TSR's 2022 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #3

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. Laura Pellicoro, Sophomore, Portland (Unranked)

Most people might know Laura Pellicoro from her middle distance accolades that she gathered on the track earlier this year. The Portland star has run 2:03 for 800 meters, 4:15 for 1500 meters and 4:34 in the mile, ultimately becoming a two-time national meet qualifier during the winter and spring months.

But so far this fall, Pellicoro has proven to the rest of the NCAA that her talent can extend to the grass, not just the track. She was the runner-up finisher at the Dellinger Invite, secured a very underrated 32nd place finish at the Nuttycombe and just secured runner-up honors at the West Coast Conference XC Championships, taking down the likes of Ruby Smee, McKenna Lee and Lexy Halladay (among others).

Pellicoro may not have the flashiest cross country resume, but she's super consistent, great on all kinds of stages and is capable enough to take down ranked talents on multiple occasions.

For that reason, she sneaks into our top-50 at our last spot.

49. Carmen Riano, Sophomore, Miami (OH) (Unranked)

Hailing from Oxford, Ohio, we've been seeing Carmen Riano enjoying notable success since the beginning of October.

The RedHawk sophomore won her first Mid-American Conference cross country title this past weekend over Toledo’s Joy Chirchir by six seconds. When you pair that result with a solid win at the Bradley Pink Classic and a 3rd place finish at the Louisville Classic, it's hard to dislike anything that this Miami (OH) star has done this fall.

Riano’s team is not expected to qualify for the national meet, but based on the way that she has been running, an individual berth to the "Big Dance" is not out of the question for her.

Admittedly, Riano's improvements have gone partially unnoticed because she doesn’t exactly travel to the biggest or most competitive meets in the country. Even so, Riano sticks herself onto the leaders and often walks away with a top finish.

The Miami (OH) ace heads to the Great Lakes regional meet ready to face a deep and tough field headlined by some big names. However, Riano hasn’t seemed to back down when facing the nation’s best and we can't see that changing a week and a half from now.

48. Ericka VanderLende, Senior, Michigan (Unranked)

The reverse TSR curse seems to be in full effect, meaning that as soon as we dropped Ericka VanderLende out of our rankings, she decided to flip the switch by recording a huge 3rd place finish at the BIG 10 XC Championships, strong enough for her to reenter our top-50.

This result shows us that VanderLende’s 97th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree from earlier this season was a legitimate “off” day. Whether she was nursing a minor injury or simply didn’t have a good day on that occasion, it’s clear that this Michigan star is back to firing on all cylinders...we think.

The upcoming Great Lakes Regional XC Championships will be a valuable benchmark to see if she is fully back into All-American form. For now, we’ll conservatively leave her outside the top-40 while keeping a close eye on more of her potential resurgence.

47. Halle Hamilton, Sophomore, Air Force (-3 / 44)

After her 21st place finish at Nuttycombe, we were looking forward to what Halle Hamilton would do at the Mountain West XC Championships.

And for the most part, she roughly matched our expectations, although we were maybe looking for a finish that was a few spots higher.

The sophomore standout ran herself to a 7th place finish on Friday, eight places higher than where she finished last fall at the Mountain West XC Championships. Hamilton fished behind a slew of New Mexico runners, as well as runners from Boise State and Wyoming.

The Air Force Falcon is currently on the right track heading into the final few weeks of the season. However, Hamilton will need to replicate her Nuttycombe performance at the Mountain Regional XC Championships to receive an individual berth to Stillwater, Oklahoma and prove that she is worthy of a top-50 finish at the national meet.

46. Marlee Starliper, Rs. Freshman, NC State (-11 / 35)

Marlee Starliper has not competed since our last update.

45. Katie Osika, Junior, Michigan State (Unranked)

Just when you may have thought that Michigan State would lack firepower after Jenna Magness’ graduation, Katie Osika decided to have a breakout season for the women of East Lansing, Michigan.

The Spartan veteran has specialized in the middle distances on the track and after a few seasons of steady progression on the indoor and outdoor ovals, she has not only found a way to translate that fitness to the grass, but she’s unlocked a completely new tier of talent.

After finishing 6th at the Griak Invitational and following that up with a very strong 37th place result at the loaded Nuttycombe Invitational, Osika recorded a huge 2nd place finish at the BIG 10 XC Championships which helped Michigan State win the team title.

