2022 D1 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #1

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

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 guide when determining eligibility.

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

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

The second number indicates where they were ranked in our last update.

25. Lauren Ryan, Junior, Florida State (Unranked)

Joining the rankings this week is Florida State’s Lauren Ryan after she soloed a 4:38 mile at the Clemson Invitational, winning by an astounding 17 seconds. This result follows Ryan’s 15:40 effort for 5000 meters at the Boston University Season Opener and it is only her third indoor race as a Seminole.

Big things are expected for Ryan this indoor track season after she had a breakout cross country season, headlined by an All-American finish. Considering that she ran stellar times in Australia in early 2021, her resume suggests that she is a legitimate All-American threat in almost every distance event she toes the line for.

Ryan’s current mile PR is 4:34, which she ran on the outdoor oval in February of 2021. Based on the way she has progressed, it’s not out of the question that she could be a double All-American contender in the mile and the 3k given her unique mix of speed and endurance.

24. Cailie Logue, Senior, Iowa State (0 / 24)

Rather than focusing on the longer distance races, Logue opted to contest the 1000 meters and the mile at the Cyclone Open, likely in an effort to produce some additional turnover and further refine her speed. The Iowa State star ultimately finished 2nd overall in the 1000 meters and 3rd in the mile, but ran solid times in both events.

Her 2:46 effort for 1000 meters was run shortly before her 4:42 mile.

That mile time was a six-second PR for Logue and it's a promising start before she tackles the 3k and 5k against some of the nation’s best distance talents.

The long distance veteran hasn't been viewed by TSR as someone who is best suited for tactical races. However, this past weekend was incredibly encouraging. From a tactical standpoint, she may be better prepared for the indoor national meet this season than she ever has been.

23. Madison Heisterman, Sophomore, Washington (Unranked)

Another year, another top distance talent coming from the University of Washington.

Madison Heisterman stole the show two weekends ago when she a huge 4:34 mile PR seemingly out of nowhere. The Husky underclassman has proven to be a solid talent in the past, especially in the 1500 meters, but even her past success in the spring didn't lead us to believe that she would be one of the nation's top-ranked milers.

Heisterman is a sneaky-good 800 meter runner as well, owning a personal best of 2:05 for the event. With a recent mile personal best under her belt, Heisterman may attempt to drop down in distance in an effort to see how her newfound fitness translates to the half-mile event.

22. Allie Schadler, Senior, Washington (-9 / 13)

Since her 15:50 effort for 5000 meters at the Arkansas Wooo Pig Classic, Washington’s Schadler has run a time of 9:14 in the 3000 meters and also paced the mile at the UW Preview two weekends ago.

In that 3000 meter race, the Husky veteran finished 3rd overall (second collegiately), less than half a second behind Portland’s Veerle Bakker.

Now, admittedly, that 3000 meter race wasn't Schadler's best performance. It wasn't all that close to her personal best and she was upset by a rising talent from Portland.

At the same time, this wasn't necessarily a bad race, either. It's hard to be concerned about certain results when we're not even in the month of February yet.

Schadler is still a top talent and one of the most dynamic distance runners in the NCAA. We won't let one race define her season and we can reevaluate her seasonal resume during our next rankings update in two weeks.

21. Grace Forbes, Sophomore, Rice (-7 / 14)

Forbes has not yet made her season debut. Her drop in our rankings may seem severe, but it is only to reward other runners whose performances moved them up in our rankings.

20. Taylor Roe, Junior, Oklahoma State (-2 / 18)

Roe has not competed since running 8:58 for 3000 meters back in December.

19. Jenna Magness, Junior, Michigan State (0 / 19)

At Michigan’s Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Magness dropped a massive 10 seconds off of her mile PR en route to an encouraging 4:41 winning performance.

The Spartan veteran is proving that she has underrated range from the mile up to the 5000 meters given that she has also run 15:32. The next race where Magness could see a significant time improvement in is the 3000 meters.

She currently has a 9:20 PR, but with her newly discovered mile speed, how close can Magness get to a sub-nine result? Regardless of the answer to that question, we'll happily take a solid mile win over an underrated field of experienced BIG 10 milers. That's a better result for Magness than some peopler realize.

18. Gabrielle Wilkinson, Sophomore, Florida (-7 / 11)

Wilkinson has yet to make her season debut. Her drop in our rankings may seem severe, but it is only to reward other runners whose performances moved them up in our rankings.

17. Claire Seymour, Sophomore, BYU (-7 / 10)

Seymour has not yet made her season debut. Her drop in our rankings may seem severe, but it is only to reward other runners whose performances moved them up in our rankings.

16. Katelyn Tuohy, Freshman, NC State (-1 / 15)

Even though her teammates produced head-turning times at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational this past weekend, Tuohy did not compete. She has not raced since her posting a jaw-dropping mark of 8:54 for 3000 meters back in December.

