TSR's 2022 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #2

Written by Maura Beattie & Scotty Loughlin, additional commentary and edits by Garrett Zatlin

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NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fares throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at the NCAA XC Championships or a singular meet.

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KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in the rankings.

The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last update.

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50. Savannah Roark, Sophomore, Syracuse (-3 / 46)

One of the biggest reasons why the Syracuse women have had success this fall is because Savannah Roark is having a breakout season. Her role as a low-stick scorer has made her a massively valuable scoring asset for the Orange and that is partially why she remains in our rankings.

A 31st place finish at Nuttycombe is very strong, although there a few women who beat Roark on Friday who aren't listed in our rankings. That's because Roark also finished 9th at the Cowboy Jamboree, making it hard to argue that too many non-ranked women have a more complete resume than she does.

For that reason, Roark settles in at TSR #50.

49. Kelsey Harrington, Sophomore, North Carolina (Unranked)

Even after giving her a spot in our top-50, it feels like Kelsey Harrington potentially deserved a higher ranking. While she just had a huge race at Nuttycombe (where she placed 27th), which was arguably the best cross country result of her career, Harrington's consistency this season as been just as valuable.

Placing 4th at the IU Coaching Tree Invitational and 8th at Paul Short aren't results that are going to blow you away, but they're still solid performances which make Harrington's recent result seem much more legitimate.

And as our TSR readers know, we value consistency a lot in these rankings.

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

Elise Thorner was a “Just Missed” name in our most recent rankings update, but has staked her claim as a TSR top-50 athlete after an eyebrow-raising 25th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

Thorner was able to cover substantial ground over the final kilometer to catch multiple runners and help the Lobos tie NC State in team scoring.

We knew coming into the season that Thorner could make a leap on the grass given her 5th place finish in the steeplechase at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Of course, actually seeing that talent manifest before our eyes left us with no choice but to recognize Thorner in our rankings with the potential to contend for an All-American finish in November.

Her Joe Piane performance was respectable, but this most recent result is enough high-level consistency for her to crack our list once more.

47. Izzy Thornton-Bott, Senior, Oregon (Unranked)

A relatively quiet season opener at the Bill Dellinger Invitational left Izzy Thornton-Bott off our low-stick radar, but she has since cemented herself as a high-impact performer with a 24th place finish at Nuttycombe.

The Oregon Ducks have established their lineup structure as one that runs as a pack with a narrow time spread at the 2-3-4-5 scoring spots. But having Thornton-Bott emerge as a spark up front offers the UO women greater potential to succeed as a team, especially with Alessia Zarbo not yet racing.

Thornton-Bott's Nuttycombe result suggests that she has All-American potential, and we have seen flashes of promise from her in the past, but until we see the replication of a strong mark like that again out of Thornton-Bott, she’ll settle in at TSR #47...for now.

46. Simone Plourde, Sophomore, Utah (Unranked)

Dating back to her rookie campaign as a BYU Cougar, Simone Plourde has been a consistent middle distance runner with questions about how her speed could translate to the cross country course.

In her first cross country race as a Utah Ute in September of 2021, Plourde finished an impressive 6th place overall at Bill Dellinger and appeared to be on track for a strong sidekick role to support teammate Emily Venters.

That same spark was largely absent after an unexciting 23rd place finish at the Griak Invitational earlier this fall. But at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Plourde delivered an explosive 22nd place finish in what felt like a huge breakout performance for not just her, but for Utah’s top four scorers.

The Utes are on the rise as a collective unit and if Plourde can continue racing within reach of Venters, then she could pick up the first All-American honor of her still-young career. Her youth gives her plenty of upside, although we'll still need to see a bit more consistency from this younger talent moving forward.

45. Chloe Scrimgeour, Sophomore, Georgetown (-1 / 44)

Chloe Scrimgeour has not raced since our last update.

44. Halle Hamilton, Sophomore, Air Force (Unranked)

43. Lindsey Peters, Sophomore, Air Force (Unranked)

This low-stick duo from the Air Force practically came out of absolutely nowhere at Nuttycombe. Peters and Hamilton had stellar races in Wisconsin, finishing 20th and 21st, respectively, in efforts that we never expected to see out of them this season.

Earlier in the season, the Falcon sophomores ventured to Oklahoma State for the Cowboy Jamboree and had respectable days as Peters finished 30th and Hamilton finished 54th. But based on these results, not many would’ve expected those two women to outperform their potential in a much deeper Nuttycombe field...but they did and then some.

