which actually makes their performances a bit more impressive.
Going into 2019, a lot of questions around potential recruits and Larson’s return remain unanswered, but given the team’s history, they will likely be back at NCAA's next year.
First Release Ranking: 16
Penn State started 2018 strong, but faded hard as the year progressed, almost missing NCAA's all together. The Nittany Lions looked like the clear runner-up behind Villanova in the Mid-Atlantic region, but the team stumbled at regionals and ended up in 3rd, only making NCAA's on at-large points. Julia Paternain was their top runner for the first half of the season, but struggled late into the year, finishing in the 30's at regionals and 125th at NCAA's.
The bright spot for Penn State is that their entire top five returns for 2019 and if Paternain regains her early season form, the team could be pushing for a top 10 spot next year.
First Release Ranking: NR
Florida was the biggest surprise team this fall, starting the season ranked 11th in the South region and finishing 16th at Nationals. Jessica Pascoe had a great season with multiple individual wins and capped it off with her first All-American finish. It could be a stretch to see the Gators make NCAA's again next fall as they lose quite a few seniors. However, given the chaos that was the South region this year, anything could happen in 2019.
First Release Ranking: NR
Consecutive wins leading into NCAA's gave Columbia plenty of momentum to finish among the top 20 teams. While the team boasted no All-Americans, the team had a fairly tight spread between their one and five which kept them in the mix. An interesting note was that Columbia's fourth scorer had a better finish than the fourth scorer of six teams who beat Columbia. With only two runners graduating, expect Columbia to be among the best in the Ivy League for 2019.
First Release Ranking: 21
The Hoosiers started the year with back-to-back strong showings at Nuttycombe and Pre-Nationals, but faltered as the season progressed. Since BIG 10's, the Hoosiers have not looked like the same team that started the year, some of which can be attributed to a younger backend of scorers. Freshman Bailey Herenstein was not quite as strong at NCAA's, finishing in 127th. The absence of fellow freshman Sarah Schmidt (the third Hoosier at Nuttycombe) did not help Indiana late into the season.
Margaret Allen led the Hoosiers by just squeezing into the All-American honors with a 36th place showing, but Katherine Receveur had a disappointing finish to the fall, finishing 66th. With both graduating this year, the Hoosiers will likely be rebuilding next season.
First Release Ranking: 17
The Cyclones saw minimal competition for much of 2018, but had solid showings even in deeper races. Cailie Logue had a rough day at NCAA's, falling back to 53rd despite looking like a top 20 talent. Logue is only a sophomore and has plenty of time to improve, but this weekend was now the second consecutive year she has had a rough showing at Nationals.
Luckily for the Cyclones, Anne Frisbie had the best race of her collegiate career to finish 34th overall for her first All-American honors in cross country. Amanda Vestri was the only other Cyclone to finish in the top 100, coming in 91st.
First Release Ranking: 11
Rob Connor knows what he is doing when it comes to peaking a team for NCAA's. The Portland women had by far their best race of the fall with a 12th place showing, led by Lauren LaRocco’s 13th place run. While LaRocco had a great race, Taryn Rawlings had the biggest showing of any Pilot with a huge breakthrough race to finish 26th.
The craziest thing about Portland’s 12th place showing was that their fifth runner was all the way back in 207th place. Only six teams in the entire women’s race had their fifth behind the Pilots’ fifth. Had anyone else been able to step up, Portland would have easily been in the top 10 team.
First Release Ranking: 6
The Wolfpack entered the season with incredibly high expectations which were immediately lowered after a rough day at Nuttycombe. Since then, the team had been fairly consistent and continued the trend with a 13th place showing at NCAA's.
Elly Henes was the team’s top runner all season and had a strong run in Madison to finish 16th. Behind her, Nell Crosby finished 54th with teammate Dominique Clairmonte close behind in 62nd. Clairmonte had a somewhat underwhelming day after a strong race at the Southeast regional, but given she is only a sophomore, there will be plenty of chances in the future for her to close down on Henes.