Osika has been a model of consistency this season, refusing to have an “off” day. Her Nuttycombe result shows us that she possesses All-American potential and with the way she’s trending, she very well may earn such an honor.

44. Elise Thorner, Sophomore, New Mexico (+4 / 48)

Elise Thorner appears to have found a home as the fourth scorer for New Mexico -- which is not a bad thing! The Lobos boast otherworldly depth and Thorner has been a cornerstone of their success.

Most recently, Thorner crossed the line in 6th place at the Mountain West XC Championships. That was a solid result, but not quite enough to bump her up more than four spots given the top-heavy nature of the field that she was up against.

We’ve yet to see the full scoring potential that theoretically comes with Thorner’s 9:33 personal best in the steeplechase from this past spring. Even so, there is still plenty of time left in the season and Thorner is trending in the right direction.

43. Sydney Seymour, Senior, NC State (-15 / 28)

It was an "off" day for NC State’s Sydney Seymour at the ACC XC Championships as she faded to 29th overall. She was out of scoring position for the Wolfpack and had to settle as her team's seventh runner on Friday.

We can’t base the rest of Seymour’s season on her conference meet performance as she has been solid in the weeks leading up to this. Her 6th place finish at Joe Piane and her 23rd place finish at Nuttycombe still prove that the NC State senior is worthy of being an All-American talent.

What matters right now for Seymour is that she goes back to Raleigh and regroups. She is an experienced runner and has seen tremendous growth over the last few seasons. Her confidence needs to remain high to not only give herself a shot at a top-40 finish at the NCAA XC Championships, but to also give her team a chance at repeating as national champions.

42. Maggie Donahue, Junior, Georgetown (-1 / 41)

A victory at the BIG East XC Championships may have been enough to swing Maggie Donahue’s ranking up into our top-40, but a 2nd place finish behind Providence’s Jane Buckley shifts Donahue down one spot.

To be clear, that was not a poor result by any means, but the one thing that Donahue has been lacking this season is a signature win.

Her consistency has been commendable, and she’s avoided anything resembling a legitimate “off” day. However, for now, Donahue’s conference meet performance seems to indicate that she is still a fringe All-American.

41. Jane Buckley, Freshman, Providence (Unranked)

Welcome to the rankings, Jane Buckley!

After her 7th place finish at Paul Short and 38th place finish at Nuttycombe, something big was on the rise for the Providence freshman. Well, sure enough, Buckley took the momentum of those two performances and improved upon her results with a huge win at the BIG East XC Championships.

The Friar star took down some very talented runners, including all of Georgetown’s top women, and she won the race by two seconds. Reigning BIG East champion, Maggie Donahue, wasn’t able to catch Buckley at the end and that has to give Buckley confidence heading into the regional and national meets. Donahue very rarely has an "off" day and she is arguably one of the most experienced women in the country.

It will be interesting to see what Providence’s newest face can do for not only herself, but also her team. Buckley is currently flirting with an All-American honor, but also seems due for something far more grand than a backend top-40 finish.

40. Tori Herman, Sophomore, Kentucky (-4 / 36)

Truthfully, we haven’t necessarily seen a performance from Tori Herman this fall which suggests that she will replicate her 17th place finish from last year’s NCAA XC Championships.

However, the Wildcat star has still had a strong enough series of efforts to keep her within our top-40 as a projected All-American.

Herman most recently placed 9th at the SEC XC Championships which was roughly in line with where she was expected to finish, give or take one or two places. Had she been able to upset a few conference rivals and crack the top-five, then we’d most likely be bumping her up to the top-30.

But for now, it still feels right having Herman settle in as one of the last few women who have cracked our top-40.

39. Annika Reiss, Junior, Northern Arizona (+3 / 42)

Northern Arizona's Annika Reiss jumps a few spots this week after an excellent performance at the BIG Sky XC Championships.

The junior was able to regroup after a mildly underwhelming 40th place finish at Nuttycombe, ultimately finishing runner-up at her conference meet. Reiss was also able to keep Idaho’s Maya Kobylanski behind her at the finish line to give the Lumberjacks their expected 1-2 punch.

This year has been Reiss’ best season of her collegiate career. A 2nd place finish at the BIG Sky XC Championships was eons ahead of where Reiss had finished in prior years. If the junior can replicate the caliber of her 6th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree, then she will not only be rewarded with an All-American honor, but also a potential podium finish with her NAU teammates.