The Mountain West XC Championships is next on tap for the Air Force and that would will be a massive opportunity for Peters and Hamilton. They will get the opportunity to go head-to-head with a slew of New Mexico Lobos, some of whom they just beat, in hopes of truly validating their recent breakout races.

The 2022 cross country season could shape into a Cinderella Story for Peters and Hamilton, but much like many breakout names from this past weekend, we'd like to see them offer a bit more consistency at this level before they are ranked any higher.

42. Annika Reiss, Junior, Northern Arizona (-11 / 31)

Annika Reiss slides down a handful of spots after a serviceable 40th place result at Nuttycombe. That was a solid performance, but it was not as close to the firepower that we previously saw from her at the Cowboy Jamboree where she placed 6th.

All things considered, this finish was not at all a poor performance for the Northern Arizona veteran who has found stardom this season late into her career.

Although our ranking suggests that Reiss is now on the outside-looking-in for an All-American honor, the progression that we’ve seen from her teammate Elise Stearns cannot be ignored when evaluating Reiss considering how they were able to key off each other at the Cowboy Jamboree (where the NCAA XC Championships will be held in November).

For now, we’ll conservatively land the plane at TSR #42 for Reiss.

41. Maggie Donahue, Junior, Georgetown (-9 / 32)

Maggie Donahue has been great this season. It's true, she hasn't flexed the ultra-elite scoring potency that her previous results success suggested that she would reach in 2022, but her ongoing reliableness as a low-stick is hard to ignore.

We love Donahue's consistency, even if she's losing to a few women who she should be beating. Finishing 33rd at Nuttycombe is fine, but her resume looks better as a collective whole when you also look at her 3rd place finish at Paul Short and her 5th place finish at the IU Coaching Tree Invitational.

40. Yasna Petrova, Sophomore, California Baptist (Unranked)

In the first season where her team is eligible to compete in the Division One postseason, it’s looking more and more like Yasna Petrova could earn a prestigious All-American honor.

Petrova first crossed our radar as an “Honorable Mention” name in our previous rankings update after finishing 3rd at the Griak Invitational behind established talents Emily Venters and Addie Engel.

More recently, however, Petrova’s stock rose even further as the Lancer ace took 2nd overall at the Weis-Crockett Invitational, taking down Liberty star Calli Doan in the process and finishing close behind Billah Jepkirui.

Petrova has displayed her abilities on multiple competitive stages and continues to provide tremendous value to a California Baptist squad that could seriously turn some heads at the NCAA XC Championships in November.

39. Amina Maatoug, Sophomore, Duke (0 / 39)

Even without much NCAA experience, Maatoug has found herself amongst the nation’s best each time she races. Most recently at the Nuttycombe Invite, the Duke Blue Devil hovered around the top-half of the field before crossing the line in 28th place.

Maatoug saw her toughest competition at Nuttycombe and she held her own. To finish 28th overall, only five seconds out from the top-20, still leaves us wondering if her ceiling hasn’t been reached yet. She finished behind eight fellow ACC competitors and could likely challenge any of them at her conference meet in a few short weeks for a top-five finish.

And when you pair that result with her 2nd place finish at Paul Short, our TSR #39 ranking seems relatively fair given what she has shown us this fall.

Duke’s newest athlete is putting the Blue Devils back on the national scene right and as she flirts with a potential All-American finish, we can’t help but hope for momentum to continue to build in her favor.

38. Bethany Graham, Sophomore, Furman (-12 / 26)

It wasn’t necessarily a rough race for Bethany Graham at Nuttycombe, but there were certainly better performances that have her dropping a bit in our rankings.

The Furman Paladin was solid through the first 4000 meters of the race, but then started to falter in the last third of the race, ultimately finishing 30th overall. Graham came into this race with some solid momentum after winning her first race of the season and finishing a solid runner-up at the Louisville Classic behind Ceili McCabe, but there wasn’t enough of that energy to carry her to a top-15 finish in Wisconsin.

Graham won’t see much competition other than her teammates at the Southern Conference XC Championships, so as long as she is able to regroup for the Southeast regional meet, the potential for the sophomore to jump back into the top-30 is there.

37. Emma Heckel, Sophomore, New Mexico (-21 / 16)

Has Emma Heckel been the top-10 star that we thought she could be this season?

