TSR's 2022 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #4

TSR Collaboration
Nov 16, 2022
19 min read

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

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.

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.

ANOTHER NOTE: The Stride Report does not typically put much ranking weight on the regional results. Oftentimes, certain teams and individuals will not place much emphasis on these races and will simply run with the goal of advancing to the national meet. This is not to say that all regional results are negligible (as you'll see below). In fact, our D1 women's team may value regional results differently than our D1 men's team. However, you may notice less movement within our top-50 lists this week than usual.

50. Olivia Howell, Junior, Illinois (Unranked)

Olivia Howell has quietly put together one of the most complete seasons in the NCAA that no one is talking about.

Securing wins at both the John McNichols Invite and the Gans Creek Classic kicked-off the Illinois veteran's season, and she most recently rebounded from an “off” day at the BIG 10 XC Championships (where she placed 23rd) to win the Midwest Regional XC Championships.

This was no small feat, especially considering that Howell took down Oklahoma State’s trio of Natalie Cook, Taylor Roe and Gabby Hentemann en route to her regional victory. Although, if we're being honest, the Oklahoma State women were simply cruising with the sole goal of qualifying for the national meet.

Even so, this Illinois star has been an All-American in the middle distance events and now has a real shot at contending for that same honor on the cross country course, too.

49. Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Junior, BYU (Unranked)

In the blink of an eye, Coach Diljeet Taylor has molded Lexy Halladay-Lowry into a legitimate All-American threat. The BYU standout has shined during the regular season in years past, only to show some regression when the stakes have gotten higher.

But not this year!

Halladay-Lowry was able to hang with her teammate, Aubrey Frentheway, en route to a 4th place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships ahead of all of New Mexico’s stars.

Being able to keep pace with Frentheway on multiple occasions -- such as finishing within five seconds of her teammate at the WCC XC Championships -- validates Halladay-Lowry's fitness level and will make her an exciting runner to watch at the NCAA XC Championships in a quest for an All-American finish.

48. Calli Doan, Senior, Liberty (-19 / 29)

Finishing 10th at the Southeast Regional XC Championships is not a poor result, but for an athlete of Calli Doan’s caliber, we expected to see her almost undoubtedly in the top-five, especially after seeing her record a 7th place finish at Joe Piane earlier this season.

Doan takes a tumble in our rankings as she now appears to be more of a fringe All-American contender than a sure thing. Even so, she retains a spot in our top-50 due to her experience and ceiling as a runner who has finished 28th at the national meet in the past.

47. Elise Thorner, Sophomore, New Mexico (-3 / 44)

Elise Thorner has not raced since our last update.

46. Flomena Asekol, Junior, Alabama (Unranked)

After a few shaky (but not terrible) performances, Flomena Asekol has rounded into form and appears to be back to the fitness level that she was at last fall when she finished 29th at the NCAA XC Championships.

Asekol finished 7th at the top-heavy SEC XC Championships and then strung along another strong race at the South regional meet, picking up a 5th place finish behind Parker Valby and her star-studded trio of teammates (Chelangat, Tyynismaa and Olemomoi).

All signs are pointing up for Asekol who should be contending for another All-American finish later this weekend. And for that reason, she rejoins our top-50.

45. Jane Buckley, Freshman, Providence (-4 / 41)

44. Savannah Roark, Sophomore, Syracuse (Unranked)

Jane Buckley maintains a spot as a fringe All-American contender in our rankings after taking bronze at the Northeast Regional XC Championships. The Friar freshman has had a strong rookie campaign, free of any major slip-ups and headlined by some strong results against nationally-competitive fields.

Buckley drops a few spots due to other athletes having stronger regional performances with similar resumes across the entirety of the season…kinda like Syracuse’s Savannah Roark.

Roark rebounded from an underwhelming performance at the ACC XC Championships to take down Buckey and to finish runner-up at the Northeast regional meet. That result calms any lingering concerns regarding Roark’s fitness level this deep into the season, and it shows us that she, like Buckley, will be in contention to challenge for an All-American finish.

43. Annika Reiss, Junior, Northern Arizona (-4 / 39)

Annika Reiss has not raced since our last update.

