2020 D2 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #2

Updated: Feb 17

Written by Grace McLaughlin and Eric Baranoski

Want to know how we rank certain athletes? Click here to learn more.

TSR contributors may value certain aspects and ranking criteria differently between men and women when constructing our Indoor Top 25...

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. Chrissani May, Freshman, Lincoln (Mo) (Unranked)

The first freshman entering our rankings comes to us from Missouri. The Blue Tiger competed at the Pittsburg State Invitational and came back with a 2:11.71 800 meter time and a share of the Tiger's 12:10 DMR performance. She is going to be one to watch at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

These are the only two races for the freshman this year, but they were good enough to make her name known. The 800 meters, as strong as it is at the top of the NCAA, has some opportunity for rising athletes like May.

24. Kinga Szarzynska, Junior, Harding (Unranked)

The junior from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas ran a 2:10 for 800 meters this past weekend at Pittsburg State. This is just a second better than our TSR #25 ranked runner Chrissani May of Lincoln (Mo).

Currently, Szarzynska sits at #5 nationally for the half-mile distance. She's just a second off of her personal best which she set last year at the Outdoor National Championships and her recent improvement in the 400 meters (58.00) might tell us that she's trending to breaking her PR in the coming weeks. Look for Szarzynska at NCAA's in March as she goes for her first All-American certificate.

23. Emmanuelah Chelimo, Senior, Alaska Anchorage (Unranked)

Coming off of a cross country season in which we saw the senior place 5th at the National Championships, Chelimo ran a time of 9:41 for 3000 meters which comes as no surprise as she is suited for the longer distances. The Seawolf ace ran at the University of Washington Invite alongside our other ranked runner, Cynthia Mejia (TSR #18) of Stanislaus State. She currently has the #9 fastest 3k mark in the country across Division Two and she looks to have qualified for her first ever NCAA meet for either track seasons.

22. Natalie Graber, Freshman, Grand Valley State (Unranked)

Winning the mile on her home track, Graber broke the tape in 4:53, just in front of teammates Jessica Gockley and Hanna Groeber. She now owns the #5 fastest mile time in Division Two so far this season, giving her enough of a resume boost to find a spot in our rankings.

This new mile time of 4:53, along with her 5000 meter time from before Christmas, has us believing that Graber will be a major force in the latter half of the season. She'll likely have a chance to be on GVSU's DMR team, making her an increasingly more valuable asset on an already loaded team.

21. Nicole McMillen, Senior, Tusculum (Unranked)

The Tusculum senior joins the ranks due to her big win in Columbia, South Carolina. She ran a 9:39 3k which is a huge PR for her. McMillen is now listed as the #6 athlete on the national leaderboard for this event so far this season. That's now back-to-back weekends where McMillen has shattered her previous personal bests. McMillen is on the trend upwards and how high she might go is anyone's guess at this point.

20. Haleigh Hunter-Galvan, Senior, Adams State (-4 / 16)

The Adams State senior ran her first races of the season on her home track at 7,547 feet. She contributed to a DMR effort that is ranked #2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a time of 12:01. Additionally, she ran a 9:41 converted 3k. Those are very solid performances for Hunter-Galvan, but a handful of other results forced us to place at the TSR #20...for now.

19. Cynthia Mejia, Senior, Stanislaus State (+6 / 25)

Currently sitting at #7 on the 3000 meter national leaderboard, Mejiia made the six spot jump from our last rankings thanks to her race at the University of Washington this past weekend. She ran 9:40 for 3000 meters, a time that will almost definitely be enough to put her into the national meet. Mejia and fellow teammate Morales are putting Stanislaus State on the map. Their consistency and clear progression should not be ignored.

18. Kayla Wooten, Junior, UCCS (Unranked)

Wooten makes her first appearance in our rankings this season after seeing her 4:59 mile run at New Mexico this past weekend. Racing at 4958 feet above sea level lowers that time to 4:52 and puts her atop the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) rankings for the mile. Wooten is hoping to find her 2018 form when she finished as an All-American in both the mile and DMR for UCCS. That experience and proven success makes her a hard name to ignore as we delve deeper into the indoor season.