No, she has not, but a 26th place finish at Nuttycombe is still pretty good! And when you consider that 16th place finish at Joe Piane was hardly a poor effort, one has. to realize that Heckel still provides excellent scoring value for New Mexico even if she isn't the low-stick star that we thought she could be.

Heckel's prior All-American success also gives her a bit more staying-power in these rankings. That's why, for now, she sits at TSR #37.

36. Tori Herman, Sophomore, Kentucky (+2 / 38)

Herman has been racing in the shadows of teammate Perri Bockrath this season, but that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t caught our attention.

The Kentucky ace posted a strong runner-up finish at the Panorama Farms Invite this past weekend, finishing six seconds behind Bockrath, the closest she’s been all season. She held off the charge from a trio of Virginia athletes to give the Wildcats a solid 1-2 punch.

Overall, that was a solid result for Herman, but that was also where she was projected to finish. On paper, nothing that we saw from her on Saturday should be considered super surprising, although the consistency is a nice positive.

The SEC XC Championships will be no easy task for Herman given the depth of the conference, but the All-American Wildcat knows what it takes to race alongside the leaders.

35. Marlee Starliper, Rs. Freshman, NC State (-6 / 29)

Marlee Starliper has not raced since our last update.

34. Billah Jepkirui, Freshman, Oklahoma State (Unranked)

Unlike her other top Cowgirl teammates, Jepkirui raced at the Weis-Crockett Invitational and not only saw improvements from her Cowboy Jamboree performance, but also put together a historically quick mark.

Jepkirui positioned herself well in only her second collegiate race of her young career and defended her home course for the Cowgirls. The Kenyan freshman won the race with a time of 20:15, a 29-second improvement from her earlier performance on the same course. It was also the sixth-fastest time in course history, a big development to monitor given that this is the same venue for the NCAA XC Championships in November.

Looking at Jepkirui’s result and comparing it to the Cowboy Jamboree gives us some promising information to begin pondering.

This rising Cowgirl ace is just beginning to touch the surface of her potential and if she can close the gap between herself and Natalie Cook and Taylor Roe, then Oklahoma State and Jepkirui could be onto something special...really special.

33. Gabby Hentemann, Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 33)

Gabby Hentemann has not raced since our last update.

32. Emily Covert, Rs. Sophomore, Colorado (-23 / 9)

At Nuttycombe, Covert was expected to be a top-10 finisher based on her current resume and historical performances. However, things didn’t shape out that way this past weekend.

The Buffalo veteran showed some vulnerability on the course when she finished 29th overall, a result that was behind many athletes who she would typically beat on any other day. Covert was sitting in a good position, 16th place, heading into the final 2000 meters, but she was passed by too many athletes to keep her standing in the top-20.

Pairing that solid, but relatively underwhelming, result with her modest 16th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree, has certainly left us wanting more from Covert this season.

Covert’s race didn’t help the Colorado Buffaloes in the team standings as they fell to 9th overall. If this veteran can regain her top form at the PAC-12 XC Championships, then she not only will regain a top-20 spot in our rankings, but will surely help her team match their potential.

31. Brynn Brown, Sophomore, North Carolina (+12 / 43)

Up until this point of the season, Brynn Brown’s primary competition has been the Georgetown trio of Chloe Scrimgeour, Maggie Donahue and Sami Corman at some relatively competitive, but not necessarily elite, fields.

But on Friday, in the biggest regular season meet of the year, Brown got the better of the Hoya women (besides Scrimgeour who did not race) by crossing the line in 19th place ahead of many athletes who have All-American honors to their names. It was a massive low-stick performance that was closer to her full potential than her past results had suggested.

Brown's ceiling is not yet fully known, and her upcoming race at the ACC XC Championships against the NC State women, Olivia Markezich, Savannah Roark and others will provide a huge opportunity for Brown to continue moving up our rankings if she delivers.

But at the very least, Brown has reliably emerged as a true low-stick who has clearly improved from last year. She has arguably been one of the most consistent front-runners in the country this fall.

30. Perri Bockrath, Senior, Kentucky (+5 / 35)

Pockrath has been consistent all season long and with the SEC XC Championships next, we will get to see how Kentucky’s newest rising star compares to Parker Valby, Isabel Van Camp and the Alabama women.

But first, let’s pick apart her winning performance at the Panorama Farms Invitational.

Bockrath won her second race of the season, beating teammate Tori Herman by six seconds. This win by the Kentucky Wildcat has to give us (and probably her) more confidence heading into the conference and regional meets. And if her 5k cross country time of 16:23, only 13 seconds shy of her track PR, indicates anything, it's that her strength has only gotten better.