15. Sintayehu Vissa, Junior, Ole Miss (Unranked)

It shouldn't necessarily be a surprise that Vissa put herself in a national qualifying position. The Ole Miss ace was great in cross country this past fall (earning All-American honors) and showed promise last spring she ran 2:04 (800) and 4:16 (1500).

However, to see Vissa drop a 4:32 mile PR is absolutely incredible and something that we didn't expect. She's been a competitive name for a few seasons now, but there weren't a ton of indicators to suggest that she would immediately jump into the All-American conversation.

The great thing about Vissa's performance is that unlike other breakout performances, there is at least enough past evidence on her resume to suggest that this 4:32 result wasn't just a fluke -- Vissa is truly the real deal.

We'll be curious to see whether she moves up or down in distance from this point on, but regardless of the event she chooses, she'll likely be great in it.

14. Samantha Bush, Sophomore, NC State (+8 / 22)

Following her breakout performance in the 3000 meters at the Boston University Season Opener where she ran a time of 8:54, Bush continued to impress us when she competed at the Hokie Invite this past weekend.

The sophomore contested an off-distance event, the 1000 meters, but she made the race count when she ran a jaw-dropping time of 2:43 to finish in 2nd place, only one spot behind Reebok athlete and Georgetown alum, Josette Norris.

Between that 2:43 mark for 1000 meters and her 8:54 personal best for 3000 meters, Bush looks incredible right now. She has a mix of speed and endurance that very few women in the NCAA could match.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Bush’s current mile best of 4:47 drop significantly after these past two performances. Her ceiling is incredibly high and she is on a hot streak right now with momentum carrying her to new PR after new PR.

13. Emily Mackay, Senior, Binghamton (Unranked)

Gosh, Emily Mackay has been flat-out incredible this winter. The Binghamton star, who is traditionally a longer distance threat in an event like the 5000 meters, has been making a name for herself in the middle distances this season.

The Binghamton veteran has run a flat-track converted 2:04 mark for 800 meters and recently posted an outstanding time of 4:32 in the mile at Penn State this past weekend.

And the catch? Both of those times currently lead the NCAA.

Mackay is traditionally a 5k and cross country specialist, so it's been an absolute shock to see her drop down in distance and not just hold her own, but thrive! She is completely redefining her identity as a competitive runner.

We'll be curious to see what else she does this season, but seeing her in more nationally competitive fields would give us a better gauge of what she's truly capable of. Until then, we don't have any reason to doubt her abilities.

12. Julia Heymach, Senior, Stanford (-7 / 5)

Heymach has not made her indoor season debut yet. Her drop in our rankings may seem severe, but it is only to reward other runners whose performances moved them up in our rankings.

11. Shafiqua Maloney, Rs. Senior, Arkansas (Unranked)

In Maloney's first meet of the season, she competed unattached, leaving us to wonder if we should actually see this Razorback star in an Arkansas singlet this winter. Of course, at the Arkansas Invitational, Maloney toed the line in uniform, answering any and all questions we had about her competitive status for this season.

Two weekends ago, Maloney competed in the 400 meters, the 800 meters and the 4x400 meter relay and produced solid times in her two individual events. She easily won the 800 meters in a solid (but expected) mark of 2:04, three seconds ahead of teammate Quinn Owen.

Maloney also ran a strong time of 52.33 in the 400 meters, continuing to add speed to her already-speedy resume before tackling the NCAA’s best talents in her primary event, the 800 meters.

Maloney competed at the Texas Tech Red Raider Open this past weekend, but only took part in the Razorback's 4x400 meter relay. Arkansas has a home meet on deck this upcoming weekend and it can be assumed that Maloney will focus on the 800 meters there, likely with the aim of producing a 2:03 mark or faster.

Few women in the NCAA had more momentum than Maloney did during the 2021 indoor track season. She handled a variety of paces incredibly well and was super consistent. On paper, it's hard to find a flaw on her resume.

10. Lindsey Butler, Junior, Virginia Tech (+2 / 12)

Hokie veteran Lindsey Butler, an 800 meters specialist who could also make some noise in the mile, has raced twice since the new year started. However, in both instances, she has competed in off-distance events.

At the Virginia Tech Invitational, Butler ran a new personal best in the 1000 meters when she won the event in a huge time of 2:43. One week later at the Hokie Invite, the junior dropped down to the 600 meters and ran 1:28, a two-second PR which helped her finish within a second of teammate Barbora Malikova.

It is only a matter of time before Butler laces up her spikes for the 800 meters or the mile. With the JDL Fast Track Invite and Doc Hale Elite Invite on the Virginia Tech schedule, either of these meets would be a good place for Butler to showcase her talents in her primary events.

Based on her incredible 1000 meter strength and surprisingly good 600 meter speed, don't be surprised if the Virginia Tech star runs under 2:03 in the coming weeks if the pace is perfect.