42. Maggie Donahue, Junior, Georgetown (0 / 42)

Experience reigned supreme in the Mid-Atlantic region last Friday as Ceili McCabe took home the win while Maggie Donahue settled for an unsurprising runner-up result.

Just like last fall, there doesn't appear to be a signature race on Donahue's resume that truly stands out. However, her resume as a whole shows consistency in competitive fields and outstanding scoring value.

41. Sydney Seymour, Senior, NC State (+2 / 43)

No surprises here. After a tough outing at the ACC XC Championships, Sydney Seymour was able to rebound and place 7th at the Southeast Regional XC Championships. That's a very encouraging result, but the more important development is that Seymour has reestablished positive forward momentum going into Saturday.

40. Laura Pellicoro, Sophomore, Portland (+10 / 50)

When you have 4:15 speed over 1500 meters, your competition better watch out over the finishing stretch of almost any cross country race.

Portland’s Laura Pellicoro has come on strong late in the season, especially when you look at her runner-up finish at the West regional meet. The Pilot star was only two seconds behind winner Kaylee Mitchell who has looked like one of the absolute best distance runners in. the country this fall.

That's some good company to be in.

But Pellicoro has done more than just run well at her regional meet. This Portland ace was 2nd at the Bill Dellinger Invite, 32nd at Nuttycombe and runner-up at the WCC XC Championships. That's a very underrated resume!

Pellicoro will be toeing the line in Stillwater, Oklahoma this weekend as she competes at her first cross country national meet. And if she can get past her inexperience on this stage, then she should be able to realistically contend for a top-40 finish.

39. Katie Osika, Junior, Michigan State (+6 / 45)

For the second consecutive race, Katie Osika ran a 6k time of exactly 20:04 (which is a personal best). However, more important than the time was her ability to dominate her competition and earn a top-three finish at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships this past Friday.

Osika’s rise to prominence has been a joy to watch and she has been a massively valuable low-stick for Michigan State throughout this season. After flexing so much long distance firepower over the last few months, it feels like only a matter of time until Osika contests a 5000 meter race on the indoor or outdoor ovals, something she has yet to do.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The next challenge for this Spartan ace will be one more ride on the grass where she’ll be seeking (and is expected to capture) her first All-American honor at the NCAA XC Championships.

38. Brynn Brown, Sophomore, North Carolina (-3 / 35)

Not seeing Brynn Brown racing at the ACC XC Championships wasn't too concerning, mainly because we expected that she would be back for the Southeast Regional XC Championships -- and she was!

However, Brown left us wanting just a little more low-stick potency after her 11th place finish on Friday. That's not a bad result, and we don't want to overreact to a regional result, but the last couple of weeks haven't exactly helped Brynn Brown's stock in our rankings.

37. Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rs. Junior, Oregon State (-3 / 34)

Could Grace Fetherstonhaugh have produced a result at the West Regional XC Championships was slightly better than 8th place? Yes, probably, but let's also not act like that's a poor performance, either.

For the most part, this Oregon State veteran has produced really strong results in many of the most nationally competitive fields that the NCAA has to offer. In theory, Fetherstonhaugh should be well prepared to handle the mass amount of talent at the national meet this Saturday.

36. Yasna Petrova, Sophomore, California Baptist (0 / 36)

Truthfully, a 5th place finish at the West Regional XC Championships was probably the exact place where we would have predicted Yasna Pretrova to finish if we had made individual predictions (which is easy to say now that the meet has already happened).

However, we're simply saying that Petrova's most recent result, while plenty respectable, matched our expectations. The CBU star hasn't always raced in the most loaded fields this fall, but she hasn't had an easy schedule, either.

As long as she maintains the impressive composure that we've seen from her throughout this entire season, then she should be an All-American.

35. Tori Herman, Sophomore, Kentucky (+5 / 40)

At the Southeast regional meet, Tori Herman finished a strong 4th behind a solid contingent of NC State runners. She nearly matched her 2021 regional performance, a promising development as we head into the national cross country meet.

Last fall, the Kentucky standout earned a massive 13th place finish in what was a monster race that truly put her in the elite tier of women around the country. And while she hasn't quite shown that same level of fitness in 2022, there is no denying that Herman can be a threat on the national stage, especially if her regional result is any indication of what's to come.

