2022 D1 Outdoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #2

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

Click here to see our Just Missed names, Honorable Mention names and Notes.

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. Amelia Mazza-Downie, Sophomore, New Mexico (-6 / 19)

Has not competed since the Stanford Invitational.

24. Joyce Kimeli, Senior, Auburn (Unranked)

Admittedly, Kimeli's indoor track season left us wanting more. At the same time, it wasn't at all a bad season as she posted strong 5k marks and 3k marks throughout the winter months. However, since turning to the outdoor oval, Kimeli just looks different -- in a good way.

The Auburn star posted a strong 4:15 mark for 1500 meters before running 4:19 at Joe Walker where very few women ran well.

Luckily, Kimeli rebounded this past weekend, contesting her best event (the steeplechase) and running an NCAA #3 mark of 9:41, handily beating her competition.

Kimeli is slowly rounding into top form and the return of the steeplechase makes her a significant threat nationally. Her personal best sits at 9:31 and as long as she's running near her best, then a top All-American finish in this event seems likely for Kimeli come June.

23. Jenna Magness, Junior, Michigan State (-7 / 16)

Rather than flocking to the west coast for Mt. SAC or Bryan Clay, Michigan State’s distance team traveled to the Louisville Invitational.

There, All-American 5k athlete Jenna Magness made her outdoor season debut in the 1500 meters and did so in a dominant fashion. The Spartan junior won the race by a solid nine seconds and finished with a new 4:16 PR, a four-second improvement.

This race might go unnoticed now, but down the road when Magness jumps up to the 5k, and maybe even the 10k, this speed could be a clutch wildcard racing tool that Magness holds onto and utilizes in tactical settings.

22. Lauren Ellsworth, Senior, BYU (Unranked)

BYU’s Lauren Ellsworth was pretty quiet during the indoor season, running in the shadows of teammate Claire Seymour. But since turning to the outdoor track, Ellsworth has matched Seymour...and then some.

The senior opened up her 2022 outdoor track season with a heat win and a PR in the 1500 meters at the Stanford Invitational when she ran 4:15. One week later, Ellsworth finished 2nd to Seymour in the 800 meters at the Sun Angel Classic Invitational, running a solid 2:04.

Those two performances set up Ellsworth with tons of momentum heading into a big weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational as the Cougar runner nabbed two personal bests and two top-five finishes in the 800 meters and the 1500 meters.

Ellsworth ran herself to a 2:01 personal best in the 800 meters, a one-second PR from her 2019 outdoor season. She finished 5th in that race, only a little over a half-second out of the top spot.

This was a promising performance for Ellsworth as she struggled to break 2:06 during indoors. However, since then, she has found a spark and has begun a hot streak, making her one of the last women in the NCAA you should want to face right now.

In the 1500 meters, the BYU senior knocked another two seconds off of her personal best, finishing 2nd in a time of 4:13. She once again was oh-so-close to the win.

Ellsworth has a lot of momentum heading into the middle portion of the outdoor track season. The 800 or the 1500 could be the focal event for this Cougar veteran come the championship portion of the season. She has plenty of tactical prowess in both races, although that recent 800 result, plus her extensive history in the event, makes her a major name who could realistically put herself in the half-mile All-American conversation.

21. Krissy Gear, Senior, Arkansas (-4 / 17)

Knock out a steeplechase regional qualifying time? Check.

Gear has come out strong this outdoor season after a somewhat quiet indoor season. Respectable times in the 800 meters and the 1500 meters, which were 2:05 and 4:14 at the Stanford Invitational, set up Gear nicely for a solid steeplechase opener at Bryan Clay.

The Arkansas senior finished 3rd this past weekend in the water pit event in a time of 10:00. Now, even though this is well-off of her 9:38 PR and 20-seconds behind the winner, Gear is in a good starting point with the bulk of the season still ahead.

Gear also took to the track again this past weekend with pacing duties in the 1500 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays.

She’s been an All-American in the 1500 meters before, finishing 5th last year, and has a PR of 4:09 in said event. So, if she chooses to focus on one event over the other, then we know her ceiling is high in either event.

Plus, if Gear peaks in the postseason like we think she can, then she'll be a really challenging name to ignore come June.

20. Samantha Bush, Junior, NC State (+2 / 22)

How often do you see a 5k runner throw down a top 800 time?

Well, NC State’s Samantha Bush did just that when she won the Duke Invitational 800 meter race in a time of 2:04.99. This not only earned Bush the win, but it was also a five-second PR.

