2022 D2 Outdoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #4

TSR Collaboration
May 18, 2022
14 min read

Written by Grace McLaughlin & Eric Baranoski, additional commentary 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. Layla Almasri, Senior, UC-Colorado Springs (-4 / 21)

24. Riley McGrath, Sophomore, UC-Colorado Springs (-4 / 20)

Last chance meets are usually for fast times.

However, neither McGrath nor Almasri returned back from Pueblo with a PR (or a converted PR) in hand. Instead, they went home with an idea of what one has to do to win a national title in the 1500 meters: Stick with CSU-Pueblos’ Yasmine Hernandez or Adams State’s Roisin Flanagan, something that is far easier said than done.

At CSU-Pueblo's Last Chance meet, both Hernandez and Flanagan ran strong 4:21 marks, while Almasri and McGrath settled for 3rd and 4th, respectively, each running a pair of 4:33 times. Remember, these times were run at altitude.

Despite large gap after the first two finishers, not many runners in the country get to race Hernandez and Flanagan firsthand, much less in the same race when they are peaking for the postseason. And while neither Almasri nor McGrath seem like title threats to either of those women, have familiarity with their racing tendencies at least helps...a little.

No, this wasn’t a championship-style race (which does change a few things), but both of these UCCS standouts have run significantly faster before (even when factoring in altitude conversions) and generally speaking, it's best to have this kind of race now rather than in the postseason.

A lot can be learned from an opportunity like this where you could look at preparation, racing tactics and just ability to compete. Hopefully, they learned something from this and will use this newfound knowledge at the NCAA Championships to better their racing approach.

23. Natalia Novak, Junior, Academy of Art (Unranked)

Talk about riding the edge! Novak has seemingly made this a habit as of late where her times look okay-ish going into a conference meet or a last chance meet and then boom! She runs fast enough to secure her spot at the NCAA Championships.

While this strategy has worked time and time again in order to qualify, her marks at the NCAA Championships haven’t always been the best. She has sometimes struggled to advance to the final and hasn't been an All-American as often as one might think.

Even so, the time is now for to change that. She is running the same events she did last year at the NCAA Championships when it was at Grand Valley State and she came away with an 8th place finish in the 1500 meters. On paper, she’s prepared to do that again.

22. Stevie Lawrence, Senior, Queens (NC) (+3 / 25)

Lawrence does what she does best and that is the steeplechase.

Ever since last year, she has had significant success in the event, placing 6th overall and earning All-American honors at last year’s NCAA Championships to winning the South Atlantic Conference title in the steeple in back-to-back years.

Lawrence has even run faster this year than she had at the NCAA Championships last year. She has improved upon her 1500 time and ran a faster 3k during the indoor track season. All of these signs indicate that she can, in fact, go even faster when racing against the proper field.

Would I bet on the NCAA Championships being that field? I would say that the answer to that is far more likely to be "yes" rather than "no".

21. Fiona Hawkins, Freshman, Adams State (-2 / 19)

Following our last rankings update, I couldn't remember the last time Hawkins had an "off" day. She has had a stellar freshman season thus far, displaying a will to compete against top-level names that most freshmen don’t have.

Unfortunately for Hawkins, her last two meets "off" have not been ideal, running 4:41 at CSU-Pueblo's Last Chance meet and finishing 6th at the RMAC Championships in the 1500 meters before.

However, Hawkins ran 16:07 for 5000 meters earlier this season, putting her at NCAA #7 in the event. As a result, she is out of the 1500 meters and entered in the 5k,

The Adams State youngster finished 6th in the 3k during the indoor national meet this past winter and has proven that she can run with the best. Her 16:07 mark really puts her in the mix amongst top All-Americans, so a top-eight finish isn’t out of the question.

Knowing the level of preparation and gamesmanship that Adams State brings to the national meet each and every season, Hawkins will be ready to produce. We simply need to move her back a bit given how her last two 1500 meter efforts went.

20. Katie Doucette, Sophomore, Western Colorado (-4 / 16)

Similar to Grand Valley State’s Klaudia O’Malley, Doucette decided to work smarter and not harder. She ran the 5k only once this season to get herself a national qualifying mark and worked the rest of the season to get some speed work in.

Well, the time that she has worked for all season long is now here: Championship season. On the indoor oval, Doucette was the name who broke out and really impressed us. With only the 5k on the docket for her at the outdoor national meet, she has only one chance to replicate her tremendous conclusion to her 2022 indoor campaign.

And yes, she has been moving back in our rankings over the last few weeks, but a big performance next weekend could send her skyrocketing back up our Top 25 lists.