34. Emma Heckel, Sophomore, New Mexico (+3 / 37)

What a luxury it is for the New Mexico women to have a runner like Emma Heckel as a middle-lineup contributor! Most recently, the Lobo star took 9th place on her home course at the Mountain Regional XC Championships to assist her team in winning a regional title.

Looking at Heckel’s season as a whole, a TSR #34 spot feels like a fair “power ranking” given her back-to-back top-10 finishes at New Mexico’s regional and conference meets. Her 16th place finish at Joe Piane and 26th place finish at Nuttycombe also seem to (roughly) match this ranking.

33. Bethany Graham, Sophomore, Furman (+5 / 38)

Bethany Graham has continued to build on a promising 30th place finish at Nuttycombe by winning the Southern Conference XC Championships and most recently finishing 5th at the Southeast Regional XC Championships.

The Furman star has All-American credentials after she finished a clutch 40th place at last year’s national meet. And so far this fall, Graham has shown us that she is still more than capable of earning that same honor yet again.

32. Simone Plourde, Sophomore, Utah (0 / 32)

Simone Plourde remains at the same spot in this week's update, but she has still added more value to her resume as a consistent low-stick and All-American threat. That's because at the top-heavy Mountain Regional XC Championships, the Utah star finished 10th overall.

There isn’t much more to add from this performance, other than to say that Plourde has proved on multiple occasions this season that she can be competitive among the nation’s absolute best distance talents.

31. Perri Bockrath, Senior, Kentucky (-1 / 30)

Perri Bockrath had a bit of an "off" day at the Southeast regional meet, falling to 9th place.

Now, in fairness, this wasn’t an awful showing by any means, but based on the way that Bockrath had been racing, we would’ve expected her to be closer to Herman and the leaders.

Regardless, we're not concerned about Kentucky's steeplechase-turned-cross country star. Bockrath has been so darn good throughout the entirety of this fall and has looked like a legitimate All-American weapon every time she toes the line.

30. Emily Covert, Rs. Sophomore, Colorado (-7 / 23)

Colorado’s Emily Covert drops back in our rankings this week after a tough run at the Mountain regional meet. However, at the same time, we can't help but wonder if this was a conservative effort as she prepares to go all-out at the national meet.

Covert placed 27th at her regional meet on Friday and was Colorado’s fourth woman across the line. The Buffaloes, of course, easily advanced to the national meet.

The redshirt sophomore has had somewhat of an up-and-down season, making her latest performance somewhat challenging to gauge.

Hopefully she’s 100% on when it matters the most at the NCAA XC Championships this weekend.

29. McKenna Lee, Rs. Senior, BYU (-2 / 27)

McKenna Lee has not raced since our last update.

28. Samree Dishon, Sophomore, New Mexico (-10 / 18)

In her first race since placing 8th at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Samree Dishon struggled to replicate that performance at the Mountain regional meet. She faded to 98th place on Friday and wasn’t a scoring member for her nationally ranked team.

It's one thing for an athlete to let off the gas and not race harder than they need to, but Dishon faded well beyond that. And after an extended racing hiatus, that's not a great sign.

Dishon's early-season performances indicate that she has the potential to finish amongst the top-30 at the national meet (which is still on the table). A major bounce back just needs to occur on Saturday, although it's now far more difficult to know what to expect from this Lobo ace given her latest developments.

27. Amina Maatoug, Sophomore, Duke (+1 / 28)

Amina Maatoug has been on a roll this season, emerging as top scorer in nearly every race that she has toed the line for. The Duke sophomore is coming off of a solid 6th place finish in the Southeast region behind some well-established women.

And truthfully, that result largely aligns with our expectations for this rising Blue Devil star.

Maatoug has held her own all season long and even though she doesn’t have national-level experience, she has proven that she can thrive in a variety of different fields which feature highly diverse competition.

26. Gabby Hentemann, Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 26)

A 17th place finish at the Midwest Regional XC Championships by Gabby Hentemann isn't amazing on paper, but it's clear that she was not exerting any more effort than she had to. The Cowgirl veteran retains her previous ranking largely due to the firepower that she has shown us throughout the season as a whole.

Hentemann has yet to achieve All-American honors on the grass, but it feels like she is primed to do exactly that on her home course at the NCAA XC Championships.

