TSR's 2021 D1 Winter XC Preseason Rankings: Top 50 Individuals (Women)

TSR Collaboration
Jan 19, 2021
17 min read

Updated: Jan 19, 2021

The Stride Report has opted to exclude the Ivy League from these rankings as the conference is not expected to compete this winter. The below rankings take performances from this past fall into consideration, but they do not aim to penalize individuals who did not compete.

50. Rachel McArthur, Senior, Colorado

McArthur didn’t officially compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season, but she did race unattached at the OSU Invitational and earned a very solid 4th place finish in a tough field, leading the way for the unattached Buffaloes.

McArthur posted respectable finishes during the 2019 cross country season, her first after transferring to Colorado from Villanova. She ended the fall of 2019 with an 85th place finish at the NCAA Championships and with a full year of Coach Mark Wetmore’s training now under her belt, a higher finish and maybe even an All-American honor is not out of the question for McArthur.

49. Sydney Seymour, Junior, Tennessee

Seymour has made huge strides in her junior year at Tennessee. During the abbreviated cross country season, Seymour raced twice, finishing 2nd at the Louisville Cross Country Classic and 3rd at the Blazer Classic. Although two races is a small sample, Seymour was able to beat out top runners such as Lauren Gregory, Katie Thronson, and Addison Coggins in the process.

Carrying that success into the indoor season, Seymour recently ran in a 5k this past weekend and smashed her personal best by 14 seconds, clocking a mark of 16:40. Given that she handily won the race (18 seconds ahead of 2nd place), it appears that there’s definitely more in the tank for her.

While Tennessee was not able to compete at the SEC Championships this fall, the winter should provide an opportunity for redemption and a chance for Seymour to chase her first All-American honors.

48. Brogan MacDougall, Junior, Wisconsin

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

47. Katelynne Hart, Freshman, Michigan

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

46. Alissa Niggemann, Senior, Wisconsin

Niggemann didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season. She did, however, compete unattached at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions in November and placed 23rd overall, finishing alongside some talented BIG 10 foes.

This past weekend, Niggemann raced the 3k at the Badger Icebreaker, recording a solid time of 9:38, which is not too far off of her PR. She held her own against the Illinois women and seems to be primed for a good XC race at the end of this month.

45. Anna Kostarellis, Senior, New Mexico

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

44. Lotte Black, Senior, Rhode Island

Black didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season. She did, however, race last weekend at the Virginia Tech Invitational where she easily won the 3000 meters in a time of 9:41, 17 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Black had a tremendous 2019-2020 year and should be right on the cusp of earning All-American honors during the winter cross country season come March.

43. Lauren Gregory, Senior, Arkansas

Can Gregory finally put things together at a national meet? The Arkansas senior has been up and down throughout her career, showing exciting talent, but also falling short when it counts. In her previous three NCAA meets, Gregory was 252nd, failed to finish and most recently 72nd. This is her final chance to leave her mark in cross country. Will she capitalize?

The good news for Gregory is that she had a very solid cross country season, finishing in the top-five of every race. She wasn't amazing and didn't originally match her preseason ranking, but she was solid and proved to be one of the better distance runners in the NCAA.

She just ran a 4:39 mile at Arkansas’ indoor track meet and is carrying great momentum into this winter. There is no reason Gregory that can't be an All-American this winter if she runs to her potential. The real question, however, is whether or not she can avoid her prior pitfalls at the national meet this time around.

42. Katie Thronson, Junior, Tennessee

Thronson broke out in a big way during the abbreviated cross country season. She opened her season with a solid 4th place finish at the Louisville Cross Country Classic and followed up that performance with the race of her life.

In a stacked Blazer Classic field, Thronson took the overall win against names such as Lauren Gregory, Sydney Seymour and Jenna Gearing. Despite only racing twice, Thronson had made her name known.

The question heading into 2021 is if she can replicate that success when newer and better competition toes the line. Two races is a small sample, and she didn't even get to race at the SEC Championships, but it is challenging to win with luck in cross country.

Thronson will be a key name to watch as she looks to validate her fall with an even better winter.

41. Marlee Starliper, Freshman, NC State

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

40. Kelsey Chmiel, Sophomore, NC State

During our women’s cross country preview episode of the Blue Oval Podcast, we noted that sophomore women tend to finish seven places lower at the national meet (taken by the median, not average) than they did when they were freshmen.