38. Bethany Graham, Sophomore, Furman (0 / 38)

A perfect score by the Furman Paladins at the Southern Conference XC Championships was kicked-off by a dominant win by Bethany Graham. The Furman star has continued to maintain consistency by simply taking care of business against fields that she has been expected to thrive in.

This consistency, paired with a promising 30th place finish earlier in the season at Nuttycombe, shows us that the Paladin star is able to perform at a high level no matter who she competes against.

Her ranking remains unchanged during this update due to her limited opportunities of facing high-caliber competition. However, her next race at the Southeast Regional XC Championships will give Graham a shot at challenging the women of NC State, North Carolina Liberty and Kentucky, although qualifying for the national meet will be the main priority for everyone in that field.

37. Emma Heckel, Sophomore, New Mexico (0 / 37)

Emma Heckel holds steady at TSR #37 this week after a solid 3rd place finish at the Mountain West XC Championships. She’s been consistently around the top-40 portion of our rankings, but there’s still room for improvement.

The sophomore was only three seconds shy of an individual win on Friday, but 3rd place in a conference where she is practically racing her teammates is respectable. Heckel appears to be returning to the form that she was in during the 2021 cross country season, the same season when she went on to finish 18th at the NCAA XC Championship.

The Lobos will need their star teammate to channel her elite low-stick ways of 2021 if they want to eventually beat NC State for the national title.

36. Yasna Petrova, Sophomore, California Baptist (+4 / 40)

California Baptist continues to obliterate the competition around them and Yasna Petrova has been a huge reason why that’s been possible. The Lancer low-stick most recently finished runner-up at the WAC XC Championships behind only Everlyn Kemboi (TSR #12).

While Kemboi’s win over Petrova was rather convincing, we’ve still yet to really see Petrova take a loss to someone who she’s been favored against. That model of consistency, while also spear-heading a CBU squad whose only loss has been to a strong Utah team, is good enough for Petrova to gain a few more spots during this edition of our rankings.

35. Brynn Brown, Sophomore, North Carolina (-4 / 31)

Brynn Brown has not competed since our last rankings update.

34. Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rs. Junior, Oregon State (-9 / 25)

Grace Fetherstonhaugh had a decent showing at the PAC-12 XC Championships over the weekend, recording a 9th place finish in a strong field, although there was maybe potential for her to finish slightly higher.

We truthfully expected more from the Beaver runner based on her two 14th place finishes of the season, one at Joe Piane and the other at Nuttycombe. She was beating some of best distance talents in the NCAA, but wasn’t able to replicate those kinds of showings last Friday in California.

To be clear, Fetherstonhaugh's 9th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships wasn't terrible. After all, the Oregon State ace was able to improve upon her 2021 conference meet finish.

However, after the indoor and outdoor track seasons that she had, and based on the recent success that she had during the regular season, a top-five finish could’ve been possible for Fetherstonhaugh this past weekend.

33. Zofia Dudek, Sophomore, Stanford (-4 / 29)

Gosh, it feels like Zofia Dudek is one more strong result away from cracking the top-25 of our rankings. She has raced somewhat sparingly this season, only on two occasions thus far -- first at Nuttycombe and then most recently at the PAC-12 XC Championships.

By placing 6th at her conference meet, Dudek now has another feather in her cap to show improved consistency -- the main hesitation that we’ve had about the Cardinal star in the past.

While it’s encouraging to see strong results from Dudek in both large and small fields, she slides down three spots during this rankings edition due to other athletes who have had more than two strong performances leap-frogging her thinner resume.

Still, there’s a lot to be excited about from this young ace who has been really locked in so far in her 2022 cross country campaign.

32. Simone Plourde, Sophomore, Utah (+14 / 46)

For someone who can run a 4:36 mile, Utah’s Simone Plourde brings some serious firepower to the cross country course.

The Utah sophomore and transfer from BYU waited to strike at the PAC-12 XC Championships over the weekend and when she did, her competition wasn’t ready for it. Plourde used her stellar middle distance speed to catapult herself into not only the top-10 of the results, but all the way into the top-five. She improved six spots from her 2021 conference result by finishing 5th in a loaded field.

This rising Ute star is on a redemption tour after recording a DNF result at the 2021 national meet and so far, that tour doesn’t seem to be slowing down based on her regular season performances and postseason start.

31. Izzy Thornton-Bott, Senior, Oregon (+16 / 47)

In our previous rankings update, we had this to say about Izzy Thornton-Bott:

“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.”