25. Izzy Thornton-Bott, Senior, Oregon (+6 / 31)

24. Zofia Dudek, Sophomore, Stanford (+9 / 33)

Izzy Thornton-Bott and Zofia Dudek continued to flash their firepower and consistency at the West Regional XC Championships where they finished in 4th and 3rd place, respectively.

As a predominately middle distance runner, Thornton-Bott’s cross country progression has been a treat to witness. She’s looking more and more like a top-20 talent on the grass based on her growing momentum.

Dudek, on the other hand, has shown instances of elite fitness in prior seasons, but has had some challenges with consistency since then.

Luckily, this Stanford star has put together a complete campaign throughout the 2022 season and she has turned into the true low-stick that the Cardinal needed after the departures of Julia Heymach and Christina Aragon.

At this point, we would be surprised if either of these athletes didn't come away with All-American honors at the NCAA XC Championships this Saturday. It's hard to find any flaws on their respective resumes.

23. Billah Jepkirui, Freshman, Oklahoma State (+2 / 25)

Billah Jepkirui has not raced since our last update.

22. Samantha Bush, Junior, NC State (+2 / 24)

Samantha Bush’s performance at the Southeast Regional XC Championships is even more encouraging than it may look at first glance if you zoom in deeper.

Seeing a 3rd place finish behind teammates Katelyn Tuohy and Kelsey Chmiel may make you think that the Wolfpack women were able to tempo ahead of a weak field…but that simply was not the case.

On her heels, Bush had four regional rivals – Tori Herman, Bethany Graham, Amina Maatoug and Kelsey Harrington – within five seconds of her (as well as teammate Sydney Seymour). And while she was expected to defeat all of those women (based on her ranking), that doesn't make her performance any less impressive.

When taking that kind of competition into account, this was a signature race for the Wolfpack star who will be instrumental in helping the NC State women bring home yet another national team title on Saturday.

21. Isabel Van Camp, Junior, Arkansas (0 / 21)

There isn’t a better way to say it…Isabel Van Camp has been flat-out awesome this season!

The South Central region is widely known as the weakest cross country region on the women’s side. So while Van Camp was expected to win, the fact that she did it in such dominant fashion -- taking the regional title by 16 seconds over TCU’s Gracie Morris -- shows us that the Razorback ace is as sharp as ever heading into the NCAA XC Championships.

This Arkansas star has raced through a difficult schedule this season and has answered the bell every time. At this point, Van Camp almost feels like a lock to finish as an All-American with the potential to finish close to the top-10 if she has an absolutely perfect day.

20. Hilda Olemomoi, Freshman, Alabama (0 / 20)

19. Amaris Tyynismaa, Junior, Alabama (+3 / 22)

The Crimson duo of Tyynismaa and Olemomoi went 2-3 at the South regional meet and brought teammates Mercy Chelangat and Flomena Asekol along with them.

Tyynismaa returns to the Oklahoma State cross country course for the first time since finishing 3rd at the unprecedented NCAA Winter XC Championships. And if history tells us anything, it's that the junior could easily be right back up with the leaders on a perfect day.

As for Olemomoi, the star freshman has been a key member of Alabama’s roster this fall and that shouldn’t change this weekend. She hasn’t had an "off" day this season and after her consistent top-three finishes this fall, is another one in the cards?

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

At the Mountain Regional XC Championships, Amelia Mazza-Downie performed about as expected when she placed 8th overall. However, due to some breakout performances by other athletes, she slides down two spots in our rankings.

We're not going to look too heavy into this result as Mazza-Downie was likely focused on advancing to the national meet and probably nothing more.

17. Olivia Markezich, Junior, Notre Dame (+2 / 19)

A comfortable win at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships isn't quite as impactful as her other results from earlier in the season. However, Markezich's regional title does show us that her postseason peak is just as legitimate as it was last year -- and that's a big deal.

Markezich has been better throughout this fall than she was in 2021. And if she was still able to end that season on a major high note, then what can she do later this weekend after putting together one of the most complete seasons in the NCAA?

16. Gracelyn Larkin, Junior, New Mexico (+1 / 17)

A 5th place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships was hardly a surprise for Gracelyn Larkin, but after looking at her resume, is it possible that we're undervaluing her in these rankings?