17. Dania Holmberg, Sophomore, Seattle Pacific (Unranked)

Holmberg enters the rankings for the first time all year after her very impressive 5k time of 16:49 from the University of Washington Invitational. This is an attention-grabbing time for the sophomore who not only recorded a top mark, but also got the experience of racing highly-competitive Division One athletes. She currently sits at #7 on the NCAA 5k leaderboard and is looking to do big things at the GNAC meet for the Falcons.

16. Jessica Gockley, Junior, Grand Valley State (-3 / 13)

Gockley falls due to only racing once this season. This is not to discredit her mile time of 4:56 at home on February 1st, but rather everyone else running times that were better. Her combination of 4:56/16:35 still keeps her in the contender aspect of things. She's currently ranked at #5 on the NCAA performance list in the 5000 meters and is slotted at #14 in the mile. Expect to see her name at the top of the NCAA podium when March rolls around.

15. Jennifer Comastri, Junior, Southern Indiana (+3 / 18)

Moving up three spots to number TSR #15, Comastri ran not one, but two fast races since our last rankings update. She ran a 9:42 3k at the Gladstein Invitational hosted by Indiana and a 4:56 mile at U. Indy. Oh, and she was victorious in both efforts.

Nationally, Comastri now sits at #7 in the mile, #10 in the 3k, and #4 in the 5k. Earning spots on the national leaderboard in three different events exemplifies her range and forces us into a stunning realization that Comastri isn't some one-race wonder. She's the real deal. I’m thinking that we'll most likely see a 3k/5k double from her at the GLVC conference meet.

14. Clarissa Morales, Senior, Stanislaus State (+10 / 24)

Morales is on the move again as she is up eight spots to TSR #14. This comes after the senior ran a personal best 16:38 5k at the University of Washington Invitational. She finished five places ahead of Dania Holmberg of Seattle Pacific at that meet who is ranked at TSR #16 on our list. Morales is looking to bring home some CCAA hardware this indoor season and given her recent breakout season (alongside teammate Cynthia Mejia), it's hard to see why that can't be a reality.

13. Bailey Sharon, Senior, Western Colorado (+1 / 14)

Sharon’s first race of the season for the Big Red Machine was a 2:13.90 800 meter win at Adams State, a school which sits at well over 7500 feet. After adjusting for the altitude and track size it converts to a 2:10.59 and she lands as the #4 ranked woman nationally, besting the D2 Provisional qualifying time of 2:14.07. Sharon is looking like the true contender that we thought she could be and it's possible that she's only getting started. This was an encouraging rust-buster.

12. Kelly-Ann Beckford, Freshman, Lincoln (MO.) (Unranked)

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Beckford made her name known to the rest of the NCAA after running 2:09 for 800 meters at the Pittsburg State Invitational this past weekend. She went from being an unknown to suddenly having the #2 fastest mark in Division Two so far this season. She ran almost a six second PR, which is unheard of in an event like the 800. She also ran the #9 ranked mile time (4:55) and aided Lincoln’s 4x400 relay to the #3 fastest time this year of 3:46.11 at the 2019 Mel Tjeersma Classic in December. What can't this girl do?

Beckford has impressive talent from the 400 meters to the mile, and we could possibly see her in three events in March. Her inexperience as a freshman is something to watch, but it also means that she has tremendous upside (as we have already seen).

11. Kaylee Bogina, Senior, Adams State (0 / 11)

Bogina opened her season at the 2020 Power 5 Meet. She won the 3k with a time of 9:37, which was almost a 20 second PR. She also ran a leg in the 4x400 relay that placed runner-up in 4:30.58.

This is Bogina’s first appearance since her 25th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Last spring, she placed 5th in the 10k at the Outdoor National Championships and owns a PR of 35:09. Bogina is a consistent veteran in the distance events and it looks like we're really seeing that experience pay off. She qualified for Nationals in the 3k and 5k last indoor season and will most likely appear in those same events come March. She is a talented endurance runner who will probably run a 5k in the near future to try to qualify for NCAA's.

10. Yasmine Hernandez, Junior, CSU-Pueblo (+2 / 12)

Hernandez moves up two places after several impressive performances over the past few weeks. She won the 800 meters at the UCCS Invitational with a 2:09.95 (flat track and altitude converted) for the #3 fastest time this year. Then she ran a 5:05 mile to finish 3rd and a 59.27 400 meter time to place 18th at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational.

Most recently at the Mines Winter Classic Invitational, she won the mile in 4:55 (flat track and altitude converted) for the #10 fastest time this year and was also in the winning DMR team.