Right now, that appears to be the direction that Chmiel is headed. After a stellar campaign that saw her finish 23rd at the NCAA Championships, Chmiel struggled a bit during the abbreviated fall season and is a bit of a question mark heading into this winter.

Even so, Chmiel has undeniable talent and her ceiling is near the top of those in the NCAA. Seeing her post more modest performances during the fall was surprising and makes it difficult to rank her for the winter months.

In her three competitions, Chmiel was never particularly close to her top teammates, finishing 16th overall at the ACC Championships. That said, we also saw a handful of other top runners struggle last fall which might be a reason to worry less. It’s no secret that the past year has been anything but normal and Chmiel’s recent regression could have simply been a byproduct of that.

This winter will be a chance for her to find her rhythm again and return to the upper-echelon of the NCAA.

39. Esther Gitahi, Junior, Alabama

After not competing since the 2018 cross country season, Alabama’s Esther Gitahi picked up right where she left off in the SEC. With the emergence of Jami Reed and Mercy Chelangat, Gitahi had two strong training partners to help carry her through races and elevate the Alabama women in the team rankings.

Gitahi raced three times during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season, placing 4th at the Commodore Classic and 10th at the Florida State Invitational before recording a strong 5th place finish at the SEC Championships, a 17 place improvement from her 2018 finish.

She wasn't perfect, but the Crimson Tide low-stick was a key member of Alabama’s 2nd place team finish at SEC's and she is still in a position to earn her first All-American honor in cross country.

38. Aubrey Frentheway, Sophomore, BYU

Frentheway sometimes goes unnoticed at BYU given the depth of the roster, but she is making a name for herself this year. At the OSU Invitational, the Cougar sophomore placed 3rd overall, holding her own against some tough competitors and beating out a top talent in Rachel McArthur. After that strong performance, Frentheway went to the indoor oval and recorded a new 3k personal best of 9:23 (altitude-converted).

Frentheway seems to be finding significant momentum and will look to help lead a young and talented BYU team back to the national cross country meet where the Cougars will attempt to replicate their 2nd place 2019 finish.

37. Sasha Neglia, Freshman, North Carolina

Neglia was, without question, the best freshman of the 2020 fall cross country season. She earned a handful of wins, stayed competitive with some of the best women in the ACC and ended her season with a huge 6th place finish at the ACC Championships.

If Neglia was that good with no experience in her first season of collegiate cross country, what can she do in an entirely new season where she actually has experience and a ton of momentum? Watch out for this UNC rookie over the next two months...

36. Addison Coggins, Junior, Florida State

Although a few of her Florida State teammates didn't quite meet expectations during the abbreviated fall season, Coggins found her rhythm. After an up-and-down season in 2019, the Florida State senior finished in the top-five of every race this fall, peaking with a 5th place run at the ACC Championships.

Like many athletes who had breakthroughs this fall, Coggins is one to watch as the 2021 season kicks off. She showed us that she has a high ceiling with her fall results and is carrying her newly-developed consistency into the winter. Don't be surprised if she builds upon her previous performances over the next two months.

35. Michaela Reinhart, Senior, Duke

Reinhart didn't get enough attention or credit for what she accomplished this past fall. The Duke senior finished an unexciting 6th place at the Virginia Tech Invitational, but began to find some momentum after that. She was part of a 1-2-3 sweep at the Panorama Farms Invitational with her teammates and later secured a huge 4th place finish at the ACC Championships.

We began to see Reinhart find some serious momentum last winter when she 9:13 for 3000 meters and we figured that she would be competitive during cross country. However, I'm not sure anyone at TSR was expecting Reinhart to place 4th at the ACC Championships.

34. Abby Nichols, Senior, Colorado

Competing unattached at the Oklahoma State Invitational this fall, Nichols unofficially began her final year at Colorado with a 22nd place finish. Her race was anything but spectacular considering she finished 41st at the NCAA XC Championships in 2019, but given that Colorado ran unattached, it appears that there was likely little emphasis on this race.

Nichols will have big shoes to fill in her final collegiate season. Colorado lost a handful of seniors from 2019 and will be leaning heavily on Nichols to reach her All-American potential. If she is able to pick up where she left off in 2019, the former Ohio State runner will be in the top-30 of the national meet this winter.

33. Sarah Chapman, Senior, Missouri

The 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships was the first time that Chapman looked like a future contender. She had posted modest results throughout the season, but finished 17th that day, not too far off from an individual qualifying spot.