The New Mexico star was 9th at both Joe Piane and Nuttycombe before earning a pair of top-five finishes at her conference and regional meet. On paper, Larkin has thrived against large, loaded fields. That should favor the Lobo star going into Saturday's race.

15. Addie Engel, Sophomore, Ohio State (0 / 15)

Addie Engel missed out on All-American honors during her freshman campaign, but she’s not letting that opportunity slip away this time around. The Buckeye ace hasn’t finished outside of the top-two in any meet that she has toed the line for this fall -- an impressive stat to boast as we head into the national meet.

After winning her first BIG 10 title, Engel finished runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships, one place higher than she did last fall, and was only a mere three seconds behind Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame.

Engel has been a truly elite low-stick throughout the entirety of this season. However, we haven't seen how she fares in an overwhelmingly large field like Nuttycombe or the Cowboy Jamboree this fall.

Luckily, we'll get better clarity on that come Saturday.

14. Aubrey Frentheway, Senior, BYU (0 / 14)

There's admittedly not much to talk about when it comes to Aubrey Frentheway. Her 3rd place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships was far from surprising and it truthfully doesn't tell us anything new.

Even so, this BYU veteran has never been so reliable over the course of an entire season. And given her history of peaking in the postseason, all of the signs are pointing towards a big performance at the national meet.

13. Kaylee Mitchell, Junior, Oregon State (0 / 13)

Kaylee Mitchell bounced back incredibly well after a somewhat disappointing 12th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships when she finished with the overall victory at the West regional meet last Friday.

This Oregon State ace has always been super talented, but Mitchell has very clearly fine-tuned her fitness to join the next tier of elite distance talents around the country this fall. And if her "worst" race of the season is still a 12th place finish in the best conference in the NCAA, then it's hard to see Mitchell having a legitimately poor performance on Saturday.

12. Maia Ramsden, Sophomore, Harvard (-1 / 11)

Harvard’s Maia Ramsden has impressed all season, shattering expectations.

Over the weekend, at the Northeast regional meet, the sophomore standout picked up her third win of the season, bettering the field by five seconds. That, of course, is just a small glimpse into the incredible leap that Ramsden has unexpectedly made this fall.

During the 2021 season, Ramsden got her feet wet at the national cross country meet, finishing 110th. However, with the way she’s been racing this fall, we're not sure how likely it is that she falls outside of the top-20.

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

A 7th place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships has left us shrugging our shoulders. That was largely what we expected from a superstar talent like Emily Venters whose main goal was just to advance to the national meet.

Even so, that doesn't change the fact that Venters has been on fire this fall and that she could be a major x-factor on the national stage. Yes, she does drop one spot in our rankings, but that's more because one woman jumped ahead of her via a regional title.

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

Although the Mountain Regional XC Championships wasn't the best day at the office for Bailey Hertenstein (who placed 11th), it would be a significant overreaction to drop her any lower than TSR #10.

There's also a good chance that she was conserving energy prior to the national meet.

The Buffalo star has acclimated beautifully to Colorado’s training system this season, winning the PAC-12 title and being legitimately competitive in every national-caliber meet that she has toed the line for.

Hertenstein has two All-American finishes to her name (from her time at Indiana) and could soon pick up a third honor, a rare achievement that very few women can ever boast.

9. Everlyn Kemboi, Senior, Utah Valley (+3 / 12)

It feels like Everlyn Kemboi is almost “undervalued” at TSR #9 considering the dominance that she has shown this fall.

By somewhat comfortably taking down Elise Stearns, Emily Venters, Aubrey Frentheway, Bailey Hertenstein and the New Mexico women last Friday, Kemboi made a statement to the rest of the NCAA by winning the Mountain Regional XC Championships by eight seconds.

Kemboi could make the NCAA XC Championships really exciting if she decides to push the pace and force her way into the very front of this race. She has been unafraid to challenge everyone that she has toed the line against this fall.

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

Elise Stearns has been on a different level this fall.

The NAU star, who has recorded five top-five finishes this season in many of the nation's most competitive meets, has found major success each time she toes the line. And although she only has one national championship race under her belt, a sixth top-five showing could cap off the greatest breakout season of any woman in the NCAA.

