2023 D1 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Preseason (Part One)

Written by Maura Beattie, Scotty Loughlin & 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.

25. Carley Thomas, Junior, Washington

Washington’s Carley Thomas is an extremely experienced runner who appears to be fully recovered from her 2020 leg injury. What will she do in a full season where she is seemingly back at the peak of her fitness?

Thomas took the NCAA by storm as a freshman when she ran 2:02 in the 800 meters on the indoor oval. However, COVID and a freak tubing accident where she broke her femur kept her on the sidelines entirely for the next year.

Thomas' 2022 indoor track season was respectable as she slowly rebounded, but she last spring was when she really began to reintroduce herself.

After a handful of highly impressive efforts where she showcased her tactical brilliance, the Washington ace was eventually rewarded for her consistency with the opportunity to race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The Aussie middle distance star may not have made it to the finals, but that spring campaign reiterated the idea that Thomas is returning to her role as a true NCAA superstar.

After gaining some solid endurance on the cross country course this past fall, the Washington ace was already able to turn heads in her recent season opener at Boston University. In that race, Thomas dropped a 10 second PR, running 4:36 in the mile at the beginning of December.

It's unlikely that Thomas will move up to the mile later this winter. However, that newfound strength does signal to us that the Seattle-based standout could have more flexibility in her race tactics this winter over the half-mile distance.

24. Flomena Asekol, Junior, Alabama

After spending time at the JUCO level, Flomena Asekol was introduced to the NCAA last year and seemingly got by on just her raw talent. The Alabama star posted decent marks in the indoor oval, but then truly broke out during the spring.

During the outdoor track season, Asekol slowly improved upon her 1500 meter time, eventually posting a pair of 4:12 marks in both the prelims and finals at the East Regional Championships. The Crimson Tide runner qualified for the outdoor national meet where she would end her season in the first round of the 1500 meters.

But since then, Asekol has gotten even better. She matched her TSR #14 preseason cross country ranking at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall. Then, a couple weeks later, she posted a massive mile PR of 4:32 to tie for the win at Boston University in her season debut.

On the track, Asekol has been almost exclusively a mile / 1500 meter runner during her time with Alabama. And although she has dabbled in other events, she hasn't seriously stepped up or stepped down to any other distances.

Asekol's one-dimensional resume on the track, along with her limited success on the indoor oval, is why she sits just inside the fringes of our top-25 rankings. However, based on her cross country accolades from this past fall, this former JUCO runner is clearly capable of being a top talent in the 3k and the 5k.

And even if she doesn't focus on other events this winter, Asekol still looked like a far more refined and more mature racer earlier this month. She seems to have far greater control of her fitness, she exhibited great patience and she didn't make any moves that unnecessarily exhausted her.

Last spring, it felt like Asekol was simply racing with the hopes that her raw fitness would carry her as far as it possibly would -- and for the most part, it worked! But now, this Tuscaloosa talent looks much sharper and could be ready to handle a variety of race scenarios.

23. Sarah Hendrick, Senior, Kennesaw State

Never did we think that an NCAA event leader from last spring would be ranked outside of the top-20 of our preseason indoor rankings.

And truthfully, if anyone wanted to argue that Sarah Hendrick -- a 2:00.98 (800) runner who shared the top of the NCAA leaderboard in the half-mile with Katy-Ann McDonald last spring -- was better than TSR #23, we probably wouldn't argue with you.

Hendrick is a multi-time All-American in the 800 meters who has a tendency to attack the front of her races with an all-out, hard-from-the-gun approach. Her tactics at the NCAA Outdoor Championships were a bit more conservative last spring and as a result, she was slightly rewarded with a 5th place All-American finish.

However, with Hendrick still trying to pair her elite raw fitness with more optimal championship tactics, and the NCAA growing even more top-heavy in the 800 meters this year, we were forced to place Hendrick back further than we wanted to.

Even so, Hendrick began to show far greater control over her talent last spring, refining her fitness with a handful of promising 1500 meter performances and numerous small-meet wins.

If this Kennesaw State star can further build on the progress that she made last spring, then it wouldn't be ridiculous to suggest that she could contend for the indoor national title in March.

22. Imogen Barrett, Senior, Florida

Prior to last year, Imogen Barrett had shown flashes of high-level potential at the 800 meters, but wasn’t truly seen as an athlete who could compete with the most elite women the country.

That, however, began to change during her 2022 indoor track campaign as she slowly rose to prominence. Then, in the blink of an eye, Barrett was a national title contender by the end of the outdoor track season.