19. Ashley Corcoran, Junior, Southern New Hampshire (+4 / 23)

As of late, Corcoran has been a big winner. No, she hasn't had any recent personal bests in the steeplechase, her main event, but instead a new PR in the 1500 meters. She was the Northeast-10 conference champion in the 1500 meters and the steeple, as well as the NEICAAA champion in the steeple.

With all of this momentum, look for Corcoran to make some noise on the national stage as she goes over the barriers and water pits. Her momentum is sky high right now and her promising versatility has made her a sneaky-good name who can theoretically do well in a lot of different race scenarios.

She’s going for All American this time around, we feel pretty confident about that.

18. Taryn Chapko, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (0 / 18)

Racing the same schedule as our TSR #16 runner and teammate Klaudia O’Malley, has Taryn Chapko shown us anything new this year? The answer is yes.

She used the GLIAC Championships in an attempt to improve her 400 meter PR. That didn’t happen, but it was it was only 0.64 seconds off of her PR and it was a promising display of speed.

Chapko is still somewhat young and in turn, still has a lot of promising upside. She's still getting better which means that GVSU still has possible points coming from her in the 800 meters this spring. In fact, Chapko being an All-American seems like a boarderline lock this year as she is already three-for-three in top-eight honors.

17. Lindsay Cunningham, Freshman, Winona State (-2 / 15)

It's your Northern Sun champion in the 10k, Lindsay Cunningham. The youngster has really made the seamless transition from never racing a 10k last year to running the event twice this season and putting in a really solid effort in each go.

She has proven that she can compete at a high level in the 10k, holding her own at big-time meets like Bryan Clay and the Drake Relays. Despite her newness to the event and her relative youth, Cunningham has delivered time and time again. She success on these larger stages, in theory, sets her up well for a meet like the NCAA Championships.

16. Klaudia O’Malley, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (-2 / 14)

We're not sure what to make of this season for Klaudia O’Malley.

Prior to the month of May, this GVSU ace has raced in two non-championship meet this spring. One meet being at Bryan Clay and the other meet being at the Raleigh Relays. O'Malley then raced at the GLIAC Championships in the 1500 meters and finished 2nd overall.

The Laker standout has earned a PR in the 5k this spring and has had more success in that event than the 1500 meters. However, for perspective, we are talking about her running the 5k only once this spring and the 1500 meters three different times, including prelims.

Having a nearly nonexistent sample size in the 5k makes it a challenge when trying to compare what O'Malley's best events are.

Regardless, she will show up in crunch time. She has, after all, done so her whole career.

15. Ava O’Connor, Freshman, Adams State (-2 / 13)

The post-RMAC season has begun for the freshman and she has run just about the same times as she did at Bryan Clay. Posting marks of 2:09 and 4:21 for 800 meters and 1500 meters respectively in a two-day span in Oregon is no joke for the rookie.

And yes, she is dropping in our rankings, but that's not necessarily her fault. We're simply making room for the inclusion of others.

Now the real test awaits as she will look to make her mark at the outdoor national meet. With just one event, the 1500 meters, on her schedule, how high can she climb? She will have her hands full with Hernandez, Flanagan and Ritter, but you have to recall that she was your bronze medalist at the indoor national meet in the mile.

O'Connor has displayed a cool, calm and collected demeanor throughout her freshman year so far. And frankly, we don't really have a reason to believe that she'll be any different neext weekend.

However, in a 1500 meter field that is arguably just as good (or better) than the women's mile field at the indoor national meet, O'Connor will have her work cut out for her.

14. Ukeyvia Beckwith, Junior, Embry-Riddle (+10 / 24)

Things that people don’t know about Ukeyvia Beckwith: She’s clutch when it matters.

Just look at her finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships this past winter where the Embry-Riddle star placed 4th in the 800 meters. Nobody expected her to be battling with most elite middle distance stars in the country as she had never competed at a national meet before!

But give her the opportunity and Beckwith will give it all that she’s got.

Her latest race at the Lee University Last Chance meet is a great example of her using that opportunity. She was coming into it with nothing to prove, having already posted a solid time of 2:06 in the 800 meters. However, the race went out fast and she ultimately found herself with a personal best of 2:05.

13. Hannah Becker, Senior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 12)

Becker has been dancing around her steeple PR from last year's NCAA Championships all season long and just hasn’t touched it yet. That, however, is okay though as she has only been two seconds off.

If we were talking 10 to 20 seconds, it'd be a different story talking about her being a contender.

And while Becker may not be racing at same level as she as during cross country, she’s still racing at a high enough level to compete for the title in the steeple. She’s ranked at NCAA #3 and with an event as unpredictable as the steeple, that's a good position to be in.

