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Three Sentences or Less: TSR's 2024 Early Season NAIA XC Top 25 Team Rankings (Women)
- Marissa Kuik
- Sep 15, 2024
- 9 min read
Written by Marissa Kuik, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to and researched numerous team that were considered for a possible preseason ranking. While we did receive great feedback, we did not get a 100% response rate or perfect clarity. On certain occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.
25. Rocky Mountain Bears
In some ways very similar to their conference rivals, Carroll, this Rocky Mountain team is also incredibly young and returns a good portion of their top-seven. The Bears finished in 26th place at last year's national meet, although they'll look to make some small improvements with the natural growth of their young team. They will be led by Jayden Woodland, who finished 49th overall at the 2023 national meet, making her a great low-stick for this squad in 2024.
24. Lewis-Clark Pioneers
Five women (four of whom were scorers) from last year’s 11th place team finish at the national meet are not listed on the Pioneers' roster anymore. For whatever reason that may be, it is hard to rank the Lewis-Clark women close to where they stood last fall. We will have to wait and see who will step up for this team, but for now, there are a lot of question marks for this squad going into the new season.
23. Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes
Though this team did not qualify for the 2023 cross country national meet, they did send three individuals (Madisyn Ehrlich, Josie Kopps, and Charlee Lind) who all return in 2024. Not only that, but Kansas Wesleyan also adds Kiera Jensen, who did not compete during the fall, but did run 18:28 (5k) on the oval. She's a great addition to this team who definitely increases the chances of this squad making a big jump in 2024.
22. John Brown Golden Eagles
They didn't qualify for last year's cross country national meet, but returning a top-30 All-American in Cera Eckenroth and a top-110 national meet finisher in Esmeralda Sandoval (both of whom were freshmen last fall) gives this team plenty of room for growth. In fact, the top-five scorers for this team last year were all underclassmen and Hope Ahnfeldt is definitely better than what she showed us last fall. Sure, they're far from perfect, but it is very hard to imagine this squad not improving substantially in 2024.
21. Aquinas Saints
Though they did not qualify for the national meet last year, this team looks like they could make an impressive jump into our 2024 rankings. Besides returning the majority of their top-seven, many of their runners went under 5:05 for the indoor mile this past winter with two of their top runners going under five minutes for the same distance. With that kind of improvement, this team deserves to crack our top-25.
20. Concordia (NE) Bulldogs
The fall of 2024 could be a tougher season for this squad with the loss of their top-two runners in Kylahn Freiberg and Julie McIntrye, as well as the departure of track standout Rylee Haecker. With that being said, this team has a number of respectable runners to work with and we expect veterans Keegan Beisel and Hannah Beintema to lead the way. Both had great track seasons, but it will be tough to fill in a few lineup holes behind them.
19. Oklahoma City Stars
Just barely missing the automatic bid for the 2023 cross country national meet, the Oklahoma City women look ready to not only win their conference title, but to finish within the top-20 at this year's national meet. Though this squad loses Cailen Jolley, who was one of those aforementioned individual national qualifiers, they do add Louise Cocking, who has PRs of 17:25 in the 5k and 36:39 in the 10k, and has also finished 4th in the 10k at the national meet. This team also has a very tight scoring spread and if each support runner improves by just a little bit, then they will easily advance to the national meet.
18. Carroll Fighting Saints
After a 25th place finish at the 2023 cross country national meet, the Fighting Saints will look to improve that finish with almost everyone from their top-seven returning. On top of having plenty of returners, this team was pretty young last year, led by a couple of freshmen, as well as one sophomore in the mix. Given the extensive youth-based upside found throughout this projected lineup, we don't think Carroll's floor is too far beyond this spot.
17. Huntington Foresters
This team probably takes the biggest tumble in our rankings compared to last year, but for good reason. Though the Foresters finished 7th overall at the 2023 national meet, they relied heavily on Addy Wiley and Anna Martin, two women who are no longer with the team. Losing their fourth runner, Malarwie Pinwar, may effectively force this team into a rebuild, although they still have Emily Tedder (60th at the 2023 national meet) who should be a strong name to rally and build around.