Crosby is the only senior from NCAA's and many of the team members are either freshmen or sophomores which bodes well for the team's future moving into next fall.
First Release Ranking: 18
The Spartans finish the year five spots higher than they started despite a disappointing finish at NCAA's. The front running duo of Maggie Farrell and Erin McDonald failed to show up in Madison with Farrell falling back to 72nd and McDonald being one of two runners to DNF on Saturday. Farrell is young and will have plenty of time for redemption.
Even with those two having an off-day, Annie Fuller looks like she may be a Spartan star in 2019. Fuller stepped up big at the Great Lakes regional and had a huge race at NCAA's to finish 21st as the only MSU All-American. Teammates India Johnson and Jeralyn Poe also broke into the top 100 which is encouraging sign for what they could do next year. The team will face a tough challenge from Michigan and Wisconsin at BIG 10's next year, but Michigan State could be a dark horse squad next fall.
First Release Ranking: 13
It took the Huskies some time to get the ball rolling, but they showed up when things counted the most by finishing 9th at NCAA's behind big showings from Katie Rainsberger and Lilli Burdon. Neither Rainsberger nor Burdon ran as well as they did in 2017, but given the summer transfer scenario and Burdon not racing until PAC 12's, both showings were exactly what the Huskies needed on Saturday.
Rainsberger was coming off a rough track season and although she had been running well this fall, she had not been putting up results that were at the same level as 2017. Finishing in the top 20 at NCAA's was about as good of a performance as she could hope for and she likely set herself up for a successful indoor season.
Burdon had presumably been injured for the beginning of 2018, but finally made her season debut at PAC 12's where she finished 31st. She essentially matched that performance on Saturday by placing 33rd and giving Washington a second All-American. Given she ran only three meets this season and placed only 10 places behind her 2017 performance, she should be looking for a top 20 finish next fall.
Washington only loses one runner from their top seven going into next fall and given Rainsberger and Burdon both have higher ceilings than they showed this fall, the Huskies should be a top 10 competitor in 2019.
First Release Ranking: 8
The Badgers could not quite get it done on their home course, but still managed a solid showing with a 10 place finish. Alicia Monson had a solid race with a 4th place finish, but outside of her, no other Badger finished in the top 60. The team had a number of solid performances throughout the year, but looked to rely a little too heavily on Monson as a low-stick. The rest of the Badgers ran solid during the fall, but no one stepped up behind Monson to provide depth at the number two spot.
Next fall should be a better season for Wisconsin as only Shaelyn Sorensen is listed as a senior from their NCAA lineup. Assuming that Niggemann and Davis improve at the 2-3 spots and some of the younger names fill certain scoring roles, the Badgers should be a top 10 team in 2019.
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1 / 11)First Release Ranking: 19
Notre Dame put everything together on the right day and managed to break into the top 10 at NCAA's with great performances from Anna Rohrer and Jessica Harris. While Rohrer did not look as dominant as year’s past, she continued to mix it up at the front and finish 10th overall. Harris had an absolutely huge day and finished as an All-American to help compensate for underwhelming performances by Jacqueline Gaughan and Rachel DaDamio.
After finishing 4th at Great Lakes, Notre Dame was able to take down both Wisconsin and Michigan State in the meet that mattered most. With quite a few seniors listed in their roster, the Irish could be rebuilding next year, but should still be a ranked squad given Rohrer will return after previously redshirting.
First Release Ranking: 9
The Wildcats had the roughest day of any team at NCAA's which started with top-runner Caroline Alcorta coming through the 2000 meter mark in over 200th place. Nicole Hutchinson barely made All-American honors (40th overall), but the next Wildcat was Rachel McArthur in 119th.
Overall, the season sans NCAA's went quite well for Villanova as they came away with another conference and regional title. The team will lose both Hutchinson and Alcorta next year, so they could be looking to rebuild if no one can step up.