Entering the spring months, Barrett had not yet run under 2:03 for 800 meters, but she quickly made that barrier a thing of the past. The Gator superstar ran 2:02 or faster on seven different occasions, eventually posting a 2:01 PR en route to an SEC Outdoor Championship title. She also earned a big 4th place result in the same event at the national meet.

Not only that, but this Australian middle distance star was also fantastic in the 1500 meters! The Florida runner posted a time of 4:14 over 1500 meters to win a tight battle over TCU's Gracie Morris last spring. Her 4:38 mile PR doesn't hurt, either.

Barrett has the speed, tactical prowess and experience to unleash something special later this season. Her middle distance range is elite and her raw firepower is some of the best in the country.

However, in a year where new NCAA talents have run under 2:00 for 800 meters, the question is: Can Barrett make her current 2:01 PR a thing of the past just like she did with her 2:03 mark over 800 meters last spring?

We have also yet to see Barrett translate her incredible success on the outdoor oval from last spring to the indoor track scene. That's not a total guarantee to happen and it's largely why we opted to rank her a bit further back.

Even so, no one is denying that Barrett is one of the most talented individuals in the country.

21. Katy-Ann McDonald, Senior, Georgetown

Katy-Ann McDonald has been a nationally competitive name for a handful of seasons now, but 2022 was her true breakout year. After running 2:02 at the SEC Indoor Championships to beat Imogen Barrett and finish runner-up, McDonald ventured to the indoor national meet, but faltered, unable to advance out of the prelims.

But the spring season?

Well, that was a different story.

At the Bryan Clay Invitational, McDonald didn't just win the 800 meters in what was ultimately an NCAA co-lead of 2:00.98, but she also won the 1500 meters in a time of 4:13! Katy-Ann McDonald wasn't just proving to be insanely fast, but she was able to earn wins and be one of the top women in the country in multiple events!

The versatility and value that McDonald showcased last spring was borderline unreal. However, the former LSU star began to fade a bit in the postseason. She was "only" 3rd in the 1500 meters and "only" 4th in the 800 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Then, at the national meet, she faded to 8th place in the 800 meter finals, earning the final All-American honor.

Few women have the resume or the talent to pull off what McDonald did last spring. And in a Georgetown program known their middle distance success, this recent graduate transfer could be even better in 2023.

However, McDonald has not capitalized on her national meet opportunities. She was 14th in the 800 meters at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships, was disqualified from the 800 meters at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships, settled for 15th place at last year's indoor national meet and then fell out of title contention in the finals of last spring's outdoor national meet.

But as we all know, national meet results should not entirely dictate how much we value someone's overall body of work. And in this case, McDonald's lethal versatility carries her to a TSR #21 ranking, even if most of her versatility came from the spring months instead of last winter.

20. Amaris Tyynismaa, Rs. Sophomore, Alabama

This ranking almost feels wrong.

Amaris Tyynismaa is one of the more dynamic and dangerous distance runners in the NCAA when she's racing at 100%. And although she was rebounding from a multi-month injury last year, she eventually came back to competition in the spring and then peaked beautifully at the NCAA XC Championships this past November.

With personal bests of 4:09 (1500), 4:33 (mile), 8:55 (3k) and 15:33 (5k), Tyynismaa undeniably belongs in the top-25 of our preseason rankings. Her value across almost every distance event is greater than most. She also has numerous seasons of championship experience under her belt and she owns a 7th place All-American honor in the 1500 meters from the spring of 2021.

After a wildly successful 2022 cross country season, Tyynismaa looks like she's back at the peak of her fitness. And if she wants to attack the mile this year, then she could be viewed as a legitimate title contender depending on who enters what event at the national meet.

It's admittedly hard to know what we should expect from this Crimson Tide runner on the indoor oval this winter. Prior to the Boston University Season Opener, where she ran a new 3000 meter personal best of 8:55, Tyynismaa hadn't toed the line for an indoor track race since March of 2021.

It also doesn't help that the 5k, an event that Tyynismaa used to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring, is the most loaded that it has been in quite some time.

Even so, we're believers that Tyynismaa will be a legitimate threat regardless of which event she toes the line for. Few women are able to capitalize on their range better than her.

19. Valery Tobias, Senior, Texas

Valery Tobias has flown under the radar in past seasons, but when it comes to this year's rankings, that is no longer. The Longhorn veteran is an extremely consistent and reliable middle distance athlete who has delivered time and time again throughout 2022.