Earlier this outdoor season, Bush ran a shiny new 15:45 PR for 5000 meters at Raleigh Relays, a 41-second improvement from her previous 5k back at the 2021 Raleigh Relays.

Talk about range and development...

Bush has yet to run the 1500 meters this season, but after her recent 800 meter mark and her 4:37 mile from the indoor season, where we think she could have run a little faster, it wouldn’t be out of the question for this junior to flirt with the low 4:10s in the 1500 meters this spring.

Where does Bush go from here? She clearly has the endurance for the 5k, although her newfound speed could bode well in the 1500 meters. The 800 meters might be a stretch for Bush in the postseason given the recent performances from this past weekend, but that foot-speed could come in handy in a kicker’s race like we saw this past winter at the national meet in the longer distances.

19. Emily Mackay, Senior, Binghamton (-6 / 13)

In her first race back since the indoor national meet, Binghamton’s Emily Mackay made an appearance at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. The senior opened her season with a solid win in the 800 meters.

Mackay sat behind the pacer and Penn State’s Victoria Tachinski for the first 400 meters before making her move. This move gave Mackay a finishing time of 2:04, about one second off her current PR.

The senior was an All-American in the 5k last spring, placing 7th and running a best of 15:42. However, over the last year, Mackay has improved upon her middle distance talent significantly.

After running 2:03 for 800 meters and 4:13 for 1500 meters during indoors (en route to a 4:30 mile PR), Mackay could shake things up in the 800/1500 if she chooses to do so.

At the same time, we also have to wonder if her struggles from the indoor national meet, specifically in the mile, will push her back up in distance to the 5k where she can utilize her newfound speed in a tactical setting.

On paper, it makes sense, but frankly, Mackay is good enough to contest almost any distance event at the national meet in June.

18. Sarah Hendrick, Junior, Kennesaw State (Unranked)

Most of the time, the top finishers in an 800 meter race finish within just a few seconds of each other.

However, that’s not what happened when Kennesaw State’s Hendrick took to the track at the Tennessee Relays and at the Kennesaw State Invitational.

Starting in Tennessee, the junior won the 800 meters in a solid time of 2:04, three seconds ahead of 2nd place. Now, this time wasn’t exactly out of this world when you consider her then-2:01 PR, but it was still a strong 800 meter opener.

One week later on her home track, Hendrick dropped one second off of her personal best when she ran an unbelievable time of 2:00.98 for the NCAA co-lead.

Now, one would think that she had someone breathing down her neck in this race, pushing her to the finish line to earn this time.

Right?

Well, no, not even close, actually.

2nd place crossed the line 13 seconds later.

Yes, you read that right.

13 seconds.

Hendrick doesn’t normally race the nation's best until late in the season given the schedule that Kennesaw State has lined up, but that doesn’t mean that she won’t be putting up big times. She’s an experienced athlete on the NCAA stage and obviously doesn’t mind racing the clock.

We'd like to see if she can replicate that mark against stronger competition, but it's hard to discount how incredibly talented this Kennesaw State star is.

17. McKenna Keegan, Senior, Villanova (-2 / 15)

Has not competed since the Florida Relays.

16. Elise Thorner, Sophomore, New Mexico (Unranked)

New Mexico has had tons of success in the steeplechase over the last few years. Just look at the names near the top of their all-time performers list. Courtney Frerichs, Charlotte Prouse and Adva Cohen are all well-known Lobo standouts who headline that list.

Now, after this past weekend, you can add Elise Thorner to that group.

At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Thorner was most not likely on people’s radar in the steeplechase as most people were probably looking at the Arkansas duo of Krissy Gear and Logan Jolly. Yet, that didn’t stop Thorner from dropping a massive 12 seconds off of her PR and picking up the win by five-seconds over Jolly.

Thorner not only had success in the steeplechase this weekend, but she also ran in the 1500 meters when she posted a mark of 4:15. She had already run one PR in the 1500 this season at the Stanford Invitational, yet she stayed on a roll after Wednesday night’s steeplechase performance.

The Lobo sophomore missed out on qualifying for the 2021 outdoor national meet in the steeplechase last spring when she finished 16th at the regional meet. However, she has now put herself in contention for a top-five finish this year and her recent 1500 meter PR shows off her ability to effectively run multiple fast races in a short time frame.

Something she'll need in the postseason.

15. Julia Heymach, Senior, Stanford (-4 / 11)

Has not yet competed this spring.

14. Lauren Ryan, Junior, Florida State (-5 / 9)

Has not yet competed this spring.