First Release Ranking: 15
BYU had their best women’s finish since 2003 which was highlighted by Erica Birk-Jarvis running to a phenomenal 7th place finish. Courtney Wayment was the other Cougar to finish as an All-American, helping boost the Cougars in the scoring despite their fifth runner finishing in 117th. In fact, BYU could have been even better this year as Whittni Orton was their number two at Joe Piane, but never raced after that meet.
According to their roster, the NCAA team featured no seniors, so all of them could be back in 2019 (plus Orton) barring mission trips.
First Release Ranking: 10
The Razorbacks were one of the most dominant squads all fall, but it helped that they only faced real competition at Pre-Nationals. All their other races featured only a few teams ranked in the top 25, none of whom were even close to the Razorbacks. Arkansas had a rough day at NCAA's and dropped all the way to 14th when many people had predicted them to be a podium contender. While the snow surely did not help a team from down south, plenty of other things went wrong for Arkansas.
Only two runners failed to finish NCAA's this weekend, one of whom was Arkansas’ number two runner Lauren Gregory. Losing her was a tremendous blow to an already struggling squad and when none of the Razorbacks managed to finish as All-Americans, the day only got worse.
On the bright side, Katrina Robinson was one of the NCAA's best this fall and will be back alongside six of the top seven for next year. This year should provide plenty of experience to a younger squad who will be looking for redemption in 2019.
First Release Ranking: 4
The Cardinal were a squad that never had an amazing race, but consistently showed up and finished near the front this fall. Their 5th place finish last weekend at NCAA's was by far their best performance, but the season will remain one filled with many "what if's".
Elise Cranny and Fiona O’Keefe were a dominant duo up-front all fall and capped the year with 11th and 17th place finishes individually. While these performances were more or less expected, Jessica Lawson finishing in 44th and just missing All-American honors was a huge breakthrough result. She will be a name to keep an eye on going into track and XC next fall.
That said, Christina Aragon was a one-race-wonder and Ella Donaghu never toed the line, leaving two major players out of a Stanford team that could have made the podium with everyone running. Given that they lose Cranny next year, it will be interesting to see how they shape up for 2019 and who else will step up to get the Cardinal back to the podium.
First Release Ranking: 5
Boise State had been incredibly consistent all fall, but their one bad race came this weekend. Allie Ostrander had another strong showing with a 6th place finish, but Emily Venters was the only other Bronco to finish as an All-American. Clare O’Brien had been running with Venters all year long, but fell apart last weekend, finishing all the way back in 161st. Both Maxine Paholek and Alexis Fuller also faded as well, finishing near the 100 mark which didn’t help the team’s score.
Going into the meet, it looked like both O’Brien and Fuller should have been All-Americans and Paholek should not have been far behind. Even with a disappointing performance, the team should be excited for 2019 as they only lose one member of their top five.
First Release Ranking: 7
Michigan had one of the best seasons that went somewhat under-the-radar. The team won Woody Greeno, the Louisville Classic, BIG 10's, and Great Lakes, yet never broke into the top five ranked teams. Part of the lack of recognition could be contributed to no superstar front runners. However, their strength in depth proved to be the greater factor as the season progressed.
Avery Evenson finished near the front of every race this fall and was consistently Michigan’s one or two runner. Behind her, the Wolverines boasted possibly the best freshman duo in the country of Anne Forsyth and Camille Davre. Forsyth burst onto the scene at when she finished 8th at BIG 10's and Davre’s best performance came last weekend at NCAA's when she led Michigan with a 29th place finish.
Michigan might lose three of their scorers from this year, but they could be even better next fall. They bring back their phenomenal freshman duo and the rest of the team has nine months to improve.
First Release Ranking: 3
The Ducks had a decent showing at NCAA's, but it would have taken a lot for them to finish any better or worse. The team finished over 40 points out of both 2nd and 4th with the majority of their runners performing about as expected.