So what did Thornton-Bott do at the PAC-12 XC Championships? She didn’t just replicate her Nuttycombe performance -- she exceeded it. Finishing 4th, Thornton-Bott was able to hold her own against multiple top-10 runners in a top-heavy conference meet.

Now, as we head into the home stretch of the postseason, Thornton-Bott is no longer just an outside threat for an All-American finish -- she’s now expected to earn that honor.

30. Perri Bockrath, Senior, Kentucky (0 / 30)

The SEC XC Championships were dominated by Alabama runners, but Kentucky’s own, Perri Bockrath, stuck her nose in the race and was rewarded with a 6th place finish.

Bockrath’s 6th place showing at the SEC XC Championships was roughly on par with our expectations and it simply adds to her seasonal resume which has been highlighted by a win at the North Alabama Showcase, an 8th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree and a win at Panorama Farms.

The Wildcat ace has been on a tear this season and although she isn’t winning every major race that she contests, she’s always there lurking in the background and finishing among the leaders.

29. Calli Doan, Senior, Liberty (-5 / 24)

Calli Doan repeated as the ASUN cross country individual champion for the second year in a row and only moves back five places in our rankings since she didn’t compete in a deep enough conference like those in front of her (which is hardly her fault).

At the ASUN XC Championships, Doan sprinted away from Lipscomb’s Lydia Miller to win by five seconds. Her finishing time may have been closer to the rest of the field than one would’ve expected, but this Flame veteran doesn’t need to race hard every week in order to prove herself.

The Liberty star has been strong all season long and with another win under her belt, she’s got the momentum to continue that streak of excellence heading into the final few weeks of her collegiate career. She'll be aiming to improve upon her 28th place finish from the 2021 NCAA XC Championships.

28. Amina Maatoug, Sophomore, Duke (+11 / 39)

Duke's Amina Maatoug has easily been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NCAA this season. The newest Blue Devil has shown firepower and consistency in her first NCAA campaign with the composure of a veteran.

Following her solid performance at Nuttycombe, Maatoug displayed her elite-tier ceiling at the ACC XC Championships where she placed 4th overall. The ACC is rich with talent this season, so this result truly validates the Duke ace as a top-30 athlete in the country.

27. McKenna Lee, Rs. Senior, BYU (0 / 27)

BYU’s McKenna Lee holds down her TSR #27 ranking after finishing 5th at the WCC XC Championships. The Cougar star didn’t need to race out of this world at her conference meet as this was just another opportunity to gain some extra confidence prior to the regional and national meets.

Lee was the third BYU athlete across the line in Portland and was able to hold off a late charge from Gonzaga’s Kristen Garcia at the line.

It’s going to be imperative for the redshirt senior to get closer to teammates Aubrey Frentheway and Lexy Halladay-Lowry to ensure an All-American finish later this season, but given how strong she was at Nuttycome, that's not a major concern.

26. Gabby Hentemann, Senior, Oklahoma State (+7 / 33)

25. Billah Jepkirui, Freshman, Oklahoma State (+9 / 34)

Sliding up a handful of spots this week are Billah Jepkirui and Gabby Hentemann following their top-five finishes at the BIG 12 XC Championships over the weekend.

Jepkirui, in her third race of the season, recorded a 3rd place finish while Hentemann followed not too far behind in 5th. Admittedly, the BIG 12 XC Championships didn't have the deepest field that either of these women have seen this season, but the fact that they got to race alongside their elite teammates has to give them confidence and momentum for the rest of the season.

Jepkirui, a freshman star from Kenya, was only six seconds behind Roe on Friday and it seems like she has found her groove since winning the Weiss-Crockett Invite a few weeks ago. And while Hentemann may be lurking in the shadows of her teammates, she has proven to have just as much firepower as they do.

There’s no telling what these Cowgirls can do come the regional and national meets. Top-25 finishes aren’t out of their wheel houses and the higher they finish, the more likely they are that Oklahoma State finds themselves standing on the podium as a team...and maybe even ahead of NC State or New Mexico.

24. Samantha Bush, Junior, NC State (-5 / 19)

Samantha Bush has slid down our rankings from being a top-10 runner, to a top-20 runner in our previous update, to now into our top-30. And yet, despite her fall in these rankings, it's important to realize that Bush has still been very good this season.