13. Katy-Ann McDonald, Junior, LSU (Unranked)

Win two races with two of the fastest times in the NCAA, both of which were personal bests, and you’ll be welcomed to our rankings.

LSU's Katy-Ann McDonald made the trip out to California for the Bryan Clay Invitational and made use of the perfect weather and strong competition en route to huge statement victories in both the 800 meters and the 1500 meters.

McDonald has taken control of the 800 meters this season after she ran a one-second PR and held off recent professional Adidas athlete and former BYU runner, Anna Camp-Bennet. The junior stopped the clock with a monster time of 2:00.98, an NCAA co-lead in the event.

And while you're thinking about that mark, consider the fact that McDonald also ran 4:13 for 1500 meters, a four-second PR, from a time that she ran only two weeks prior. Racing in section nine of 10, the LSU star even was awarded the win over experienced professionals and true milers.

Which event would best suit McDonald moving forward? Which event gives her the best chance to win a national title? Will sub-2:00 or sub-4:10 come first? Could both of those milestone marks happen this season?

We don't have the answers to those questions, but wow, this was a heck of a statement weekend for McDonald who looked flat-out unstoppable.

12. Kelsey Chmiel, Junior, NC State (-5 / 7)

Has not yet competed this spring.

11. Micaela DeGenero, Senior, Colorado (-5 / 6)

In her first race since winning the mile national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Colorado’s Micaela DeGenero put together a respectable 1500 meter effort at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

The Buffalo veteran finished amongst the middle of the pack in 9th place, running a solid mark of 4:15. This was six seconds shy of her current 4:09 PR.

More was probably expected of the Colorado senior heading into this race given the way she finished her indoor season with a dominating move 400 meters out. However, as a rust-buster, this was still a decent time that likely doesn't change how we think about her.

DeGenero will need to run faster come the championship portion of the season to be a bigger factor in the postseason (we think). Yet, there’s still plenty of time to show that her mile title wasn’t a one-time ordeal.

Colorado peaked perfectly for the indoor season and they'll likely execute the same way again.

10. Imogen Barrett, Junior, Florida (+15 / 25)

Making a massive jump this week into our top-10 is none other than Florida’s Imogen Barrett after her impressive 800/1500 weekend double at the Tom Jones Memorial meet.

Barrett opened her weekend with a clutch win in the 1500 meters, running a one-second PR of 4:14 to hold off a charging Gracie Morris of TCU who was having a breakout race in her own right.

The Florida veteran followed-up that performance a day later with another one-second PR, this time in the 800 meters, running 2:01 to finish 2nd overall. Sintayehu Vissa of Ole Miss won that race, but for Barrett, the double was arguably more eye-catching.

This Gator star has been consistent in her three races so far this outdoor season since not qualifying for the indoor 800 meter final this past winter. She’s been fortunate enough to put together these races on her home track, but when you run 2:02 and then 2:01 in the 800 meters and later run 4:14 in the 1500 meters, then you best believe that she’s in the conversation for a top-five finish later this season in the half-mile.

Her momentum is reaching all-time high levels and her experience is some of the best in the NCAA. If she can mesh those aspects of resume together with her recently posted elite middle distance marks, then Barrett is going to be a major problem in the postseason.

9. Claire Seymour, Junior, BYU (+5 / 14)

At the Sun Angel Classic during the second week of April, BYU’s Claire Seymour ran her first 800 meter race since finishing 2nd at the indoor national meet. In that race, she won in a solid time of 2:03 ahead of teammate Lauren Ellsworth.

Rather than going after another fast 800 meter time at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Seymour dropped down in distance to the 400 meters. She not only challenged for the win, but also picked up a shiny new PR. The BYU Cougar finished 3rd overall with a time of 53.69, almost two full seconds faster than she ran in 2021.

Seymour also played rabbit duties during the weekend in the 1500 meters, leading former teammate Anna Camp-Bennett and Nike professional Alexa Efraimson to marks of 4:13 and 4:14, respectively.

If she had stayed in the race, could Seymour have improved upon her current 4:20 PR she ran earlier this season? She definitely has the capability to run 4:15, but the 800 is Seymour’s best option for an individual NCAA championship.

Regardless, she's on fire and it's hard to dislike anything on her resume, especially after that 53-second mark in an event that is half the distance of her ideal race.

8. Mercy Chelangat, Junior, Alabama (+2 / 10)

One week ago, Chelangat was well off of her 4:19 personal best for 1500 meters when she recorded a 4:25 mark, finishing 9th in her heat and 15th overall.