After all, its better to be the hunter than the hunted, especially on your home track...right?

12. Alexa Leppelmeier, Senior, Walsh (+5 / 17)

Leppelmeier moves up a whopping five spots in this round of our rankings due to her impressive performances in the 1500 meters and the steeplechase. She won both events at the GMAC Championships with times of 4:33 (1500) and 10:13 (steeplechase). She also ran a new 1500 meter PR of 4:21 (1500) at the Harrison Dillard Twilight Meet.

Her times of 4:21 and 10:13 are very impressive and show that she has improved throughout the season and that she has the speed and the tenacity to win a variety of races.

Leppelmeier placed 4th in the mile as well as 8th in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, but I feel like she has still been overlooked for the level of talent she displays, especially in the steeplechase.

Rather than running the 1500 meters and the steeplechase at NCAA Championships, the Walsh dark horse title contender has opted for the grueling steeplechase/5k double. She goes into the Big Dance with the second-best time in the steeplechase and the NCAA #14 mark in the 5k.

While the Cavalier ace is ranked at NCAA #2 in the steeple, four seconds out from the lead, she has arguably been the most consistent woman in that event this season. That, in turn, could make all the difference in the chase for the national title.

11. Jessica Gockley, Senior, Grand Valley State (0 / 11)

Gockley placed 3rd in the 1500 meters at the GLIAC Championships, which shows us that she can at least hold her own in tactical races and has an impressive amount of foot speed for a long distance specialist.

She will be sticking with her usual 5k and 10k at the NCAA Championships as she boasts the third-best time in the 10k (33:51) and the NCAA #10 mark in the 5k (16:14). She placed 4th and 7th in her respective events last year and she will be looking to improve upon that performance.

Gockley’s consistency and experience are in her favor. She is arguably one of the most reliable names in these rankings and next weekend has the chance to be her best national meet ever given the number of personal bests that she has set this season.

10. Allie Ludge, Senior, Grand Valley State (-2 / 8)

Ludge won the GLIAC 1500 meter title in a tactical race, showing us she can run fast times and successfully execute race plans in various situations.

The Laker veteran ran a new 5k PR (16:01) earlier in the season, a mark that is the second-fastest time going into the outdoor national meet, with several women on her heels.

Ludge will run the 1500 meters (4:22) and 5k (16:01) at the NCAA Championships, a double that she has done successfully before.

After a disappointing end to her indoor track season, Ludge will be one of the most motivated athletes on the starting line. She is one of the better D2 distance women to never win an individual national title.

But this spring, Ludge is firing on all cylinders and is showing flashes of being at her best. Trying to win gold in either the 1500 meters or the 5k is going to be a massive challenge, but at the very least, this GVSU veteran is going to be a problem for her competitors.

9. Elenora Curtabbi, Junior, West Texas A&M (-2 / 7)

Curtabbi is a steeplechase specialist, but she has been sticking to the flat races recently. She recently won the 800 meters (2:11) and the 5k (17:39) at the LSC Championships, a great display of both her speed and endurance.

She is ranked atop of the national leaderboard in the steeplechase heading into the national meet, but she hasn’t finished a steeple race since posting her 10:09 mark at Bryan Clay. She had a DNF result at the West Texas Last Chance Meet in her most recent steeple race.

Curtabbi placed 14th last year at the outdoor national meet, but is now heading into the same meet as the favorite in the event. That improvement alone shows us her talent and progression in the event. Her versatility doesn't hurt, either.

8. Kelly-Ann Beckford, Junior, Lincoln (MO) (+2 / 10)

Beckford is a middle distance star and she moves up two spots after winning conference titles and showing outstanding consistency in the 800 meters.

Beckford won three events at the MIAA Championships (800, 1500 and 4x400 meter relay) earlier this month. She ran 2:06 and 4:33 to win her individual events. These have been posting a handful of consistent times from Beckford this season and she is ranked at NCAA #3 in the 800 meters heading into the Big Dance.

Beckford’s speed is unmatched compared to the other 800 meter competitors and in theory, she would benefit from a tactical race. Still, she is capable of hanging with an aggressive pace and thriving in that scenario.

7. Jennifer Sandoval, Senior, Azusa Pacific (+2 / 9)

Sandoval is a distance specialist, but she showed off her impressive range at the APU Last Chance Meet by running 4:22 in the 1500 meters.

She also ran a new PR and the NCAA #6 mark in the 5k this season with an excellent time of 16:07. Because of this, she moves up two spots in our rankings.