Oregon had three All-Americans and were led by Jessica Hull with a 3rd place finish. Both Weronika Pyzik and Cardama-Baez also finished in the top 40 as All-Americans. Neither Isabelle Brauer nor Susan Ejore had particularly good days with Brauer finishing in 54th and Ejore back in the 90's. Given Brauer was 15th last fall and Ejore had been the third Duck for most of the season, those two were expected to finish a bit higher. However, they would have needed big jumps to catch New Mexico.
Overall, the season should be considered a success for an Oregon team that became a revolving door for transfers this summer. The team came away with a surprise PAC 12 victory and improved one place from the previous season.
First Release Ranking: 1
The Lobos ran a strikingly similar race to 2017, but one small difference and a great run by Colorado forced the Lobos to settle for 2nd. As expected, the top trio of Weini Kelati, Ednah Kurgat, and Charlotte Prouse had fantastic finishes of 2-5-9, almost identical to their 1-6-9 performance a year ago. The team also saw a big jump from their fifth runner with Emily Martin finishing 55th, exactly 30 places higher than their fifth last fall.
The one surprise that “hindered” the team was Adva Cohen finishing back in 43rd. For most of the fall, Cohen had been closing the gap on Prouse, and by the Mountain regional, she finished alongside her. Going into NCAA's it seemed like she was poised for a strong showing, knowing her team would need it for a title to be within reach. While things did not go to plan, Cohen still had a strong first season in Division 1 and should be a front runner for New Mexico next fall.
Even if she had run right with Prouse, the team would have been tight with Colorado and Cohen was not realistically going to be top 10 this fall. Overall, the team had a good showing at NCAA's and even if they had been at their best, beating Colorado would have been a stretch.
First Release Ranking: 2
Mark Wetmore’s teams has a way of showing up when it counts and this Colorado squad was no exception. At both PAC 12's and the Mountain regional, the Buffaloes looked like a team that had all the right pieces, but could not put them together on the same day. However, with the return of Sage Hurta, an incredible performance by Dani Jones, and a total of six All-Americans, the team absolutely blew away the NCAA field with the fourth lowest point total in championship history.
Dani Jones had the greatest individual performance of the day by taking the title over the likes of Weini Kelati and Jessica Hull. Not to be overshadowed was teammate Makena Morley who had a phenomenal race to finish 8th overall to put two Buffs in the top 10.
Close behind were the next four Buffaloes of Tabor Scholl, Sage Hurta, Taylor Tuttle, and Val Constien who all finished in the top 30. It is hard to not win Nationals when a team has six All-Americans. For perspective, no other team had more than three.
Colorado looked to approach this fall a bit differently than 2017. Last year, they had numerous competitions against top-ranked New Mexico and may have played their cards too early as they eventually faded by NCAA's. This season, they had a strong Nuttycombe performance, but remained fairly quiet until last weekend. Kudos to Mark Wetmore and his athletes on the incredible performance and season.
None
Florida State Seminoles
Princeton Tigers
Florida Gators
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Columbia Lions
Georgia
California
Ole Miss
Utah State
Georgetown
Providence
Washington Huskies
Washington got a lot of hype over the summer with all of the transfers, but had been mediocre all season until NCAA's. The team was 4th at PAC 12's and did what was needed to make it out of the West region. However, with Lilli Burdon running like her old self, the team was able to break into the top 10 at NCAA's. Expect this team to be even better next year with both Katie Rainsberger and Burdon set to return.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado put everything together at NCAA's and ran essentially an unbeatable race with six All-American finishes. Dani Jones came away with the upset individual title and Makena Morley had her best run of the year to finish 8th overall. With Sage Hurta back in the lineup, the Buffs added four more runners behind Morley in the top 40 and ran away with the NCAA title in one of the most anticipated women’s races to-date.