Chapman carried that momentum all the way into the 2020 cross country season and has since become a major name to watch heading into 2021.

Chapman posted three phenomenal results last fall, taking down the entire Arkansas team at the Gans Creek Classic and later splitting up the Alabama women at the Commodore Classic. She finished 3rd at the SEC Championships, finishing ahead of names such as Esther Gitahi, Lauren Gregory and Taylor Ewert.

Now, as she looks to this winter, Chapman will be looking to keep the ball rolling. Her success against big names should lead to high hopes for winter results.

32. Christina Rice, Senior, UCLA

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

31. Allie Schadler, Senior, Washington

Schadler didn’t compete during the abbreviated 2020 cross country season, but we did get to see her take a massive leap in fitness. The Washington vetern threw down a 4:33 mile during a time trial back in November and later went to the Sound Running Track Meet and earned a huge personal best of 15:33 for 5000 meters.

Schadler was already a talented distance runner, but she has simply run too well on the track to ignore her progression. She absolutely deserves a ranking and could very easily be an All-American come March.

30. Winny Koskei, Rs. Senior, Wichita State

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

29. Jenna Gearing, Senior, Kentucky

Gearing transferred to Kentucky this past summer after competing for Clemson and immediately saw success under a new coaching philosophy. The Wildcat ace started her cross country season with a 5th place finish at the Commodore Classic, but after that, she never failed to finish outside of the top-two.

Gearing’s best performance had to be her 2nd place finish at the SEC Championships where she out paced numerous Arkansas and Alabama women as well as a handful of other breakout SEC talents.

For someone who never broke the top-50 at the ACC Championships in cross country, competing for the win at this year's SEC meet proves that Gearing has the potential to race towards the top-25 at the national cross country meet come March.

28. Taylor Somers, Senior, Oklahoma State

Somers is going to be one of the most polarizing runners to talk about heading into this winter season. The 18th place finisher from the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships only finished in the top-50 of one race this fall season. Where does that put her in 2021?

Somers has undeniable talent and is one of the best in the NCAA when she is at her peak. Her fall season was poor but she was also coming back from an injury sustained prior to the season. Her first races in 2021 will be key indicators of what to expect from her moving forward. If she gets back on the right foot, she could vault herself back into the top-20 before the season ends.

27. Adva Cohen, Senior, New Mexico

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

26. Hannah Nuttall, Rs. Senior, New Mexico

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

25. Bella Williams, Senior, Utah

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

24. Poppy Tank, Rs. Senior, Utah

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

23. Mahala Norris, Rs. Junior, Air Force

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

22. Camila Noe, Rs. Sophomore, Montana State

Noe was one of the bigger surprises of 2019. The redshirt freshman broke onto the scene in a big way, finishing 30th at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors in her first cross country season.

Now, 2021 is here. Can she do it again?

Noe has only competed once since that cross country season, running 16:26 for a cross country 5k which she won by 35 seconds. While her results have been sparse, she looks like ready to roll into the winter right where she left off.

21. Grace Forbes, Sophomore, Rice

Forbes was uncontested during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season at the Conference USA XC Championships where she won the race by 56 seconds. In 2019, Forbes was 5th at the conference meet behind women she comfortably beat this time around. The sophomore posted a jaw-dropping time of 8:56 (3k) at the end of the 2020 indoor track season before NCAA’s was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Based on her dominating performance at the conference championships, it is safe to assume that Forbes is in great shape and still on of the better distance talents in the country. We still need to see her validate that breakout 3k performance from last winter, but an All-American performance is well within reach for the Rice sophomore.

As of right now, the Rice women do not have a cross country meet on their schedule, but Forbes is already an individual qualifier for NCAA's.

20. Lydia Olivere, Junior, Villanova

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

19. Aubrey Roberts, Rs. Senior, Stanford

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

18. Amanda Vestri, Senior, Syracuse

During the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season, Vestri of Syracuse saw competition three times and competed in a time trial at Syracuse.

She opened her 2020 campaign with two victories, one at the Army vs Syracuse Dual and the other at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown. Against Army, Vestri won the race by 42 seconds, but the Battle in Beantown was much closer, as Vestri only won by four seconds.

Either way, a win is a win and these performances helped Vestri gear up for a strong performance at the ACC XC Championships where she placed 2nd overall, losing only to Dominique Clairmonte and beating out top-ranked talent Hannah Steelman.