Yet, that didn’t get to the standout Alabama runner.

In an elite 5k field at Mt. SAC, Chelangat held onto a hot pace and was carried to a finishing time of 15:17, a time that matches her 2021 PR. The Crimson junior was 6th in the race and was the second collegiate athlete to cross the line, only two seconds behind Colorado’s Abby Nichols.

Chelangat was already in the conversation to win the 5k and/or the 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships later this season and this performance simply shows us that she’s capable of achieving champion status on the track.

Admittedly, this mark isn't surprising to see as the Alabama ace does thrive in fast fields and she likes to push the pace. For the most part, we didn't learn much that was new.

However, what we did find out is that Chelangat is in peak shape and that if she is put in a tactical scenario that benefits her on the national stage, then she is more than capable of winning the national title.

7. Lindsey Butler, Junior, Virginia Tech (-3 / 4)

Has not yet competed this spring.

6. Sintayehu Vissa, Junior, Ole Miss (+2 / 8)

Vissa has carried her indoor success onto the outdoor track pretty seamlessly.

The runner-up in the mile at the indoor national meet opened up her season with a 2nd place finish in the 1500 at the Joe Walker Invitational. Her finishing time of 4:17 was less than one second off of her 4:16 PR.

At the Tom Jones Memorial, Vissa ran a remarkable 800 meter race en route to not only earning the win, but to also chopping three-seconds off of her personal best. The Rebel veteran took down Florida’s Imogen Barrett when she finished in a time of 2:01 in a hard-charging final effort.

With a time like that, Vissa now puts herself in a truly elite category in more than just one event, making her value in these rankings move upwards. It also doesn't hurt that she took down someone like Barrett who has been on a massive hot streak in her own right.

Vissa’s potential to run sub-4:10 in the 1500 this season is not out of the question. She’s got a current mile PR of 4:32 and when mixing that mark with her newfound speed, Vissa could have a formula for a 1500 meter national title in June.

5. Lauren Gregory, Rs. Junior, Arkansas (-2 / 3)

Gregory continues to solidify herself as one of the best women in the nation.

Over the weekend, the Arkansas Razorback competed in the elite section of the 5k at Mt. SAC and walked away with a seven-second PR en route to a finishing time of 15:25. Gregory was only 0.07 seconds off of the current Arkansas 5k record held by Dominique Scott.

Although she finished as the 3rd collegiate athlete, 8th overall, this shouldn’t be a point of concern. Gregory’s 5k and 10k efforts for this season prove that she can handle any distance thrown at her and when you consider her 1500 meter speed, she’s someone you don’t want to be around with 100 meters to go.

4. Abby Nichols, Senior, Colorado (+14 / 18)

It’s quite rare to see a 5k athlete race two 5k’s in a matter of two weeks, but Colorado’s Abby Nichols showed us that she didn’t need much time off in between those races to record the nation’s fastest time of the season.

After running a then-PR of 15:27 at the Stanford Invitational during the first week of April, Nichols rounded the track 12.5 laps again at Mt. SAC in the elite field. She not only held her own in a race full of professional athletes, finishing 5th overall and crossing the line as the first collegiate athlete, but she once again ran a PR.

This time, Nichols shaved off another 12 seconds, running 15:15.

Since transferring to Colorado from Ohio State at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, Nichols has seen tremendous improvement. Two cross country All-American honors and national qualification in the 5k/10k double for the 2021 outdoor national meet have highlighted her Buffalo resume.

We knew Nichols was a top-tier name, but this 15:15 mark over the weekend sets her up for postseason success that we may not have been expecting during the winter months.

With this 15:15 mark out of the way, she can now focus on fine-tuning her speed and racing strategies as we turn to the middle-half of the outdoor season.

Eventually, she will probably contest the 10k and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a big drop in time from her current 32:49 best. However, given her monumental success in the 5k, there is a small (but still somewhat realistic) chance that Nichols scratches the 10k in favor of going fresh for the 5k.

Because despite the firepower and depth in this year's 5k field, Nichols has to be considered a national title contender in the event right now.

3. Katelyn Tuohy, Sophomore, NC State (-1 / 2)

Has not competed since Raleigh Relays.

2. Taylor Roe, Junior, Oklahoma State (+3 / 5)

It’s crazy to think that Taylor Roe had never contested a 5k on the track prior to this past weekend. Thankfully, we got to see what she’s made of when she scorched the track and ran 15:21 in her event debut at Bryan Clay.