Recently, at the Mountain Regional XC Championships, Stearns competed well in a deep field full of All-American caliber athletes. The NAU front-runner finished eight seconds behind Utah Valley’s Everlyn Kemboi, but was well ahead of the women behind her to finish runner-up.

It's admittedly hard to gauge the value of regional meet performances, but at the very least, Friday told us that Stearns is still just as sharp as she was back in September.

7. Natalie Cook, Freshman, Oklahoma State (0 / 7)

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

After a slow start at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, both Natalie Cook and Taylor Roe easily moved up throughout the race to secure 2nd and 3rd place finishes, respectively. And although they were nine seconds back from winner (Olivia Howell), it was clear that Cook and Roe were cruising through the meet without much of an issue.

Roe and Cook will have the home course advantage later this weekend when they toe the line at the NCAA XC Championships. The senior-freshman duo could not only land top-10 individual finishes on that stage, but they could also get their team on top of the podium in a near-perfect scenario for the Cowgirls.

5. Kelsey Chmiel, Junior, NC State (+1 / 6)

Kelsey Chmiel has been the bridesmaid to teammate Katelyn Tuohy on three occasions this fall. But for someone as talented as Chmiel, her name shouldn’t be forgotten this weekend given her consistency, experience and jaw-dropping resume.

The three-time cross country All-American will be after her fourth accolade this weekend. After delaying the start of her season until Nuttycombe, this NC State veteran hasn’t faltered and has only built up momentum since then.

Her resume speaks for itself and if she continues her current trend, is a 3rd place result or a runner-up finish on Saturday in the works?

4. Mercy Chelangat, Senior, Alabama (0 / 4)

What if I told you that Mercy Chelangat, the 2021 winter cross country champion, has not won a single race this season? Would you be concerned? Perhaps some concern is warranted, but we aren’t in the business of overreacting.

After finishing runner-up at the SEC XC Championships (to Parker Valby), we saw Chelangat venture to the South Regional XC Championships and cross the line simultaneously with her teammates Amaris Tyynismaa and Hilda Olemomoi, technically finishing 4th.

Given Alabama’s objective in that race (a regional win and an auto-qualifier to the NCAA XC Championships), one could assume that Chelangat was not going all-out against her teammates and likely could have finished closer to Valby if she were giving it 100%.

Chelangat hasn't won a race this year and it seems somewhat clear that she is one step behind the likes of Tuohy, Valby and maybe McCabe. However, no woman in the NCAA has produced a better result on this Oklahoma State course than Chelangat has and no woman in the NCAA is more experienced at this level than her.

To some extent, that has to benefit the Crimson Tide star.

3. Ceili McCabe, Junior, West Virginia (0 / 3)

2. Parker Valby, Sophomore, Florida (0 / 2)

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

On Friday, we saw three individual wins for the three women who are expected to duke it out for the NCAA crown this upcoming weekend. They haven’t had the chance to race one another this fall, only making this national meet even more exciting.

At their respective regional meets, Tuohy, Valby and McCabe won by respectable margins.

Tuohy won the Southeast regional title by nine seconds over teammate Kelsey Chmiel, extending her winning streak to four for the fall.

Valby left her South regional meet competitors in the dust en route to her 18-second victory.

McCabe distanced herself at the right moment and didn’t exert too much energy by taking down Maggie Donahue of Georgetown by five seconds at the Mid-Atlantic regional meet.

Tuohy is the individual favorite considering the fact that she’s won larger scale meets this fall, (i.e. Joe Piane and Nuttycombe), but Valby hasn’t seen anyone come remotely close to beating her thanks to her front-running style. The Gator ace has won races by margins of 64 seconds at Arturo Barrios, eight seconds at the SEC XC Championships and mostly recently, 18 seconds this past weekend.

And then there’s McCabe, the West Virginia Mountaineer who hasn’t competed at any all-star meets this fall, but has easily dominated her competition, nonetheless.

Tuohy is the only one of these three who has an NCAA title under her belt (the outdoor 5k), but McCabe has the better cross country national meet performance, a 3rd place finish from last fall.

As for Valby, she’s displayed firepower that could very easily put her in a position to win gold. In fact, depending on who you ask, she may be viewed as the title favorite.