TSR's 2022 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Rankings (Women): #10 Arkansas Razorbacks

It's the beginning of a new era for the Arkansas women.

After leaning on established veteran superstars over the last few years, the Razorbacks will turn to a 2022 cross country roster that is going to look very different this fall in terms of possible lineup candidates.

The women from Fayetteville have been stocking piling elite distance recruits since their 2019 title victory in Terre Haute. And during that three-year span, many of these younger talents have remained in the shadows of Arkansas' depth chart, slowly preparing themselves for a time where they would be relied upon as scorers.

And as we enter the fall of 2022, that time has seemingly arrived.

* * *

As we reflect on Arkansas' 2021 cross country season, it was hard to be surprised by their results. The Razorbacks had a handful of true low-sticks and a decent enough supporting cast. While they weren't necessarily a podium-contending team, they were still a top-10 program throughout most of last fall.

Last year, Arkansas' first true test came at the Dellinger Invite, a loaded west coast meet which featured a handful of promising teams.

Once there, superstar front-runner Lauren Gregory would be the top scorer of the meet, finishing 2nd overall behind Izzy Thornton-Bott who was running unattached. Gregory's singular point, while literally a perfect result, was far from surprising, especially for someone of her caliber.

However, Gregory was Arkansas' only woman to finish in the top-10 of the overall results. Teammate Isabel Van Camp, who would make steady improvements as the season progressed, but settled for a 12th place finish at the Oregon-hosted meet while Meghan Underwood was 23rd.

Through three runners, the Razorbacks didn't have the most cohesive top-three in the field. However, that trio still put up some solid results. Gregory's lone team point certainly counterbalanced any inflated scoring at the backend of the lineup.

But with Arkansas' final two scorers finishing 34th and 51st overall, the women from Fayetteville simply weren't able to rally past a few of the better teams in the field. The Utah women dominated their competition by scoring 38 points while Colorado State simply had better depth, finishing runner-up with 98 points.

Arkansas settled for 3rd place overall and a total score of 112 points.

The catch?

All-American star Krissy Gear recorded a DNF result.

The Chile Pepper XC Festival was the next meet on Arkansas' schedule, although only a few of their varsity contributors would toe the line for that race. One of those women who did compete was the aforementioned Krissy Gear who did finish the race this time around, earning an overall win over 5000 meters.

Teammates like Gracie Hyde (7th) and Carmie Prinsloo (8th) held their own while Corie Smith (11th) and Julia Paternain (18th) closed out the scoring fairly quickly. And while their competition as a whole wasn't as challenging as what we saw at the Dellinger Invite, it was still nice to see what the supporting cast of this Arkansas roster looked like.

Pre-Nationals would be next up for the Razorbacks.

The national-caliber field would prove to be challenging, but still manageable, for the Arkansas women who rallied around their low-stick stars.

Gregory's runner-up result was huge, giving the Razorbacks a massive injection of scoring potency. Gear, meanwhile, had one of the better cross country races of her career, placing 8th overall. With Van Camp placing 24th, there was a lot to be happy about if you were Arkansas.

In fact, only Colorado had a better scoring trio in comparison to the Razorbacks.

Unfortunately, with the team's final scorers faltering to 99th and 116th in the overall results, Arkansas' firepower was ultimately nullified. Those last two finishes sent the Razorbacks cascading down the team standings, ultimately finishing 6th overall with 243 points, 59 points behind runner-up North Carolina.

But then the postseason and arrived, and in classic Arkansas fashion, they began to peak when it mattered the most, starting at the SEC XC Championships.

In a conference meet which featured top-ranked programs like Ole Miss and Alabama, the Arkansas women were certainly going to have their hands full with the top-end scorers that each of their opponents boasted...or so we thought.

The Razorbacks would thrive in their first postseason race of the academic year, showing off a balance of firepower and depth that we hadn't seen from them all season long.

Gear was the surprise lead scorer for Arkansas with an outstanding 3rd place finish while Van Camp earned a 10th place result. Gregory settled for 12th place. That latter result was a shock as it was the first "off" day we had seen from Gregory in quite some time. On paper, she was supposed to be in contention for the conference title.

With Underwood having the best race of her season by placing 18th and Jolly coming in clutch with a 25th place finish of their own, no team in the SEC was able to put five women across the line before Arkansas did.

The Razorbacks would tally a team score of 63 points, good enough for a 15-point victory over a very talented Ole Miss squad. And the best part? Arkansas may have left roughly 10 points on the table. If Gregory was running at her best, then this race would have been an absolute blowout.

After cruising through an admittedly weak South Central region, the Arkansas women toed the line for what was arguably their best race of the season: the NCAA XC Championships.

In Tallahassee, the Razorbacks would be left with an opportunity to build upon their SEC performance. This was a chance for Arkansas to prove that they were a top-10 team and not a fringe top-15 team that their Dellinger and Pre-Nationals results suggested.

And sure enough, we saw the former.

Lauren Gregory was fantastic once again, rebounding from her conference meet performance and securing a strong 19th place finish. Her low-stick scoring prowess was paired beautifully by Isabel Van Camp's 37th place All-American result while Krissy Gear just missed that same honor, placing 43rd overall.