Leading up to this race, Roe ran a respectable 4:19 mark for 1500 meters at Ole Miss, but it wasn’t head-turning. Yet, now looking at that result, we can assume that it was simply a good rust-buster before the 5k.

At Bryan Clay, Roe won the race by seven seconds and was eight seconds ahead of New Mexico’s standout duo of Adva Cohen and Gracelyn Larkin.

With this 15:21, the Oklahoma State star held the nation’s leading time for a few hours before Colorado’s Abby Nichols reclaimed it with her 15:15. But still, in her first go-around, Roe showed us she is capable of challenging for another NCAA title.

It will be interesting to see where Roe goes from here. She has run 4:13 for the 1500 and 10:19 for the steeplechase. After this 5k debut, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Roe drop time in the steeplechase and inch closer to sub-10:00.

Still, despite the top-heaviness of this women's 5k field, Roe has all of the racing tools to be a very clear favorite in the event, especially if Wayment goes all-in for the steeplechase.

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

A new rankings update, the same place held by Wayment.

At the Mt. SAC Relays, Wayment contested her first steeplechase race since finishing 4th at the US Olympic Trials last summer. The BYU standout easily won the race by five seconds over Olympian Val Constien in a finishing time of 9:26, a mere three seconds off of her personal best.

Wayment and Constien separated themselves from the field over the course of the race, running away from 3rd place finisher Madison Boreman of Colorado who was back in 9:46.

Wayment now leads the NCAA by a remarkable 14-seconds in the steeple and is still amongst the top women in the 1500 meters with her 4:12 effort from a couple weeks ago. The only event left for her to contest will be the 5k where she is the reigning indoor champion.

Surely, Wayment can run one of the nation’s fastest times in the 5k.

Heck, just look at her current 15:15 PR.

The only question is, how close to 15:00 can Wayment get?

KICKED OFF

Katie Camarena (Portland State)*

Ellie Leather (Cincinnati)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)

Aneta Konieczek (Oregon)

ADDED

Lauren Ellsworth (BYU)

Joyce Kimeli (Auburn)

Sarah Hendrick (Kennesaw State)

Elise Thorner (New Mexico)

Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Ellie Leather (Cincinnati)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)

Aneta Konieczek (Oregon)

Olivia Howell (Illinois)

Rachel McArthur (Colorado)

Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

Nicole Fegans (Georgia Tech)

Grace Forbes (Rice)

Logan Jolly (Arkansas)

Kayley DeLay (Yale)

Lucy Jenks (Stanford)

Emma Heckel (New Mexico)

Lydia Olivere (Villanova)

Mia Barnett (Virginia)

Valery Tobias (Texas)

Brooke Jaworski (Texas)

Grace Fetherstonehaugh (Oregon State)

Kaylee Mitchell (Oregon State)

Gabija Galvydyte (Oklahoma State)

Emily Covert (Colorado)

Eusila Chepkemei (Middle Tennessee State)

Madison Boreman (Colorado)

Alexandra Hays (NC State)

Avi'Tal Wilson-Perteete (Texas A&M)

Michaela Rose (LSU)

Melissa Riggins (Georgetown)

Victoria Tachinski (Penn State)

Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida)

Adva Cohen (New Mexico)

Gracelyn Larkin (New Mexico)

Cara Woolnough (Utah)

Maggie Donahue (Georgetown)

Gracie Morris (TCU)

HONORABLE MENTIONS ( in no particular order)

Bethany Hasz (Minnesota)

Alexa Hokanson (Grand Canyon)

Jenna Schwinghamer (Kentucky)

Aurora Rydna (Michigan)

Kassidy Johnson (Kansas State)

Maudie Skyring (Florida State)

Haley Herberg (Washington)

Hannah Steelman (NC State)

Ruby Stauber (Florida State)

Bailey Hertenstein (Indiana)

Kayla Johnson (Miami)

Savannah Shaw (NC State)

India Johnson (Colorado)

Christina Aragon (Stanford)

Kayla Windemueller (Michigan)

Abbe Goldstein (New Mexico)

Kate Hunter (BYU)

Isabel Van Camp (Arkansas)

Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

Carmen Riano (Miami (OH))

Tori Herman (Kentucky)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Jesse Hanson (Northern Arizona)

Emily Venters (Utah)

Evelyn Kemboi (Utah Valley)

Madison Heisterman (Washington)

Carmen Alder (BYU)

Lexy Halladay (BYU)

Kayla Schiera (Southern Illinois)

Sydney Steely (Mississippi State)

Notes

• It has been confirmed that Portland State’s Katie Camarena has exhausted her outdoor eligibility.