9. Bethany Hasz, Rs. Senior, Minnesota (0 / 9)

Despite her teammates recording results over the last few weeks, Minnesota's Bethany Hasz has not raced since her 15:52 effort for 5000 meters back in December.

8. Joyce Kimeli, Senior, Auburn (-1 / 7)

Kimeli has not raced since running 15:43 for 5000 meters at the Boston University Season Opener back in December.

7. Kelsey Chmiel, Junior, NC State (+10 / 17)

Not many would think that someone who has run 15:27 for 5000 meters would drop one of the nation’s top marks in the mile. Of course, NC State’s Kelsey Chmiel is redefining what makes her successful after running an incredible time of 4:36 in the mile at the Hokie Invite this past weekend.

Chmiel knocked off 10 seconds off of her previous PR and won the race by three seconds over veteran teammate Savannah Shaw.

However, Chmiel didn’t stop there. Shortly after that 4:36 mile performance, she once again took to the track, but this time in an even shorter event, the 1000 meters. Even though she finished 11th overall, her time of 2:48 won her heat by nearly two seconds.

Based on the fact that she has some newfound speed, Chmiel should be seen as a major threat to other title contenders in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters this year. Rarely do you see women with such incredible endurance and long distance stamina produce strong back-to-back middle distance results within two hours of each other.

That is next-level middle distance chops and it leaves us very encouraged about Chmiel's chances of success in a tactical setting come March.

6. Ceili McCabe, Sophomore, West Virginia (0 / 6)

Since taking the distance world by storm during the 2021 cross country season, McCabe has not raced since her 8:52 effort for 3000 meters back in December.

5. Mercy Chelangat, Junior, Alabama (+3 / 8)

With the help of teammates Jami Reed and Flomena Asekol, Alabama star Mercy Chelanagt ran to a dominating win in the 5000 meters at the Samford Invite this past weekend.

With Reed and Asekol on pacing duties, they led Chelangat to a finishing time of 15:34, a whole two minutes and two seconds ahead of the runner-up finisher. This time slides the Alabama junior into the top-10 on the national leaderboard for the season thus far and things are only heating up.

On one hand, this is about what we expected from Chelangat. She's been able to run fast in the middle of the season before, so this result is hardly a surprise. That, however, shouldn't takeaway from the fact that the Crimson Tide star is just really darn good.

We'll likely get a better idea of how Chelangat stacks up against other title contenders when she battles the likes of Kimeli and Gregory, two SEC foes, later in the season.

On paper, we know Chelangat has the resume to win gold, but she'll likely need to prepare for a tactical and fast finish at the national meet to deliver on those expectations.

4. Aaliyah Miller, Senior, Baylor (0 / 4)

Miller has not contested an individual event yet this season. However, she did race on Baylor’s 4x400 meter relay team at the Iowa Larry Wieczorek Invitational this past weekend.

3. Lauren Gregory, Junior, Arkansas (0 / 3)

2. Krissy Gear, Senior, Arkansas (0 / 2)

Gregory and Gear have not raced since the Arkansas Wooo Pig Classic from back in December. At that meet, Gregory ran 15:34 for the 5000 meters while Gear helped pace the 3000 meters before stepping off the track.

1. Courtney Wayment, Senior, BYU (0 / 1)

Wayment has not raced since her 15:15 (5k) season opener at Boston University. She is expected to race in the 3000 meters at the Millrose Games on January 29th.

KICKED OFF

Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)

Aneta Konieczek (Oregon)

Kennedy Thomson (Arkansas)

Micaela DeGenero (Colorado)

Amaris Tyynismaa (Alabama)

ADDED

Lauren Ryan (Florida State)

Madison Heisterman (Washington)

Emily Mackay (Binghamton)

Sintayehu Vissa (Ole Miss)

Shafiqua Maloney (Arkansas)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Maudie Skyring (Florida State)

Kaley Richards (UMass Lowell)

Hannah Steelman (NC State)

Lexy Halladay (BYU)

Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU)

Kaley Delay (Yale)

Allie Guagenti (Ohio State)

Sarah Hendrick (Kennesaw State)

Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)

Aneta Konieczek (Oregon)

Kennedy Thomson (Arkansas)

Micaela DeGenero (Colorado)

Amaris Tyynismaa (Alabama)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Allison Johnson (Penn State)

Savannah Shaw (NC State)

Presley Weems (Auburn)

Imogen Barrett (Florida)

Alexandra Hayes (NC State)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Stephanie Cotter (Northern Arizona)

Carley Thomas (Washington)

Adva Cohen (New Mexico)

Aubrey Frentheway (BYU)

Megan Hasz (Minnesota)

Simone Plourde (Utah)

McKenna Keegan (Villanova)

Olivia Howell (Illinois)

Parker Valby (Florida)

Taryn O’Neill (Northern Arizona)

Emma Heckel ( New Mexico)

Valery Tobias (Texas)

Brooke Jarwoski (Texas)

Mia Barnett (Virginia)

Grace Jensen (Vanderbilt)