Vestri is in a good place heading into the winter cross country season. She gained valuable experience during the fall and has already taken that momentum over to the track where she has run a solo 16:09 (5k). The Syracuse runner has some of the best momentum in the NCAA right now.

After not qualifying for the national cross country meet in 2019, Vestri is making a name for herself as a top-20 contender.

17. Katelyn Tuohy, Freshman, NC State

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season. There is a ton of uncertainty with Tuohy and we don't know what her status will be for this fall. However, we're not going to penalize runners for not racing during the altered 2020 cross country season. We'll eventually get a better understanding of her status this winter, it just may take a while.

16. Taylor Roe, Oklahoma State, Sophomore

If you didn’t know who Taylor Roe was before this fall, you're probably not be alone. All of her results at Oklahoma State had been relatively under-the-radar prior to this past fall, peaking with a 16th place finish at the BIg 12 Championships in 2019.

Now? She is a contender for top-10 spot at the NCAA Championships this winter.

How does someone make a jump that big? Well, take a look at her fall season.

She finished runner-up three times, losing to only Cailie Logue (twice) and Whittni Orton. Her average time behind those standout stars? Only 10 seconds. Her average time ahead of 3rd place? 37 seconds.

Sometimes someone has a breakout race or season that might be a fluke. This is not one of those cases. Roe put down three convincing performances against top competition that have vaulted her to the top of these rankings.

15. Bailey Hertenstein, Junior, Indiana

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

14. Egle Morenaite, Senior, Iona

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

13. Bethany Hasz, Rs. Senior, Minnesota

Hasz didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

The Minnesota Gopher has raced twice during the indoor track season so far, recording two solo performances of 9:24 (3k) and 15:50 (3k). Although those are still a bit off from personal bests, Hasz has shown that she can race well uncontested and is in great fitness heading into the BIG 10 XC Championships.

12. Maria Mettler, Senior, Air Force

Mettler didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season, but she put together a very impressive 10k at the Sound Running Track Meet in December. In her first-ever 10k, Mettler ran 32:09, beating out several women who have been All-Americans before and a few others who are in the conversation each year to place well at a national meet.

The Air Force senior was 36th at the 2019 national cross country meet after being sidelined earlier that fall. On a crummy day in Terre Haute, Mettler proved that she is a talent who can compete alongside the best in the NCAA.

After such a strong 10k, Mettler has raised her stock quite a bit.

11. Hannah Steelman, Senior, NC State

One of the many new faces to join North Carolina State this summer, Hannah Steelman is already making an impact. The former Wofford runner capped her 2019 cross country season with an excellent 22nd place finish at the NCAA Championships.

So what does she bring to the Wolfpack? A potential number one scorer? Another All-American runner? Maybe even a top-10 finisher at the NCAA Championships? All certainly seem possible.

Steelman raced three times this past fall where she finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Without over-analyzing those races and trying to gauge the nuances of which runners are better than others, all signs point towards Steelman being healthy and ready to roll this winter.

10. Mercy Chelangat, Junior, Alabama

After just missing out on qualifying for the cross country national meet in 2019, Alabama’s Chelangat put together a very impressive 2020 indoor track season and an even stronger cross country season this past fall. After running 15:37 for 5000 meters during indoors, big things were expected to happen for Chelangat on the grass...and that is exactly happened.

The junior opened her cross country season with a 3rd place finish, finishing alongside teammate Esther Gitahi. After that performance, Chelangat didn’t look back as she won the next two outings for the Crimson Tide and was instrumental in the team posting top finishes.

Her most impressive race had to be the SEC Championships where she took down a strong contingent of breakout runners and top competitors to win by 12 seconds. That dominating conference win looks great alongside her eye-catching 5k personal best and it validates the Alabama runner as a true NCAA star.

9. Dominique Clairmonte, Senior, NC State

Is this finally going to be Clairmonte’s year? Over her first three cross country seasons, she missed All-American honors by an average of only 18 places. The NC State senior has been one of the most consistent runners over her career and is poised for a big final season.

Clairmonte had a huge 2020 fall season where she won two of three races, including the individual title at the ACC XC Championships where she had to take down Vestri and Steelman. It would be anything short of shocking if Clairmonte wasn't an All-American this winter and she will likely finish substantially higher than 30th to 40th place.

Some people may be skeptical of giving Clairmonte such a generous ranking, but she was running with (and beating) Steelman throughout the season. We view Steelman very highly when it comes to cross country, so we couldn't help but bump Clairmonte into our top-10.