Her 5th place finish at the ACC XC Championships was, by every measure, an excellent result, but given a variety of breakout performances from other athletes, Bush loses a few spots in these rankings.

Bush is one of the primary x-factors for this Wolfpack lineup. They know exactly what they can get out of Katelyn Tuohy and Kelsey Chmiel, but their quest for another national title will largely hinge on Bush (and Seymour) continuing to consistently perform at a high level, especially in larger fields.

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

Now this is the Emily Covert who we have grown to know.

The Colorado standout is back, finishing where she belongs this past weekend at the PAC-12 XC Championships. She went out with the leaders, and at one point, took the lead over the last portion of the race. However, she was ultimately dropped by teammate Bailey Hertenstein and Utah’s Emily Venters.

But you know what? Placing 3rd at the PAC-12 XC Championships is way better than how Covert ran at the Cowboy Jamboree (16th) and Nuttycombe (29th) earlier this season. Covert also ran a 6k personal best, a 28-second PR to be exact, en route to her bronze medal performance.

The redshirt sophomore may have been seven seconds behind the runner-up finisher in Emily Venters, but this was a promising result for not only Covert, but also the Colorado Buffaloes as they try to make a comeback campaign for the podium at the NCAA XC Championships.

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

It’s difficult to see a “minus” sign next to Amaris Tyynismaa’s ranking change because she’s continued to regain her dominant form as the season has gone along. However, due to strong performances from other athletes, Tyynismaa dips one spot for this round of our rankings.

Coming into the SEC XC Championships, the Crimson Tide star was expected to finish in the top-five…and she did! By securing a 5th place finish, Tyynismaa helped Alabama win the conference title in dominant fashion.

For now, Tyynismaa settles in at TSR #22, but she has eaten up the Oklahoma State course before at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships where she placed 3rd. A return visit this fall will be very intriguing to watch.

21. Isabel Van Camp, Junior, Arkansas (-4 / 17)

To no fault of her own, Isabel Van Camp of Arkansas slides back a few places in our rankings following her performance at the SEC XC Championships. The Razorback star stayed composed in a quick race upfront and recorded a solid 4th place finish.

Van Camp, pitted against the likes of Parker Valby and Mercy Chelangat, remained in 4th and 5th place over the course of the 6k race. She didn’t get caught up in what was happening upfront and instead ran within herself.

This is something that’s worth noting because as we enter the regional and national meets, if Van Camp employs the same strategy, then she will surely find herself within the top-30 (an All-American honor) when it matters the most.

20. Hilda Olemomoi, Freshman, Alabama (+2 / 22)

At the beginning of the season, we didn’t know how good Hilda Olemomoi would truly be. But after getting a few races under her belt and earning a 3rd place finish at the SEC XC Championships, we can say that she is truly one of the nation’s best women this fall.

The rising Alabama star has been moving up week after week in our rankings and now joins the top-20 after a great showing at the SEC XC Championships. Olemomoi let Parker Valby and teammate Mercy Chelangat duke it out upfront and instead focused on the battle for bronze.

Against Isabel Van Camp of Arkansas and Alabama teammate Amaris Tyynismaa, the Crimson Tide ace ultimately distanced herself to take the bronze by 11 seconds.

Olemomoi’s impressive consistency over these last few meets is respectable. With a few weeks left in the season, the only thing that could keep her from obtaining an All-American honor is inexperience at the NCAA XC Championships.

But even so, with multiple teammates close by, the chances for postseason are very clearly in Olemomoi's favor.

19. Olivia Markezich, Junior, Notre Dame (+7 / 26)

Welcome back to the top-20, Olivia Markezich!

The Fighting Irish veteran appears to be back in the top form that we saw her last fall as she secured bronze in a top-heavy ACC XC Championship field on Friday behind only Katelyn Tuohy and Kelsey Chmiel.

Around this time in 2021, we saw Markezich’s stock continue to rise throughout the postseason all the way to an 11th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. This fall, she’s shown just as much (if not more) firepower with some much-improved consistency.

While it isn’t necessarily the expectation that she’ll finish that close to the top-10 again, another top-20 finish feels very realistic for the Notre Dame star.

18. Samree Dishon, Sophomore, New Mexico (-4 / 14)

Samree Dishon has not competed since our last rankings update.