Over the course of the 2022 indoor track season, Tobias was averaging 2:05 to 2:06 week after week. Her national qualifying mark came at the Camel City Elite Invitational when she ran 2:05 on a flat-track to earn a 2:03 conversion.

However, at the indoor national meet, Tobias truly came out guns blazing. Not only did the Longhorn stud throw down a massive 2:03 mark, the best raw time of her career at that point, but she also left the NCAA Indoor Championships with a monumental 4th place All-American finish in a deep field.

Tobias' success on the indoor oval translated well to the spring months as by the end of the season, she impressed us yet again, this time with a 2:02 PR and her second consecutive All-American honor.

Few women in the NCAA have a greater clutch gene than Valery Tobias has. Her best performances have consistently come on the biggest stages of her career and she has quietly positioned herself for top finishes time and time again.

However, the bigger question this winter for Tobias will be, can she drop her PR closer to 2:00 and put herself among the top-three women on the national stage? That would require another big jump in a year where numerous returning women have run under 2:02.

Tobias isn't necessarily outside of our top-15 because of anything that she has done. Instead, her ranking is based on what her competition around the NCAA is expected to look like.

18. Olivia Howell, Junior, Illinois

Illinois’ Olivia Howell is one of the most experienced middle distance specialists in the country. She is also is the top returner from last year’s indoor national meet in the mile where she finished 5th overall.

The midwest star boasts a 1500 meter PR of 4:09 and a personal best in the mile of 4:33. If she is able to replicate times similar to that over the next three months, then Howell will likely be able to contend for a similar All-American position.

But what if she’s able to exceed her former marks and go from "great" to "elite"?

If that happens, then she could contend for a national title.

Howell's recent improvements on the grass suggest that she may be in store for another leap on the track. Is she a strong favorite to be crowned national champion in the mile? Perhaps not, but in a year like this one where the mile seems to be wide open, Howell could stand out far more than she has in the past.

And when you consider her overall consistency, tactical brilliance, upper-echelon times, vast experience and ability to peak in the postseason, one could argue that she is the most complete mile-centric talent in the NCAA this winter.

17. Maia Ramsden, Sophomore, Harvard

In only her second year in the NCAA, Harvard’s Maia Ramsden might just be one of the most versatile runners that the nation has to offer. She currently boasts head-turning times in the 1500 meters, the mile, and most recently, the 3000 meters. Her monster cross country season also suggests that she could post a nationally competitive time in the 5k.

What's not to like?

The Crimson sophomore was stellar over the last year, focusing on the mile and the 1500 meters between indoor and outdoor track. Ramsden posted a time of 4:36 in the mile last winter, but was on the outside-looking-in and missed a berth to the indoor national meet.

The outdoor track season, however, was a different story.

In the spring months, Ramsden saw herself run 4:12 in the 1500 meters and make it to the national meet finals where she placed 10th after slowly improving throughout the season.

Since then, Ramsden has been on a different level during this academic year. Her cross country season was beyond superb, highlighted by top-10 finishes, multiple victories and an 11th place All-American showing.

Thanks to her newfound endurance, the Harvard ace has more tools in her racing arsenal to achieve major success on the indoor track this winter, recently posting a massive time of 8:54 over 3000 meters.

Few women in the NCAA are able to blend their speed and endurance more effectively than this New Zealand star has. However, it will be fascinating to see how her racing identity evolves over the next three months.

16. Roisin Willis, Freshman, Stanford

Firepower. Tactical prowess. Championship pedigree.

Freshman Roisin Willis has the entire package of racing tools already at her disposal and will look to translate her incredible success at the prep level to her time at Stanford alongside fellow high school superstar, Juliette Whittaker.

What makes Willis so dangerous is that she’s already displayed the ability to consistently run at or below 2:00 for the 800 meters during a long season and in a multi-round championship setting. Her stupendous 1:59.13 effort, which earned her gold at the 2022 U20 World Championships, set a U20 championship record and was faster than anything that a woman in the NCAA ran last year, indoors or outdoors.

Yes, it's true, we’ve opted to conservatively rank Willis at a preseason spot of TSR #16. But don't forget, we ranked Athing Mu one spot lower for the 2021 indoor track season. And although Mu went on to be an all-time star, we're simply waiting to see how Willis translates her high school prowess to an entirely different setting and environment.

Don’t be surprised if she cracks the top-10 (or better) of our rankings by season’s end.