8. Molly Born, Junior, Oklahoma State

Born didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

7. Ericka VanderLende, Sophomore, Michigan

VanderLende didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season. She has since raced once on the track, recording a time of 9:20 for 3000 meters which matches her current personal best.

Starting off where she finished the 2020 indoor season is promising as she heads into the BIG 10 XC Championships at the end of January. Don't, however, use her recent 3k performance as a gauge of where she will be come March. She's better on the grass than the track.

6. Cailie Logue, Senior, Iowa State

Coming off of an undefeated fall season of three races, Logue looks determined to make 2021 her year. After struggling at the national meet during her first two years with Iowa state, Logue had a big breakthrough in 2019 after she finished 15th overall. This year, she looks like a solid bet for the top-10.

If her fall season is not enough evidence of her true talent, then how about running a personal best by a minute and 17 seconds in the 10k? With limited racing opportunities, Logue traveled down to Southern California to run a 10k at the Sound Running Track Meet. Her mark of 32:19 was a huge personal best and it should give her great momentum heading into 2021.

5. Melany Smart, Sophomore, Washington

Smart didn’t compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season. However, Washington did hold a few time trials during the fall semester where Smart ran marks of 9:20 (3k) and 19:36 (6k). Based on those performances, Smart appears to be in a good position heading into the winter cross country season.

4. Joyce Kimeli, Senior, Auburn

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

3. Jessica Lawson, Senior, Stanford

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

2. Ella Donaghu, Rs. Senior, Stanford

Did not compete during the abbreviated fall 2020 cross country season.

1. Whittni Orton, Senior, BYU

After a dominant indoor season in 2020, Orton comes into this cross country season as the top returner and the clear favorite. She was 7th at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country, but the six women ahead of her are gone, leaving Orton as the heir to the throne.

The BYU senior toed the line for just one cross country race during the fall. At the Oklahoma State Invitational, Orton ran with the leaders through 4000 meters before gapping them (and Taylor Roe) by 11 seconds to win the race. With her ability to run anything from the mile to the 8k, there is not a clear tactic on how to beat Orton right now.

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

List may be longer than usual as we attempt not to penalize athletes for not running and aim to reward athletes who ran well this past fall (and so far this winter).

Julia Heymach (Stanford)
Taylor Ewert (Arkansas)
Nicole Fegans (Georgia Tech)
Megan Hasz (Minnesota)
Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)
Allison Pray (Southern Utah)
Kailee Perry (Bowling Green)
Ashley Tutt (Northern Illinois)
Jenna Magness (Michigan State)
Jordan Oakes (Stanford)
Jami Reed (Alabama)
Holly Bent (Colorado)
Gabby Hentemann (Oklahoma State)
Taryn O'Neill (Northern Arizona)
Shona McCulloch (Washington)
Zofia Dudek (Stanford)
Mikayla Gallagher (Air Force)
Haley Herberg (Washington)
Rebecca Craddock (Illinois)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Anastasia Korzenowski (Minnesota)
Anna Camp (BYU)
Anne Forsyth (Michigan)
Camille Davre (Michigan)
Erika Adler (UCLA)
Abi Archer (Stanford)
Christina Aragon (Stanford)
Anna Pataki (Portland)
Jessa Hanson (Northern Arizona)
Sarah Schmitt (Indiana)
Logan Morris (Arkansas)
Mariah Howlett (NC State)
Samantha Schadler (Duke)
Lauren White (Boston College)
Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)
Paige Hofstad (North Carolina)
Allison McGrath (Illinois)

Notes

- Dorcas Wasike has proven to be an outstanding distance talent in the past, but her continued absences and sub-par performances have made it difficult for us to leave her in the rankings.

- Lauren Ryan, who had an excellent year of racing in Australia during the pandemic, is not listed in our rankings because she is not expected to return to Florida State this winter.

- Anna Juul (Harvard), Alexandra Hays (Columbia) and Kayley DeLay (Yale) would have been in consideration for an Honorable Mention or a Just Missed spot. However, because the Ivy League is not expected to compete this winter, they were ultimately left off.

- Megan Hasz is a top talent, but her recent performances on the indoor oval haven't been great. As a result, we were prompted to leave her out of her preseason winter rankings.

- Aoibhe Richardson is no longer listed on San Francisco's roster. It is unclear if she will still be competing in the NCAA, but if she is, then she will certainly return to our rankings.

- Annie Fuller has fallen out of our rankings as she no longer has cross country eligibility remaining.