Momentum is very clearly on Bockrath's favor. She ran 9:52 in the steeplechase this past spring, qualified for the outdoor national meet and has even taken down a top-ranked name in Hilda Olemomoi this fall.

The SEC XC Championships will be a tough challenge for Bockrath, but based on her two wins this season and her 8th place showing at the Cowboy Jamboree, could she find herself amongst the top-five?

If so, then she'll get yet another nice bump up in our rankings.

29. Zofia Dudek, Sophomore, Stanford (Unranked)

Zofia Dudek left distance running fans encouraged in her season debut with a 16th place finish at Nuttycombe which was vital to Stanford hanging on to a decent team result.

Entering the season, we were hoping that Dudek would be able to channel her flashes of brilliance from the past (specifically the winter cross country season) into a consistent collection of strong performances. During the winter of 2021, she was beyond elite, but has since been a bit quieter since then.

But now we have tangible evidence that the Cardinal ace is once again a legitimate low-stick who has the upside to be far more formidable in national-caliber fields. She’s run like an All-American once this season, but to maintain this spot or move up in our rankings, we’ll need to see this level of firepower replicated.

Luckily, her past performances suggest that she can feasibly reach that point.

28. Sydney Seymour, Senior, NC State (-10 / 18)

Sydney Seymour has continued to be a valuable scoring asset for an NC State lineup which is seeking to repeat as national champions.

While she was able to salvage a respectable 23rd place finish at Nuttycombe, she was initially on track for a top-10 finish at the 4000 meter mark. Her ability to still complete the race timely while minimizing excessive scoring showed us the veteran composure that we know Seymour has.

However, that result also requires us to drop her ranking due to various athletes with similar levels of fitness getting the better of the Wolfpack star on Friday.

Overall, Seymour is still having a strong season under her new coach and will continue to play a heavy scoring role as NC State enters the postseason. We also believe that the Joe Piane Invitational (where she placed 6th) is closer to her full potential.

27. McKenna Lee, Rs. Senior, BYU (+23 / 50)

Our previous rankings update featured the following statement:

“It feels like luck will swing Lee’s way soon...it just has to!”

And sure enough, it did!

It would be foolish to chalk up McKenna Lee’s recent result -- a 15th place finish at Nuttycombe -- as “lucky” for such an established and talented veteran. However, this was certainly the breakthrough result that we’ve been waiting to see from the Cougar ace.

Lee has flexed consistency and firepower this season. At this point, it’s seeming more likely that Lee will earn her first All-American honor on the grass this season with the potential to even crack the top-20 at the NCAA XC Championships.

And after placing 18th at the Cowboy Jamboree earlier this season, the consistency and reliability of Lee has made her a wildly valuable scorer in the NCAA this fall.

26. Olivia Markezich, Junior, Notre Dame (-9 / 17)

A handful of breakout performances by other athletes force us to drop Olivia Markezich in our rankings, but make no mistake, this Notre Dame ace was still excellent on Friday.

A 17th place finish at Nuttycombe was par for a runner of Markezich’s caliber, but the Irish star was going to need a result closer to the top-10 to maintain her former ranking.

And while her 8th place finish at Joe Piane certainly helps her resume substantially, the other women who had breakout races this past weekend also seemed to have fairly complete resumes and Nuttycombe arguably holds more weight than any other regular season meet this year.

While Markezich has now clearly established herself as Notre Dame’s surefire low-stick on multiple occasions, we’ll need to see her peak in the postseason like she did last season to climb back up our charts.

25. Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rs. Junior, Oregon State (Unranked)

Grace Fetherstonhaugh has broken out in a huge way this cross country season.

Prior to this fall, she had the resume of an elite steeplechaser with a personal best of 9:37. However, her otherworldly level of fitness shown on the track had not previously been seen on the grass...until now.

After a very encouraging 14th place result at Joe Piane that put the Beaver veteran on our “Just Missed” radar, Fetherstonhaugh shattered any doubt that she was a one-race-wonder, as she once again finished 14th, but this time in the most competitive regular season meet in the country (Nuttycombe).

We simply cannot ignore Fetherstonhaugh’s progression this season. She's not only a top-tier talent, but she's getting better and better and holding her own in loaded fields. For that reason she checks in at TSR #25.

