2019 D2 XC Top 25 Women: Update #4

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked the week before.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings.

The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before.

25. Starlynn Costa, Sophomore, U-Mary (-4 / 21)

Did not compete.

24. Nicole McMillen, Senior, Tusculum (Unranked)

McMillen enters the rankings after winning the Bobcat Cross Country Invitational in 20:54. She won the race by over a minute and a half, but I am still curious how she will do in a more competitive race.

McMillen has built herself an impressive resume, but her name seems to be hidden in the results. Last spring she was 6th in the 3k steeplechase at Nationals. Earlier this season, she won the Louisville Classic in 17:43 (Blue Race) and was runner-up at the Wingfoot XC Classic in 17:37. Lookout for McMillen as we enter championship season.

23. Elysia Burgos, Sophomore, Southwest Baptist (Unranked)

Burgos enters the rankings after winning the FHSU Tiger Open in 17:21. She has proven herself in a handful of races this fall. We like her consistency and think that should be rewarded with a ranking.

22. Nicolette Schmidt, Sophomore, Augustana (S.D.) (Unranked)

Schmidt led her team to a 2nd place finish at the Lewis Conference Crossover and joins her teammate (Boersma) in the rankings after placing 10th in 23:04. Earlier this season she was 11th at Griak and 18th at the Augustana Twilight Meet. Her improvement in the past few weeks is very impressive and she has proven that she can hold her own in big races which is super important to keep in mind.

21. Piper Meuwissen, Sophomore, Adams State (-2 / 19)

Did not compete.

20. Claire Boersma, Junior, Augustana (-11 / 9)

Boersma was 15th at the Lewis Conference Crossover in 23:09. Boersma ran well, but her level of competitiveness deteriorated if you compare this race to her runner-up performance at Griak. Still, she's a top name that we'll continue to watch throughout the postseason.

19. Tiffany Christensen, Senior, Adams State (-2 / 17)

Did not compete.

18. Billie Hatch, Senior, Dixie State (+2 / 20)

Hatch continued her momentum and won the SUU Color Country Invitational in 14:25 (4k). This is the third solid performance in a row by Hatch as she continues to prove that she is on a new level this year.

17. Alexia Thiros, Sophomore, Western Colorado (-2 / 15)

16. Alexa Rodriguez, Freshman, Western Colorado (-2 / 14)

Did not compete.

15. Madison Goen, Junior, Grand Valley State (+1 / 16)

Goen was 7th at the Lewis Conference Crossover in 22:53 which is about on par with expectations. She continues to give the Lakers scoring potency that they don't necessarily need, but will happily take.

14. Jessica Gockley, Senior, Grand Valley State (-2 / 12)

Gockley was 9th at the Lewis Conference Crossover in 23:02. Like Goen, she continues to bring incredible scoring consistency and reliability to an already loaded lineup.

13. Alden Gruidel, Junior, MSU-Denver (Unranked)

Gruidel has found herself a spot in our rankings after an incredible runner-up finish at the Lewis Conference Crossover. She ran 22:35 in the sloppy conditions to beat several top-ranked runners. Gruidel has been in the top three at every meet she has toed the line for this year and seems to be having a breakthrough season after placing 158th at NCAA's last fall.

She was 3rd at the UCCS Rust Buster in 18:03, won the Colorado College Invitational in 22:46, then was runner-up at the Road Runners Invitational in 21:40. Keep your eyes glued on Gruidel for the rest of the season, she has put herself in a very impressive spot.

12. Zoe Baker, Sophomore, Colorado Mines (-1 / 11)

11. Chloe Cook, Senior, Colorado Mines (-1 / 10)

Did not compete.

10. Kayla Wooten, Senior, UCCS (-2 / 8)

Wooten ran in the UCCS XC Open and placed 5th. She ran 18:35 on the 5k course, but I doubt Wooten was racing 100%. We’ll see what the next few weeks look like for her.

9. Chloe Flora, Senior, Lee ( +14 / 23)

8. Celine Ritter, Junior, Lee (+14 / 22)

Ritter and Flora placed 4th and 5th at the Royals XC Challenge to lead the Flames to a strong team victory. They rise back into the top 10 of our rankings after being ranked #22 and #23 last week.

A big part of this jump is because they have now proven that they can run well on a consistent basis (which is big for us in terms of ranking criteria). Ritter ran 17:18 and Flora came in at 17:20 on the 5k course, giving us reason to believe that this duo will be fun to watch over the next few weeks.

7. HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan, Senior, Adams State (0 / 7)

Did not compete.

6. Hanna Groeber, Junior, Grand Valley State ( -1 / 5)

Groeber was 3rd at the Lewis Conference Crossover, running 22:39 and helping her team to an easy victory. Allie Ludge will likely get all of the attention while acting as GVSU's star low-stick, but Groeber has been a very consistent ace in her own right.

5. Ida Narbuvoll, Senior, U-Mary (-1 / 4)

Did not compete.

4. Leah Hanle, Senior, Mount Olive (+2 / 6)

Hanle moves up two spots in the rankings after placing 2nd at the Royals XC Challenge in 16:54 on the 5k course. This was definitely her best performance of the season thus far given the impressive time and the fact that she lost to one of the best distance runners in Division One (Hannah Steelman)

3. Kaylee Mitchell, Sophomore, Seattle Pacific (0 /3)

Did not compete.

2. Allie Ludge, Senior, Grand Valley State (0 / 2)

Nothing new here, just another dominating performance by Ludge. She ran away from the field at the Lewis Conference Crossover and won the race by 23 seconds in 22:12. Flanagan may be the top-ranked runner for now, but Ludge is still very much in the national title conversation.

1. Eilish Flanagan, Senior, Adams State (0 / 1)

Did not compete.

ADDED

Nicole McMillen (Tusculum)

Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist)

Nicolette Schmidt (Augustana (S.D.))

Alden Gruidel (MSU-Denver)

KICKED OFF

Taylor Hestekin (U-Mary)

Alyssa Tatum (Western Colorado)

Taryn Christy (Illinois Springfield)

Cait Savey (Augustana (S.D.))

JUST MISSED

Cait Savey (Augustana (S.D.))

Taylor Hestekin (U-Mary)

Layla Almaris (UCCS)

Talia Swangler (Chico State)

Dania Holmberg (Seattle Pacific)

HONORABLE MENTION

Lauren Bailey (Indianapolis)

Emily Byrd (Michigan Tech)

Kathryn Etelamaki (Ferris State)

Natalie Graber (Grand Valley State)

Kate Lilly (Seattle Pacific)

Jennifer Comastri (Southern Indiana)