Once again, Arkansas was fantastic through three runners. Of course, as we had seen for most of the season, the bottom two women in the Razorbacks' top-five produced a fairly significant gap. With finishes of 139th and 171st, the SEC powerhouse wasn't able to put themselves in podium contention.

That, however, didn't stop Arkansas from ending their season with a great 8th place team finish, just 15 points behind a juggernaut Minnesota team. And for the most part, that was an encouraging result, one that the Razorback women had to be happy about.

* * *

Now for the fall of 2022.

Let's just rip this band-aid off and get the bad news out of the way.

Both Lauren Gregory and Krissy Gear, the team's two star low-sticks from last fall and from prior cross country seasons, aren't expected to return to Arkansas this season. Gear just went pro with Hoka NAZ Elite while Gregory, despite some discrepancies, has made it public that she isn't racing this fall.

And that is just...brutal.

The Arkansas women were extremely dependent on their upfront firepower last fall and now 66% of that scoring potency is gone. For most teams, those departures would be nearly impossible to rebound from in the span of a single year.

But before we get into why Arkansas isn't like "most teams", it's important that we highlight the other 33% of the Razorbacks' low-stick contingent from last fall, Isabel Van Camp.

Van Camp was a solid top-end scorer throughout most of last fall, but she clearly got better as the season went on. Finishing 12th at the Dellinger Invite, 24th at Pre-Nationals and 10th at the SEC XC Championships are strong results. However, those placements aren't quite the same as her 37th place All-American finish at the national meet.

And if you thought that her national meet result was a fluke performance, think again.

Van Camp went on to run a huge mark of 15:35 for 5000 meters earlier this spring at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, good enough for an 8th place All-American finish. She has since been ranked at TSR #30 in our preseason individual rankings.

Having Van Camp back is crucial. Not just because she was a true low-stick last fall, but because she could be even better in 2022 on a more consistent basis. Having at least one experienced woman to rally around in this lineup is important regardless of who Arkansas is returning or adding.

Of course, it takes five people to make a complete scoring lineup and while Van Camp is great, her supporting cast will need to be far more complete than they were last year.

* * *

When we look at the rest of the potential returners on this team, there are numerous women who we could talk about. Gracie Hyde, for instance, was a top-10 finisher at the Chile Pepper XC Festival last fall and was 8th in the South Central region.

But Hyde is also capable of so much more. The experienced veteran has run 4:37 in the mile, 9:18 for 3000 meters and 9:57 for the steeplechase. On paper, she should have been a clear top-five scorer for this team in 2021.

Let's also not forget that Hyde placed 18th at the 2020 SEC XC Championships and later finished 104th at the NCAA Winter XC Championships. In other words, we're not just speculating about her track-to-grass potential. We know for a fact that she can be better in 2022 compared to what she did in 2021.

And how about Meghan Underwood? She may not have been an All-American-caliber runner like Gregory, Van Camp and Gear last fall, but her value at the fourth scoring spot was (occasionally) fairly solid.

Do finishes of 23rd at the Dellinger Invite, 18th at the SEC XC Championships or 139th at the national meet jump off the page? Maybe not, but those were still fairly solid results.

If Underwood were to replicate those finishes in 2022, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. This team needs more scoring stability in their lineup. If Underwood can provide that by simply being as good as she was last year, then that's a win.

And if she continues to improve?

Well, that's how this team becomes a lot more interesting.

We also can't forget about Taylor Ewert, the Class of 2020 high school superstar who made some noise early-on during her freshman year at Arkansas.

During the altered 2020 cross country season, the Ohio native placed 10th at the Blazer Classic and 10th at the SEC XC Championships, although she wouldn't toe the line for the winter national meet.

During the winter of 2021, Ewert posted solid times of 4:43 (mile), 9:26 (3k) and 16:44 (5k) on the indoor oval before being shut down for the rest of the year. Fast forward to last fall, and we didn't see her race after her Dellinger Invite showing where she finished 34th overall.

And to be clear, Ewert wasn't just sidelined for the rest of the cross country season, but for the rest of the year.

We admittedly don't know what happened to Ewert or even if she'll be racing this fall. And truthfully, any further speculation as to why she has such a long absence on her resume would be unfair without us knowing more.

But the simple thought of Ewert returning to this lineup, even in the same form that we saw from her during her rookie year, would be game-changing. Finishing 10th at the SEC XC Championships would replace a lot of lost scoring from last year's conference meet.

When looking at just Arkansas' returners from last fall, there's reason to believe that this team could still have a strong core of scorers if everyone is running at their best from previous seasons. That's not a guarantee to happen, but the fact that it can happen is super encouraging.

Of course, we haven't even spoken about some of the incoming freshmen or second-year talents who are even younger than Hyde, Underwood and Ewert.

* * *

Remember how we said that Arkansas wasn't like "most teams"?

Well, that's because historically, they can rebound from almost any all roster turnover.

Coach Lance Harter has known for a while now that his elder scoring veterans were eventually going to run out of cross country eligibility. In an effort to prepare for the future, the Razorbacks have since amassed some of the most impressive distance-centric recruiting classes of the last three years.