24. Calli Doan, Senior, Liberty (-10 / 14)

On the surface, a 3rd place finish for Calli Doan at the Weis-Crockett Invitational would seem to be in line with our expectations for her. However, that would be if the race had featured Oklahoma State’s Natalie Cook and Taylor Roe…and neither of those Cowgirls competed on Saturday.

While this result was by no means “poor” for Doan, we’ve opted to drop her ranking by a few spots due to Billah Jepkirui taking home the win in a somewhat comfortable fashion (17 seconds ahead of Doan).

The Liberty veteran will still have a shot at redemption later this season, and there's no denying that she's a top-tier talent after her previous All-American effort and 7th place Joe Piane finish. That's ultimately why she's still a good bit ahead of Jepkiuri in these rankings.

Her thorough and consistent resume would suggest that she’ll capitalize on her talent in the postseason with a stronger result the next time that she toes the line.

23. Grace Forbes, Junior, Rice (-12 / 11)

Grace Forbes has not raced since our last update.

22. Hilda Olemomoi, Freshman, Alabama (+3 / 25)

21. Amaris Tyynismaa, Junior, Alabama (-1 / 22)

There isn’t much to say about Tyynismaa and Olemomoi’s races over the weekend at the Alabama Crimson Classic. The two ranked athletes, along with teammate Mercy Chelangat, swept the competition by a decent margin.

Tyynismaa was the first Alabama runner across the line and Olemomoi was less than a second behind as the runner-up. Although not much competition was challenging them, these are promising results for Tyynismaa and Olemomoi following their Joe Piane performances, especially for Tyynismaa after a modest 16th place finish at that same meet.

20. Addie Engel, Sophomore, Ohio State (+3 / 23)

A runner-up finish at the Arturo Barrios Invite highlighted Addie Engel’s weekend.

Although she wasn’t able to keep pace with Florida's Parker Valby, she held her own and didn’t let the fast tempo upfront affect her race plan. Engel’s performance is still enough to keep her name in our top-30 as she was 15 seconds ahead of teammate Danielle Santos, the 3rd place finisher.

Engel is an All-American talent who has shown that on multiple occasions this fall and in previous seasons. The Ohio State sophomore has consistently finished in the top-two in all four of her races this season and is a heavy favorite to win her first BIG 10 cross country title.

19. Samantha Bush, Junior, NC State (-11 / 8)

Samantha Bush drops to our TSR #19 spot after a solid, but not quite top-10 worthy, performance at Nuttycombe where she placed 18th overall.

At this point last season, Bush’s stock was on the rise as she finished in the exact same place (18th) as this same meet. However, expectations have been much higher for the Wolfpack veteran this time around after her top-five Joe Piane result a few weeks back and because of her success on the oval last year.

Multiple athletes from New Mexico were able to form a gap on Bush over the last two kilometers at Nuttycombe which effectively put NC State in a vulnerable position for the team win which went to a tiebreaker.

If Bush is able to hang with the powerful duo up front for the Wolfpack, then her ranking will rise closer to where it was during our last update. But for now, we're trying to properly balance her incredibly impressive Joe Piane result and her slightly more modest Nuttycombe effort.

18. Amelia Mazza-Downie, Junior, New Mexico (+10 / 28)

Amelia Mazza-Downie continues to add evidence which suggests that she has little-to-no weaknesses in her repertoire.

Her strength as an elite 10k runner was on full display at Nuttycombe where the New Mexico veteran charged forward to pass 10 runners over the final two kilometers to notch a signature 12th place result.

Mazza-Downie was able to execute her race plan to perfection on the biggest stage that the NCAA has held thus far during the 2022 season. If she continues firing on all cylinders like this in the postseason, then it would be surprising to see the Lobo star miss out on an All-American finish.

Her reliability and ceiling, as well as her promising 10th place finish at Joe Piane, bumps her up to a well-deserved top-20 ranking.

17. Isabel Van Camp, Junior, Arkansas (+10 / 27)

It was a big race at Nuttycombe for Arkansas' Isabel Van Camp as she solidified herself as one to never bet against.

Van Camp had the best race of her season thus far when she crossed the line in 10th, only four seconds out of the top-five. The Razorback veteran moved up nicely over the course of the 6000 meter race, recording positions of 33rd after 2000 meters and 14th after 4000 meters en route to her 10th place.

She matched her 10th place finish from the Cowboy Jamboree, but that Nuttycombe 10th place finish is worth much more towards Van Camp’s ranking as we enter the championship portion of the season.