16. Olivet Nazarene University Tigers
Though this team only finished 24th at last year's NAIA XC Championships, their squad was still incredibly young, made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores. Hannah Haag led the way, and she had a great track season, running a personal best time of 17:48 (5k), so she will definitely help the Tigers out in the low-stick position. On top of that, this team added two freshmen who could shake things up as well with Taygen Beyer having a personal best time of 5:02 over 1600 meters while Aleigha Garrison has run 18:13 for three miles on the grass.
15. Cornerstone Golden Eagles
The loss of their top runner in Haley Nieuwkoop (12th at the national meet) will hurt this squad, but they gain Emma Moore from Northern Michigan who should help make up for that departure. Plus, with the rest of this team returning and knowing the history of success for Cornerstone's cross country program, this team should make a small jump within the NAIA's hierarchy of distance squads.
14. SCAD Savannah Bees
The Bees finished 16th overall at the national meet last year and even though they lose a key name in Alex Midgett to graduation, they also gain the very talented Maddy Walter-Sherretts who had a stellar track season. The latter finished the spring months with PRs of 10:48 in the steeplechase and 17:27 in the 5k, emerging as an All-American in the former event. The Bees also return many women from their top-seven, meaning that they have the necessary scoring weapons to eventually crack the top-10 portion of our rankings.
13. Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats
Finishing 14th at last year’s national meet was Indiana Wesleyan and the good news is that they return everyone from their top-seven except for their fifth runner. Headlining their 2024 lineup is Addi Dewey and Elizabeth Barrett, both of whom finished well at the national meet and built up exciting momentum after great track seasons. Plus, the Wildcats add a couple of strong freshmen (who have both run in the mid-18:00s over 5k), meaning that they could help bolster this lineup in a more significant way than this ranking would suggest.
12. Grace College Lancers
This team finished a strong 13th at last year’s national meet, but even with the loss of their second and fifth runners, we still believe that they will finish close to where they were last year, mostly because Kylie Sauder returns. She had a very consistent track season, finishing as an All-American over 800 meters. Ester Cameron, who did not run at the cross country national meet, also showed huge growth during the track season, running a 5k PR of 17:21 and emerging as someone who could plug a pivotal hole in the Lancers' lineup.
11. St. Francis (IL) Saints
With their top finisher from the 2023 national meet (Riley Jo Ford) is not returning, as well as the loss of a few others from last year's top-five, St. Francis (IL) looks like they may take a bit of a hit this season. They do return Allison Ramsay, who was great on the track with PRs of 4:33 for 1500 meters and 17:21 for 5k, which gives this team a strong scorer to build around. However, the Saints will need other names to step up to fill the gaps, something that could very well happen, but is not at all guaranteed.
10. Montreat Cavaliers
Montreat, who finished 17th as a team at last year’s national meet, is making a fairly large jump in our rankings compared to where they ended their 2023 fall campaign at. Though they lose their second runner in Catherine Slack, they bring back their top runner Carolyn Bobo and add two strong transfers from Tabor in Brooke Wiebe and Aubrey Bahner. Both women finished within the top-70 at the NAIA XC Championships and, along with the improvement of Bobo and the rest of this still-young squad, will help bolster their lineup.
9. Embry-Riddle Arizona Eagles
Though the Embry-Riddle women do not have Josephine Gregory or Josephine Banks (who led the team at the national meet) listed on their roster, they still return Zoe Tizard, who qualified for the outdoor national meet and finished as an All-American in the steeplechase. On top of that, they bolstered their 2024 lineup with two impressive freshmen in Sophia Noriega (5:07/10:55) and Kylie Monson (5:09/10:49). The Eagles always finds a way to place well at the cross country national meet and we don't expect that to change in 2024.