Now, it's time for this team to release these high-upside youngsters onto the cross country course in hopes that they can collectively make up for the scoring losses from last year.

And honestly, we think they can.

Take for instance Sydney Thorvaldson.

The Class of 2021 superstar was beyond incredible at the high school level, running times of 4:43 (mile), 9:15 (3k), 9:47 (two miles) and 16:19 (5k XC). On the grass, she won nine-straight races during the pandemic-altered 2020 cross country season en route to a win at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions.

Thorvaldson didn't run last fall, but she has gotten even better since her days at the prep level. Running 9:07 for 3000 meters and 16:00 for 5000 meters is huge. If that kind of progression not only carries over to this fall, but also grows even stronger, then is Thorvaldson a top-50 runner in the country? Did we rob her from a mention in our individual rankings?

All of that is possible, and her youth-driven upside is exciting to think about, but as you'll find out about most of these returning women, upside is their greatest asset.

Carmie Prinsloo is another star youngster who joined Arkansas the same year as Thorvaldson. Her success on the grass last fall was somewhat limited, but she showed promise as a freshman. She also has a 16:12 (5k) personal best from her pre-Razorback days.

And how about Allie Janke or Heidi Nielson? Two more Arkansas runners going into their second year with the program, the Janke-Nielson duo could end up producing some exciting results for the Razorbacks this fall.

In high school, Janke ran 4:23 for 1500 meters and 10:10 for 3200 meters. She also qualified for the NXN Championships. Meanwhile, Nielson ran jaw-dropping marks of 9:46 for 3200 meters and 16:55 for 5000 meters on the grass. She also qualified for the NXN Championships in high school.

Since venturing to Fayetteville, Janke hasn't recorded a single result per TFRRS. Nielson, however, has shown promise. Her TFRRS resume is also extremely limited, but her 9:21 (3k) personal best as a freshman was very nice to see.

It's tough to say that they either of these young talents are due for a breakout season when neither have raced all that often. Of course, the unknown potential and upside that they could bring to the table this fall is something to consider.

And those four women we just mentioned? They were just from the Class of 2021.

We haven't even chatted about the Class of 2022 yet.

Mackenzie Rogers is a California native who has run 4:48 (1600) and 10:17 (3200).

Mary Ellen Eudaly is a Florida native who has run 4:44 (1600), 10:17 (3200) and 16:55 (5k XC). She placed 17th at the Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships last fall.

Ainsley Erzen is an Iowa native who is more of a middle distance runner, owning a 2:06 (800) personal best. However, she has been respectable on the grass as well.

Brooklyn Biancamano is a Missouri native who has run 4:54 (1600).

Mia Cochran is a Pennsylvania native who has run 4:39 (mile), 10:04 (two miles) and 17:11 (5k XC). She was 9th at the 2020 XC Town USA Meet of Champions, 8th at the Eastbay XC National Championships last fall and won two Pennsylvania state titles during her time at the prep level.

Kaylie Cox is a Texas native who has run 17:24 (5k track).

Anastacia Gonzales is another Texas native who has run 4:44 (mile), 10:24 (3200) and 17:32 (5k XC). Gonzales was also 3rd at the 2020 Texas State XC Championships.

In our minds, Cochran, Ellen Eudaly, Gonzales and Rogers are the four women to keep an eye on this fall, specifically the first two. Cochran and Ellen Eudaly were beyond incredible over the last year and could provide a legitimate top-end scoring impact for Arkansas this fall.

And just thinking about "what could be" with these recruits later this fall makes it difficult to rank Arkansas outside of our top-15.

Here's another thing -- we don't know if everyone we just listed is Arkansas' entire freshman class. With MileSplit only keeping track of Americans and the Razorbacks not yet having an updated roster, there's potential that we missed a name or two.

Coach Harter does, after all, like to add overseas talents to his program on occasion.

* * *

Is it ideal that the Razorbacks are losing two star low-sticks in Gregory and Gear?

No.

It is ideal that an occasional backend scorer and steeplechase star Logan Jolly is also gone?

No.

It is ideal that some of the returners on this team faltered a bit last fall?

No.

Is it ideal that this Arkansas lineup will likely be extremely young and somewhat inexperienced?

No.

But aren't you encouraged by the fact that the Razorbacks return an All-American in Isabel Van Camp? Do you agree that Thorvaldson could be a high-impact scorer if she continues to progress this fall? Isn't it true that we know for a fact that certain returners can be significantly better in 2022? Wouldn't it be hard to believe that no one from this elite recruiting class will make an impact this fall?

If all of your answers to those last four questions are, "Yes" then you now have an idea as to why we ranked the Arkansas women where they are. There are too many lineup options and too much proven firepower for the Razorbacks not to be nationally competitive once again in 2022.

Plus, this is ARKANSAS we're talking about.

This isn't some random program that has had only had flashes of success.

Can you list the last time that this team wasn't good? When was that? And what are you even classifying as "not good"?

Sure, the Razorbacks may not have a flawless squad in the coming months, but gosh, it's hard to bet against this team regardless of the season.