And yes, Van Camp did beat Frentheway on Friday, but that margin of victory was only by 0.40 seconds while Fretheway got the better of Van Camp by 14 seconds at the Cowboy Jamboree.

Even so, if Van Camp rides the momentum train that she has boarded, then there’s no telling how high she can finish at the NCAA XC Championships come November.

16. Aubrey Frentheway, Senior, BYU (-4 / 12)

Every fall, almost like clockwork, the BYU women have an elite low-stick at the top of their lineup. This season is no different, and the leader of the Cougar pack in 2022 has turned out to be Aubrey Frentheway.

Throughout her career, Frentheway has been a strong support piece for BYU, typically as a consistent middle-lineup scorer for the Cougars which has still led to her being a two-time All-American. But in our eyes, she has truly entered a new tier in 2022.

Most recently, Frentheway continued her exceptional campaign on the grass with an 11th place finish at Nuttycombe.

While her ranking drops a few spots due to the performances of other athletes, it feels like Frentheway’s consistency and firepower lend themselves to propelling her back into the top-12 of our rankings rather than to drop her outside of our top-20.

15. Gracelyn Larkin, Junior, New Mexico (0 / 15)

14. Samree Dishon, Sophomore, New Mexico (+28 / 42)

What a dominant performance at Nuttycombe for this New Mexico duo!

Gracelyn Larkin continues to be one of the most reliable low-sticks in the NCAA no matter what field she toes the line for. Her 9th place finish at Nuttycombe was another feather in the cap of a career full of elite top-10 results.

On the other hand, Samree Dishon’s season has been one of the breakout variety, adding to the Lobos depth when they were already one of the deepest teams in the nation. Finishing 8th place at Nuttycombe gives us no choice but to rocket Dishon up our rankings into a top-15 slot.

Both of these athletes have been pivotal to New Mexico’s quest to put pressure on the NC State women at the NCAA XC Championships in November. Replicating top-10 results like this on the national stage could maybe, just maybe, reverse the team results from last season and put the Lobos in a gold medal position.

13. Maia Ramsden, Sophomore, Harvard (+21 / 34)

The last time we updated our rankings, our thoughts on Harvard's Maia Ramsden sounded something like this:

“We'll admit, a TSR #34 ranking feels a bit high for Maia Ramsden, but when you break it all down, she's plenty deserving of this spot.”

Suddenly, that ranking doesn’t feel high at all -- in fact, it feels drastically low. That’s because the Harvard superstar was able to back up her 7th place finish from the Cowboy Jamboree with another 7th place finish, this time at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

The sophomore has shown veteran composure on multiple outings at national-caliber fields and has stunned us twice in comparison to our expectations for her entering those races.

We won’t let her stun us again, so we’ve opted to reward her efforts with a TSR #13 ranking.

12. Everlyn Kemboi, Senior, Utah Valley (-6 / 6)

Friday wasn’t one of Everlyn Kemboi's better days (at Nuttycombe), but it certainly wasn't bad, either. After a stellar opening to her 2022 cross country season in her last few races, this Utah Valley ace faltered just a bit and ended up finishing 13th overall.

After her 3rd place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree and Paul Short victory, we would’ve expected to see this Wolverine veteran challenge for a top-five finish. However, in a slightly deeper and more challenging field than what she faced earlier this season, Kemboi was three seconds shy of cracking the top-10.

There is still more time for Kemboi to reclaim her top-10 ranking, but we will have to wait for her to see how well she regroups for redemption. The WAC XC Championships and Mountain regional meet are on tap for Utah Valley and those races should allow Kemboi to fix a few racing tactics to ensure that she puts herself in the battle for a top-10 spot at the national meet.

11. Emily Venters, Rs. Senior, Utah (+11 / 22)

Emily Venters is no longer running at the All-American level that she flexed many years ago at Boise State.

Instead, she has eclipsed that form and has found an entirely new level of elite production.

By adding a 6th place finish at Nuttycombe alongside her win at the Griak Invitational, Venters' stock continues to rise to an unprecedented level. With every passing week, concerns of her DNF result at last fall’s NCAA XC Championships continue to dwindle, and the prospects of her notching a top-10 finish at this year’s national meet look more and more realistic.

Few women in the NCAA have the momentum that Venters does right now and she may be one of the last women we would want to toe the line against right now.

10. Bailey Hertenstein, Rs. Senior, Colorado (+9 / 19)

At this point in the season, Bailey Hertenstein has established herself as Colorado’s lead runner. We’ve known her to be a consistent All-American on the grass in seasons past with the Indiana Hoosiers, but after recording a dynamite 5th place finish at Nuttycombe, Hertenstein has entered an entirely new tier of cross country firepower.