17. Gracelyn Larkin, Junior, New Mexico (-2 / 15)

Between Gracelyn Larkin, Amelia Mazza-Downie, Emma Heckel and Samree Dishon, the New Mexico women have four legitimate options to lead their squad on any given day (not to throw any shade at Elise Thorner who has been an invaluable backend varsity contributor).

The reason Larkin drops a few spots in these rankings is because after leading the Lobos at Joe Piane, she was their second scorer at Nuttycombe and most recently was their third scorer – notching a 4th place finish overall – at the Mountain West XC Championships.

No alarm bells have been sounded which would suggest that Larkin is no longer a top-20 runner in the NCAA. However, as the season has progressed we’ve made a slight adjustment to now put her at TSR #17.

16. Amelia Mazza-Downie, Junior, New Mexico (+2 / 18)

As we mentioned in Gracelyn Larkin’s feature, it’s literally impossible to distinguish an outright leader on New Mexico’s team because their lineup is just too lethal from top to bottom.

That said, it’s looking like the best argument could be made for Amelia Mazza-Downie after she took home the individual title at the Mountain West XC Championships.

What more can we say about Mazza-Downie? Entering this season, she was expected to be a strong contributor and fringe All-American for the Lobos. However, at this point, it’s looking more likely that the New Mexico ace could finish close to (or in) the top-10 at the national meet if she’s at her best.

15. Addie Engel, Sophomore, Ohio State (+5 / 20)

Heading into the BIG 10 XC Championships, Ohio State’s Addie Engel was the individual favorite -- and she delivered.

The Buckeye star recorded her third victory of the season, beating Michigan State’s rising star, Katie Osika, by four seconds en route to her first BIG 10 title. Engel bided her time over the course of the 6k race, consistently moving up over each 2k split.

Engel hasn’t faltered this season, finishing amongst the top-two in each of her five races thus far. The Great Lakes regional meet will have her race against many of her BIG 10 rivals again, as well as the women from Notre Dame.

14. Aubrey Frentheway, Senior, BYU (+2 / 16)

Aubrey Frentheway was the heavy favorite entering the WCC XC Championships, but that doesn’t mean that she had an easy win at hand.

Despite the pressure on her shoulders, Frentheway showed us that she was the class of the West Coast Conference as she took the individual win and kick-started BYU’s team title.

Two seasons ago, Frentheway was somewhat of a surprise 15th place finisher at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships. This season, she’ll head back to the same course in Stillwater, Oklahoma and is expected to finish in that same position…or even higher.

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

Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell was expected to be vying for the individual title at the PAC-12 XC Championships, but things didn’t exactly play out that way.

The junior star is dropping back in our rankings after finishing 12th on Friday behind many women who she’s beaten this season. Mitchell was solid through for the first-half of that PAC-12 race, right in line with the leaders. However, over the last little bit, she faded back and was passed by five women before the finish.

Mitchell is still capable of earning her first cross country All-American honor if she refocuses and puts her PAC-12 race behind her. She's still crazy talented and we shouldn't let one race alter her ranking in any dramatic way.

12. Everlyn Kemboi, Senior, Utah Valley (0 / 12)

Everlyn Kemboi completely obliterated the rest of her conference at the WAC XC Championships, taking the individual title over a field that featured California Baptist’s Yasna Petrova (TSR #36) and Greta Karinauskaite as well as Abilene Christian star, Irene Rono.

Although some women ranked lower than her took on significantly deeper fields of competition this past weekend, the fact remains that Kemboi didn’t settle for a comfortable win. Instead, she dominated the athletes around her by nearly 30 seconds.

Based on her Cowboy Jamboree (3rd) and Nuttycombe (13th) results, paired with the fitness that she just flashed at her conference meet, this Wolverine veteran looks primed for taking a real shot at a top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships when she returns to the course where she took bronze at the Cowboy Jamboree earlier this season.

11. Maia Ramsden, Sophomore, Harvard (+2 / 13)

Another week, another instance where we are moving Harvard’s Maia Ramsden up our rankings -- and rightfully so.

The Crimson sophomore has been piecing together a superb season and continued that success with a victory at the Ivy League XC Championships. Ramsden recorded her fourth top-seven finish of the season, taking down Columbia’s Victoria Patterson by eight seconds.

Ramsden could’ve won the race by a larger margin based on the performances that she’s been throwing down this season, but a win is still a win for Ramsden.

With the Northeast regional meet approaching, the sophomore talent will be the favorite to win her third race of the season. Ramsden will still have to show up on the day to face her competitors and only needs to do what she’s done all season to get the job done.