8. Dordt University Defenders
A group consistently found in the NAIA's top-10 hierarchy of cross country teams, Dordt always finds a way to hold their own on the grass. This year will be no different, even though they lose their top runner in Jessica Kampman and their fourth runner in Taylor Anema. However, everyone else returns, and the addition of a great recruiting class (which features Corinne Braun who has run 18:02 for 5k, 4:54 for 1600 meters and 10:53 for 3200 meters) makes it hard not to be optimistic about the Defenders upcoming fall campaign.
7. Southern Oregon Raiders
This year’s Southern Oregon team could realistically be a podium squad in 2024 given that they return everyone except their fifth runner from last year. They will be led by Alyssa Johnson, who was 10th in the 5k at the outdoor national meet, and Cammeo Ramirez, who struggled at the cross country national meet, but has the capability to finish in the NAIA's top percentile this fall. Add in a promising recruit in Fiona Fraser, who has run 11:09 for 3200 meters and 18:39 for 5k, and the Hawks look to be in great form going into this fall.
6. College of Idaho Coyotes
Even though the 'Yotes are the defending national champions, they simply lose too much firepower, making it hard for us to pick them to defend their title. With the graduation of Ellyse Tingelstad and Abbey Shirts, the College of Idaho women will have to rely heavily on Sage Marti (who had a limited racing schedule this past spring) and Kahea Figueira (who struggled a bit during the spring months). Even so, this is a long distance power, so expect Coach Bolin to find a way to keep his squad in the hunt for the podium.
5. Cumberlands (KY) Patriots
On the men’s side, the team from Cumberlands (KY) has definitely made a name for themselves, but the women are just as competitive too, especially with the return of Alina Boshchuk, the reigning NAIA 10k champion. The Patriots also return Heather Durrant, All-American on the grass, who will look to improve from last year’s performance. Finally, the Patriots add a slew of new names, including Elke Wijkmans, who helped the team out already on the track, and Moroccan middle distance star, Sanae Hasanoui.
4. Taylor Trojans
After a great finish of 5th at last year’s national meet, Taylor should be just as good (if not better) this fall with the return of a solid lineup which includes multi All-Americans Ahna Niedeck and Noel VanderWall. Plus, Audrey Brinkruff looks to make a huge jump on the grass after an impressive track season. Though the team does lose their front-runner in Mollie Gamble, they add high school superstar Jaynie Halterman who will make an impact right away and will help close the hole left from the graduation of star runner Mollie Gamble.
3. Saint Mary (KS) Spires
This squad is definitely deep with the majority of their top-five returning from the 3rd place team finish at last year’s national meet. Both Reagan and Riley Hiebert put together incredible track seasons, running multiple PRs between the 5k and the 3k steeplechase. They do, however, lose a potent low-stick in Maddy Walter-Sherretts which may keep this team from finishing any higher than they did last year.
2. Milligan Buffaloes
Though the Lady Buffaloes lose their top scorer in Caitlin Dominy, they return Alyssa Bearzi who has won a couple individual national titles. On top of Bearzi taking the place of Dominy, this team returns Hannah Brown and Ellen-Mary Kearney, both of whom placed in the top-30 at the 2024 cross country national meet. Not only that, but the additions of Kirsten Geary, a transfer from Georgetown College in Kentucky (and an All-American in the indoor 5k), and Faith Kipkosgei, who has a 5k personal best time of 18:19 at altitude, should keep this group in the national title conversation for this fall.
1. The Master’s Mustangs
With the return of their entire top-five from last fall, each of whom were All-Americans with the top-four cracking the top-25, it is hard not to place The Master’s as this year's early favorite to win the national team title. The trio of Hannah Fredericks, Suzie Johnson, and Ellen Palmgren is unmatched and you could say the same thing about their top quartet if Rebekah Niednagel replicates her national meet performance more consistently. Plus, with College of Idaho losing some of their firepower, the Master’s should move up one place for NAIA gold in 2024.