The competition the Buffalo ace has been able to take down on multiple occasions -- at both the Cowboy Jamboree and Nuttycombe -- suggests that Hertenstein is not only on track to pick up a third All-American honor this season, but potentially a top-10 finish at the national meet along the way.

That momentum, paired with her overwhelming level of experience, makes her a very dangerous runner in 2022.

9. Kaylee Mitchell, Junior, Oregon State (+4 / 13)

In our previous rankings update, we said this about Kaylee Mitchell:

“Suddenly, seeing Mitchell ranked at TSR #13 feels almost conservative, but we can’t put too much stock into a single performance. The Beaver ace will have an opportunity to crack our top-10 if she rides this hot streak into a successful finish at the upcoming Nuttycombe Invitational.”

Well, Mitchell accomplished everything that we asked of her (and arguably more) as she not only validated her consistency by avoiding an “off” day at Nuttycombe, but she also transcended our expectations with an incredible 4th place finish.

Welcome to the top-10, Kaylee!

Mitchell is looking more and more like a lock for a top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Her consistency in these loaded fields is so impressive and she simply looks sharper than ever before.

If she carries this fitness to the oval, then the Oregon State star could be a legitimate threat to win the national title in the 3000 meter steeplechase come the spring.

8. Elise Stearns, Sophomore, Northern Arizona (+22 / 30)

Stearns is the real deal.

Must we say more after her 3rd place finish at Nuttycombe?

This NAU Lumberjack is on a new level this fall and just showed us that her top-five finish at the Cowboy Jamboree was no fluke.

The newly-minted star for NAU placed herself amongst the top-eight at Nuttycombe this past weekend and never fell out of that spot. Stearns found an extra gear to move past five runners over the course of the last 2000 meter and finished a clear 3rd place overall. She masterfully navigated past some of the best women in the NCAA who are, on paper, far more accomplished her.

Stearns is making a case for herself to be a top-five national meet finisher as we enter the championship portion of the season. The BIG Sky XC Championships should be a walk in the park for this Lumberjack ace before getting to race the New Mexico Lobos, Colorado Buffaloes and BYU Cougars at the Mountain Regional XC Championships (where the focus will likely just be to qualify for the national meet).

This breakout star has beaten all of the women who she will face at her regional meet, but it will be a good tune-up prior to vying for her first All-American honor.

7. Ceili McCabe, Junior, West Virginia (-2 / 5)

In only her second race of the season, West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe quietly took down the field at the Penn State National Challenge by 26 seconds.

It’s difficult to gauge where McCabe fits into these rankings when trying to analyze this performance with her win at the Louisville Classic because we haven’t seen the Mountaineers line up alongside the nation’s best women yet.

However, based on two wins with a decent margin of victory, it’s safe to assume that McCabe hasn’t slowed down since picking up an All-American honor last fall.

The BIG 12 XC Championships is where McCabe will see her toughest competition of the fall thus far as she will have to compete against Oklahoma State’s duo of Taylor Roe and Natalie Cook.

That will be the race that gives us greater context as to where McCabe could possibly finish at the national meet in November.

6. Kelsey Chmiel, Junior, NC State (+4 / 10)

Guess who’s back, back again?

Chmiel’s back, tell a friend.

Without racing during the outdoor track season, we were unsure of when we would see Chmiel race and what she would produce. But in her season opener (Nuttycombe), the NC State All-American talent 100% exceeded any expectations placed upon her.

Chmiel found herself amongst the front crowd right away and moved up with each 2000 meter segment until the finish. She latched onto teammate Katelyn Tuohy and crossed the line only five seconds behind her in 2nd place.

This was an excellent opener for the junior as we feared that she possibly wouldn’t race during the season due to a rumored (but very unconfirmed) foot injury.

But now Chmiel has put herself into contention for another top-10 finish at the national meet and if she maintains her momentum, then she may know better than anyone how to pull off an upset over Katelyn Tuohy...if that's even possible.

5. Parker Valby, Sophomore, Florida (+2 / 7)

Prior to this weekend, Parker Valby hadn’t raced since finishing runner-up in the 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet, but she didn’t show any sign of needing to shake off some rust at the Arturo Barrios Invite.