The 10k is Sandoval's best event and she is currently ranked at NCAA #2 with her PR of 33:10. While this is nearly 20 seconds slower than the national leader, we wouldn’t count Sandoval out. She has shown us that she can hang with super fast paces before and no one is more at home in the 10k than Sandoval is.

6. Fatima Alanis, Sophomore, Queens (NC) (0 / 6)

Alanis won three events with ease at the SAC Championships, posting times of 4:34 (1500), 17:25 (5k) 35:28 (10k). Not many runners could successfully run the distance triple, let alone win all three events.

The Queens ace is an endurance superstar and will toe the line in the 5k and 1the 0k at NCAA Championships next weekend. She’s had a successful year so far with her bronze medal at the NCAA XC Championships as well as her 2nd and 5th place finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Up until her conference meet, every race she had toed the line for this season was a PR.

Alanis has a lot of momentum going into the national meet and is ranked at 3rd (5k) and 4th (10k) in her main events.The only question going forward is how high will she place? We know she will be a factor in the postseason, but will she be able to take down Ritter? Robles? Flanagan? Sandoval? I guess we'll find out soon...

5. Brianna Robles, Sophomore, Adams State (-1 / 4)

Has not raced since our last round of rankings.

She will race the 5k and the 10k at the NCAA Championships.

4. Alison Andrews-Paul, Senior, Simon Fraser (-1 / 3)

Andrew-Paul has been having a phenomenal season. The 800 meters can sometimes be an unpredictable event and results tend to vary from race to race. However, her 2:01 mark from the Bryan Clay Invitational and her indoor national title point to her being the undeniable favorite going into the outdoor national meet.

Her other notable races include a 4:21 (1500) mark at the Portland Twilight meet and later winning the 1500 meters at the GNAC Championships.

She is the Division Two record holder in the 800 meters and her closest competitor is nearly two seconds away.

To keep it short and sweet -- this Simon Fraser ace should have no issues winning the 800 meter national title in Allendale, Michigan.

3. Yasmine Hernandez, Senior, CSU-Pueblo (+2 / 5)

Hernandez has been rapidly improving throughout the season.

She was certainly talented before, but she took the D2 scene by storm after anchoring the Thunderwolves DMR to a national title at the indoor national meet. Since then, she has carried that momentum into every outdoor race this spring.

So far this season, she has run new personal bests of 2:03 and 4:18, both from the Bryan Clay Invitational earlier in the season. She later showed great consistency by running 2:04 at the Portland Twilight meet. Then she pulled off a huge win on her home turf at the CSU-Pueblo Last Chance meet, beating Roisin Flanagan in the 1500 meters for the top time (converted 4:15) heading into the national meet.

She’s been running confident and competitively, two things that will certainly help her go after her first individual national title in the 1500 meters.

2. Celine Ritter, Junior, Lee (Tenn.) (0 / 2)

Ritter has had a busy few weeks scoring points for her team and chasing after personal bests.

The Lee ace won the 1500 meters (4:26) and the 5k (17:40) at the GSC Championships, winning with ease. She then had impressive performances in the 800 meters (2:08) and the 1500 meters (4:19) at the Lee Last Chance meet. Ritter is one of the few athletes who can run anywhere from the 800 to the 10k and be majorly successful.

That kind of range and versatility makes her a wildly valuable name in these rankings.

Ritter will be running the 1500 and the 5k, arguably her best events, at the NCAA Championships in Michigan next week. She goes into the national meet ranked at NCAA #3 in the 1500 (4:19) and NCA #8 in the 5k (16:13).

She already has several national titles to her name and given her strength and experience, Ritter will (at the very least) add two more All-American honors to her name.

1. Roisin Flanagan, Rs. Senior, Adams State (0 / 1)

Quality over quantity.

Flanagan has not raced much this season, but the races that she has toed the line for have been phenomenal.

She opened up her season with a Division Two national record in the 5k (15:28), ran with the best of the best at Sound Running (15:38) and showed off her speed in the 1500 meters (4:16) at the CSU-Pueblo Last Chance meet. She qualified as the top seed in the 5k and is second-best best performer in the 1500 meters this spring.

If all goes as planned, Flanagan should easily win the 5k at the NCAA Championships due to the fact she has run over 30 seconds faster than all of her competitors. The 1500 meters, however, is where it gets interesting. Flanagan has the potential and talent to win that race, but the field is far more compact and the event is far more unpredictable.

The Irish superstar has much more experience than her competitors and has had a great final season so far. She is the undeniable title favorite in the 5k and could pull an upset in the 1500 meters. Regardless she will go down as one of the best Division Two runners of all time.