15. Juliette Whittaker, Freshman, Stanford

There is a very possible chance that this is the lowest ranking that Juliette Whittaker will have throughout this enter indoor track season.

Last year, the post-Athing Mu era began with zero women running under 2:01 for the 800 meters on the indoor oval. The event as a whole had effectively shifted from a top-heavy one to more of a wide-open discipline with plenty of depth (even if Lindsey Butler was overwhelmingly dominant).

But now we must introduce Juliette Whittaker, the fastest high school girl to ever toe the line for the 800 meters. The newest Cardinal rookie instantly enters the NCAA fold as one of the top middle distance runners in the country with the fastest personal best of anyone via a 1:59.04 mark. That PR came at the USATF U20 Championships back in June.

Oh, and did we mention that she has also run a 4:36 mile PR? For as dominant as she is expected to be in the half-mile this year, she could end up being extremely valuable in the eight-lap event over the next couple of months.

For now, we’ve cautiously ranked a couple of other 800 meter runners ahead of Whittaker based on their experience and accolades that have spanned over years of NCAA competition. Plus, Whittaker's indoor PR sits at 2:01.69 which is roughly on par with the caliber of times that a few other women in this portion of our rankings boast.

But rest assured, we will happily alter Whittaker's ranking if she is able to deliver on her unreal potential and massive upside later this winter. And if Athing Mu is any indication about how superstar high school 800 meter runners will perform at the NCAA, then Whittaker likely has a very bright future ahead of her.

14. Natalie Cook, Freshman, Oklahoma State

It’s scary to think of how high Natalie Cook’s ceiling is, especially when you consider what she’s already been able to throw down as a true freshman on the grass.

Most women who were stars at the high school level have needed at least one season to adjust to their NCAA competition -- but not Cook. She has seemingly reached an even higher level of elite fitness since joining the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.

The Texas native wasted no time this past fall by defeating a national-caliber field at the Cowboy Jamboree before closing out her rookie season with a 7th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.

The first box was checked, but how would chapter two – the indoor oval – look for Cook? Surely she wouldn’t be able to improve upon her high school outdoor 5k record of 15:25 on the indoor oval, or at least until the end of the season…right?

Wrong.

In her track debut with the Cowgirls, Cook crossed the line in Boston University as the fourth collegiate overall with an otherworldly mark of 15:24 -- a time that would have stood at NCAA #2 during the 2021-22 indoor track season.

It will be exciting to see Cook try her hand at the mile and 3k. But even if she settles into becoming a 5k specialist, few women have ever started a college career on the indoor oval as a true freshman as emphatically as she has.

Some may wonder why we're "only" listing Cook at TSR #14. That is largely because she is still super young and a time-trial scenario in December doesn't necessarily translate to tactical execution in a championship setting in March. That, and because the women's 5k is insanely loaded at the top right now.

Of course, one event being super competitive doesn't make Cook any less talented.

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Amina Maatoug (Duke)

Kaylee Mitchell (Oregon State)

Grace Fetherstonhaugh (Oregon State)

Klaudia Kazimierska (Oregon)

Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)

Ella Baran (Colorado)

Bailey Hertenstein (Colorado)

Mia Barnett (Virginia)

Gracelyn Larkin (New Mexico)

Isabel Van Camp (Arkansas)

Allison Johnson (Penn State)

Shannon Flockhart (Providence)

Alli Hays (NC State)

Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida)

Kassidy Johnson (Rutgers)

Emma Heckel (New Mexico)

Amelia Maza-Downie (New Mexico)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Sydney Seymour (NC State)

Michaela Rose (LSU)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Jenna Schwinghamer (Kentucky)

Melissa Riggins (Georgetown)

Gracie Morris (TCU)

Alessia Zarbo (Oregon)

Emily Covert (Colorado)

Emily Venters (Utah)

Billah Jerpkirui (Oklahoma State)

Dorcus Ewoi (Campbell)

Sydney Steely (Kentucky)

Megan Marvin (Furman)

Marlee Starliper (NC State)

Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley)

Brooke Jaworski (Texas)

Isabella Giesing (UMass Lowell)

Simone Plourde (Utah)

Taryn Parks (North Carolina)

Savannah Shaw (NC State)

Haley Herberg (Washington)

Alexandra Carlson (Rutgers)

Ruby Smee (San Francisco)

Tori Herman (Kentucky)

Dalia Frias (Duke)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Madison Heisterman (Washington)

Addie Engel (Ohio State)