The Florida sophomore completely obliterated the field en route to a 18:58 winning time, a margin of victory that 1:04 faster than runner-up Addie Engel of Ohio State. That's insane! Engel is currently a top-20 name in our rankings.

This was a remarkably fast time for Valby in her season debut and she immediately gets her name into the conversation for the individual title later this fall at the national meet (if she wasn't already there).

Although she hasn’t yet faced the likes of Katelyn Tuohy, Mercy Chelangat, Natalie Cook or Taylor Roe yet, Valby showed us that she can run away from the competition and grind out a fast time without anyone breathing down her neck.

At the SEC XC Championships in a few weeks, the Gator stud will get to see Alabama’s group, the Kentucky duo and Isabel Van Camp of Arkansas, but will she outdistance herself from the field early-on? Or hang with the pack and employ a new race tactic late in the race?

Valby is on her way to reach a new level that she hasn’t been to before regardless of what happens in these next few weeks.

4. Taylor Roe, Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 4)

Taylor Roe has not raced since our last update.

3. Natalie Cook, Freshman, Oklahoma State (0 / 3)

Natalie Cook has not raced since our last update.

2. Mercy Chelangat, Senior, Alabama (0 / 2)

Mercy Chelangat didn’t venture to Wisconsin or Oklahoma State to take on some of the nation’s best, but rather, she stayed and competed on her home course at the Crimson Classic.

Looking at the results, the Crimson Classic appeared to be a glorified practice for the Alabama women as Chelangat ran with teammates Amaris Tyynismaa and Hilda Olemomoi. Those three women swept the race and were only separated by a mere three seconds.

For Chelangat, the Alabama Crimson Classic was a solid opportunity for her to stay sharp heading into the postseason where she has to take on not only her teammates, but the likes of Parker Valby, Isabel Van Camp and the Kentucky women at the SEC XC Championships before looking to defend her NCAA XC Championship title.

1. Katelyn Tuohy, Sophomore, NC State (0 / 1)

Are you even surprised to see Tuohy hold down our TSR #1 spot after her win at Nuttycombe?

No?

Well, neither are we.

At Nuttycombe, the NC State superstar bided her time until the final portions of the 6k race before breaking away from the field. Tuohy out-kicked teammate Kelsey Chmiel to win by five seconds, crossing the line in 19:44.

Tuohy is currently on a two-race winning streak (this season) and is extremely capable of extending that into the postseason. The ACC XC Championship is up next for this Wolfpack and as she continues to solidify herself as an NCAA title favorite, there’s no doubt she is motivated by winning and setting her team up for success.

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ADDED

Zofia Dudek (Stanford)

Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State)

Elise Thorner (New Mexico)

Grace Fetherstonhaugh (Oregon State)

Yasna Petrova (California Baptist)

Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

Simone Plourde (Utah)

Halle Hamilton (Air Force)

Lindsey Peters (Air Force)

Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)

KICKED OFF

Taryn O’Neill (Northern Arizona)

Flomena Asekol (Alabama)

Ericka VanderLende (Michigan)

Rachel McCardell (Northwestern)

Haley Herberg (Washington)

Molly Born (Oklahoma State)

Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)

Sami Corman (Georgetown)

Kayla Windemuller (Michigan)

Joy Chirchir (Toledo)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Abigail Loveys (Princeton)

Lexy Halladay (BYU)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Olivia Howell (Illinois)

Abbe Goldstein (New Mexico)

Margot Appleton (Virginia)

Katie Osika (Michigan State)

Jane Buckley (Providence)

Taryn O’Neill (Northern Arizona)

Flomena Asekol (Alabama)

Ericka VanderLende (Michigan)

Haley Herberg (Washington)

Molly Born (Oklahoma State)

Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)

Sami Corman (Georgetown)

Kayla Windemuller (Michigan)

Joy Chirchir (Toledo)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

Alaian Stone Boggs (Washington State)

Ella Baran (Colorado)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Nevada Mareno (NC State)

Savannah Shaw (NC State)

Grace Jensen (Georgetown)

Nicola Jansen (Bradley)

Danielle Verster (New Mexico)

Adelyn Ackley-Fairley (Liberty)

Alessia Zarbo (Oregon)

Irene Rono (Abilene Christian)

Ruby Smee (San Francisco)

Lucy Jenks (Stanford)

Keelah Barger (Utah)

Emmy Van Den Berg (Florida State)

Rachel McCardell (Northwestern)

Camila Noe (Montana State)

Katelyn Mitchem (Wyoming)

NOTES

- N/A