10. Emily Venters, Rs. Senior, Utah (+1 / 11)

Emily Venters has earned a well-deserved place among the top-10 of our rankings.

The Utah low-stick has performed admirably in back-to-back duels against Colorado’s Bailey Hertenstein (TSR #9). Venters finished a narrow tenth of a second behind the Buffalo star to take 6th place at Nuttycombe and more recently followed that up with a strong runner-up finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships to take down the entire field, minus Hertenstein.

That is certainly good company to be in. Venters continues to flex her firepower in both large and medium-sized fields and looks primed for a shot at a top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Her momentum right now is unreal.

9. Bailey Hertenstein, Rs. Senior, Colorado (+1 / 10)

Colorado has been a good fit for Bailey Hertenstein after she decided to transfer from Indiana. She has been catching our attention this season and has showcased her talents with a five-second victory at the PAC-12 XC Championships this past weekend.

The Buffalo redshirt senior was in the mix from the get-go, sliding herself into the top-six. Hertenstein continued to move up over the course of the race, controlling the pace alongside teammate Emily Covert before putting in her winning move.

Things are looking up for Hertenstein and she could easily improve upon her two best national meet performances, a 31st place finish in 2019 and a 28th place finish in the winter of 2021. A top-10 finish is on the table for the Buffalo ace if she continues to play her cards right.

8. Elise Stearns, Sophomore, Northern Arizona (0 / 8)

Wow, wow, wow. That has been our reaction to each of Elise Stearns’ performances thus far in the fall of 2022.

After opening up her season with top-five results in two national-caliber fields -- the Cowboy Jamboree and Nuttycombe -- Stearns won the BIG Sky XC Championships in dominant fashion, finishing over 10 seconds ahead of teammate Annika Reiss.

Stearns’ emergence this season has been more than just impressive. In fact, it’s been borderline unfathomable. After finishing 196th at the NCAA XC Championships last fall, she’s morphed into someone who looks locked-in to a top-10 finish under the tutelage of Coach Mike Smith.

The sky's the limit for the new BIG Sky champion.

7. Natalie Cook, Freshman, Oklahoma State (-4 / 3)

Friday wasn’t necessarily a bad race, but it wasn’t necessarily a great outing for Cook, either.

At the BIG 12 XC Championships, the freshman from Oklahoma State was right alongside her teammates and West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe for a good portion of the race. She wasn’t able to match the move put in by McCabe and Taylor Roe. As a result, she had to settle for 4th place in her first conference meet.

The true rookie showed a little bit of vulnerability by not finishing all that close to the leaders, but there’s still a few more weeks before the NCAA XC Championships which is plenty of time for Cook to fine-tune her tactics.

6. Kelsey Chmiel, Junior, NC State (0 / 6)

Although Kelsey Chmiel may not necessarily be viewed as a national title contender, she feels like an extremely safe bet to finish in the top-10 at the NCAA XC Championships which is nothing to scoff at.

If it weren’t for her teammate Katelyn Tuohy being an unbeatable machine on the grass this season, we’d be looking at Chmiel through a different lens -- perhaps as a title contender-- given that she finished runner-up to Tuohy at Nuttycombe and most recently at the ACC XC Championships.

The more improvement that the New Mexico women show, the more apparent it is that Chmiel’s dominance is not just an added luxury for the Wolfpack, but an absolute necessity as they seek to hold off the Lobos and capture another team title.

5. Taylor Roe, Senior, Oklahoma State (-1 / 4)

For as dominant as she has been on the cross country scene, Taylor Roe has only won one race on the grass during her collegiate career. And unfortunately for her, that win did not come at the most recent BIG 12 XC Championships.

Roe has finished runner-up in as many races this fall, finishing just two seconds shy of a conference title. The senior was in contention to win the race from the gun, never falling out of the top-four over the course of the 6k race. However, she just couldn’t match the move made by West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe over the last kilometer.

The Cowgirl veteran was still impressive with her runner-up result and she ultimately extended her top-five finishing streak in a cross country meet, a streak that was started back in October of 2020.

4. Mercy Chelangat, Senior, Alabama (-2 / 2)

Mercy Chelangat ripped up the Ole Miss golf course at the SEC XC Championships with a time of 18:33, the fastest 6k of her star-studded career.