Hernandez continues to impress and has become a top talent in both the 800 and mile. Her ability to double effectively on a consistent basis is wildly impressive and leads us to believe that she'll easily cruise through the preliminary rounds associated with championship meets.

9. Celine Ritter, Sophomore, Lee (Tenn.) (+10 / 19)

Ritter jumps 10 places this week after running a 9:31 3k at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. Ritter just keeps improving and is no longer an “underrated” runner. She currently has the #2 fastest time in the 3k so far this season as well as the #8 fastest time in the mile. Ritter is set up to have impressive performances at the NCAA Indoor Championships in possibly the mile, the 3k, and Lee’s DMR team. Still, her rise towards becoming a top-tier distance runner, in a year that is already incredibly deep, is something that needs to be recognized.

8. Elysia Burgos, Sophomore, Southwest Baptist (+1 / 9)

The Southwest Baptist sophomore moves up one spot this week after winning the 3k at the Pittsburg State Invite in an impressive time of 9:51. She also ran 2:14 in the 800 meters and helped her team win the DMR at the UCM Invite. Burgos currently holds national qualifying marks in the 800, mile, and 3k. She has impressive range and has reached a high level for only being a sophomore. However, it's that 4:47 mile from earlier this season that forces us to recognize her as someone who could contend for a top three finish at the national meet in March.

7. Ida Narbuvoll, Senior, U-Mary (-4 / 3)

Has not competed since the GVSU Holiday Invite.

6. Hanna Groeber, Senior, Grand Valley State (0 / 6)

Groeber’s most recent performance shows us that she has the endurance for the 5k and the speed for a mile. She ran 4:57 at GVSU Mike Lints for 3rd place. Her only other performance this season is her 16:30 5k at the GVSU Holiday Invite. While she will almost definitely focus on the 5k at Indoor Nationals, her mile time is notable and shows us her versatility.

5. Lauren Bailey, Junior, Indianapolis (0 / 5)

Bailey holds onto her TSR #5 ranking after running a 4:57 mile (flat-track conversion) at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic. Bailey is looking at a solid 3k/5k double in March and her recent mile performance shows us that her recent jump in fitness is translating to all areas for her.

4. Berenice Cleyet-Merle, Senior, Indianapolis (+4 / 8)

Cleyet-Merle and Bailey have become a solid dynamic duo for Indianapolis. Cleyet-Merle moves up four spots after running 4:46 (flat-track converted) at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic for the top mile time in the country so far this year. She is an impressive middle distance runner who continues to prove that she is a title contender in both of her events. Could she end up challenging Stephanie Cotter and/or Addy Townsend later this season?

3. Allie Ludge, Senior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 2)

Has not competed since the GVSU Holiday Invite.

2. Addy Townsend, Senior, Simon Fraser (+2 / 4)

Townsend moves up two spots this week after running 2:07 to PR and be the top collegiate runner (across all divisions) at the UW Invite this past weekend. She looks to be unbeatable heading into the last month of the indoor season. Her ability to consistently execute on the biggest stages and show improvement in doing so is encouraging. She appears to be the overwhelming favorite to the win the national title in the 800 meters this season.

1. Stephanie Cotter, Sophomore, Adams State (0 / 1)

Has yet to compete.

KICKED OFF

Billie Hatch (Dixie State)

Madison Goen (Grand Valley State)

Malea Teerman (Grand Valley State)

Stacey Metzger (Grand Valley State)

Kate Lilly (Seattle Pacific)

Nancy Jeptoo (Alaska Anchorage)

Andra Lehotay (Walsh)

Stefanie Parsons (Edinboro)

ADDED

Natalie Graber (Grand Valley State

Chrissani May (Lincoln (Mo.))

Kinga Szarzynska (Harding)

Emmanuelah Chelimo (Alaska Anchorage)

Nicole McMillen (Tusculum)

Kayla Wooten (UCCS)

Dania Holmberg (Seattle Pacific)

Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln Mo.))

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Charlee Boxall (Lee (Tenn.))

Chloe Flora (Lee (Tenn.))

Serenity Andrus (Alabama-Huntsville)

Maia Austin (UCCS)

Kathryn Etelamaki (Ferris State)

Taryn Christy (Illinois-Springfield)

HONORABLE MENTION (in no particular order)

Haleigh Reindl (Minnesota-Duluth)