Chelangat was the only athlete in the field who dared to accept Parker Valby’s challenge, and while she still ran exceptionally fast, this was the second time this season that we’ve seen a somewhat decisive gap between Chelangat and a national title contender (the other time being against Katelyn Tuohy at Joe Piane).

For that reason, Chelangat falls two spots to TSR #4. Clearly, Chelangat is fit and thriving. She seems primed for a top-five finish at the NCAA XC Championships, but the three women who we have ranked ahead of her have looked stronger in the final kilometer of their biggest races of the season.

Still, it would be foolish to write Chelangat off completely. She did, after all, win a national title on the exact course that will host this year's national meet. Who’s to say that she won’t have the mental edge to pull off the win yet again?

3. Ceili McCabe, Junior, West Virginia (+4 / 7)

I’m sure that when many people saw me (Maura) predict that Ceili McCabe would win the BIG 12 XC Championships over Taylor Roe and Natalie Cook, they were probably scratching their heads a bit.

But hey, if you know, you know!

McCabe is the real deal and looks like she is ready to challenge the NCAA for the national title in a few week's time.

The West Virginia star faced her stiffest competition of the season at the BIG 12 XC Championships and didn’t let that faze her. McCabe raced alongside the Cowgirl quartet of Roe, Cook, Billah Jepkirui and Gabby Hentemann, but didn't get lost in the sea of orange. She stayed with them before making a huge move over the last kilometer that no one could match.

The 2021 NCAA XC Championship 3rd place finisher held off Taylor Roe by two seconds to win her second consecutive BIG 12 cross country title.

McCabe is following the same path that she paved last fall, winning every meet that she contested. The Mid-Atlantic regional meet will pit her against the women from Georgetown, but that meet shouldn’t test her limits too much.

2. Parker Valby, Sophomore, Florida (+3 / 5)

Parker Valby has a rare killer instinct that you don’t see in many distance runners. She isn’t afraid to race anyone and when she does, she dares her competition to try to hold pace with her much like the legendary Steve Prefontaine.

Within the first few kilometers, it was clear that the SEC XC Championships would be a two-woman race between Valby and Mercy Chelangat.

Valby’s ability to control the race from the front and never let off the gas was frankly a frightening display of a seemingly unlimited source of fitness.

In a world without Katelyn Tuohy, we would view Parker Valby as the national title favorite. Her progression under Coach Chris Solinsky has been incredible to witness. And while she may not be the favorite, expect to see Valby challenge Tuohy the entire way at the NCAA XC Championships just like she did in the 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet last spring.

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

Another week, another Katelyn Tuohy victory.

Are you even surprised anymore?

We certainly aren’t.

The NC State superstar ran away with the win at the ACC XC Championships over the weekend. She outpaced teammate Kelsey Chmiel to win by 12 seconds. Tuohy just won her third race of the season. Is there anyone who can slow her down?

The Wolfpack sophomore continues to prove why she is the favorite to win the NCAA title later this season, but there are a few athletes who will try to rain on her parade, namely Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat, West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe and of course, Florida’s Parker Valby.

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ADDED

Katie Osika (Michigan State)

Jane Buckley (Providence)

Ericka VanderLende (Michigan)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Carmen Riano (Miami (OH))

KICKED OFF

Grace Forbes (Rice)

Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown)

Lindsey Peters (Air Force)

Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Grace Forbes (Rice)

Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown)

Lindsey Peters (Air Force)

Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)

Abigail Loveys (Princeton)

Lexy Halladay (BYU)

Grace Hensen (Georgetown)

Olivia Howell (Illinois)

Abbe Goldstein (New Mexico)

Margot Appleton (Virginia)

Taryn O’Neill (Northern Arizona)

Flomena Asekol (Alabama)

Maddy Denner (Notre Dame)

Katie Thronson (Notre Dame)

Sami Corman (Georgetown)

Kayla Windemuller (Michigan)

Joy Chirchir (Toledo)

Daniella Santos (Ohio State)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

Alaina Stone Boggs (Washington State)

Ella Baran (Colorado)

Anna Gibson (Washington)

Nevada Mareno (NC State)

Brooke Rauber (NC State)

Nicola Jansen (Bradley)

Danielle Verster (New Mexico)

Siona Chisholm (Notre Dame)

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)

Haley Herberg (Washington)

Elizabeth Mancini (La Salle)

Andrea Markezich (Washington)

Katelyn Mitchem (Wyoming)

NOTES

- N/A