TSR's 2022 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Rankings (Women): #12 Georgetown Hoyas

Written by Maura Beattie, additional commentary and edits by Garrett Zatlin

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Finding a more historically rich distance program on the east coast is pretty difficult given the reputation, accolades earned and consistent national experience of the Georgetown women.

It has almost never been a surprise to see the Hoyas secure wins over other nationally-ranked teams or have an athlete or two earn All-American honors. The Washington D.C.-based team typically thrives across all three seasons and they're one of the few programs that can effectively translate middle distance success to the grass.

Much of the recent success that we've seen from the Hoya women can be accredited to the dynamic duo of Sami Corman and Maggie Donahue, as well as the reliability of former middle lineup scorers like Baylee Jones, Katie Dammer and Kiera Bothwell.

But a series of major changes in this projected 2022 lineup would eventually arise this past summer, forcing The Stride Report to revisit how we were going to look at the Hoyas heading into the fall months.

However, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Let's revisit the fall of 2021 before we look at this team in 2022.

* * *

Throughout last fall, the Georgetown women had a solid top-five, headlined by Sami Corman and Maggie Donahue as well as supporting veterans like Baylee Jones, Katie Dammer and graduate transfer Kiera Bothwell.

The Hoyas first true test of their season came at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invite, a meet hosted by Penn State. There, the Georgetown women would secure a promising early-season win over an insanely talented Minnesota team, 48 points to 51 points.

Georgetown also took down a strong Michigan team which scored 54 points as well as a promising Syracuse squad which scored 91 points.

And the best part? Most of the women's teams in this field weren't going easy -- almost all of Georgetown's opponents were running their best women.

Maggie Donahue took care of business upfront, finishing 2nd overall, but it was Georgetown's final four scorers who stole the show, recording a 14-second time-spread in the small, but top-heavy meet. Bothwell was another top-10 finisher and Georgetown's remaining three scorers all finished in the top-14.

Georgetown had to be thrilled about that result. Minnesota, Michigan and Syracuse would go on to have fantastic seasons, which in retrospect, made Georgetown's victory one of the more underrated wins of the season.

While the gap between Donahue and the rest of the lineup could have been a little bit better, the other teams in that field didn't have anywhere near the completeness that the Hoyas did.

With the early-season racing bandage now ripped off, the Georgetown women would go on to face some highly talented teams at Paul Short.

If the Lehigh-hosted meet was scored just through four runners, the Hoya women would’ve easily defeated this field. The combination of Donahue, Corman, Bothwell and Jones went 8-10-11-12, respectively.

Talk about dominating a race from the front...

But their fifth scorer was way too far back, placing 62nd overall. And in a field where Northern Arizona, Villanova and Utah State held similar lineup structures, the Georgetown women had to settle for a surprising 4th place finish.

It was clear from that race that Coach Mitchell Baker needed to find a solid and reliable fifth scorer to help the Hoyas shoot up to the top of the field. Because through four runners, this team was clearly better than their Paul Short opponents.

And the Hoyas next test? Well, it would be Pre-Nationals, a far more challenging field than anything that Georgetown had faced at Harry Grove or Paul Short.

Donahue and Corman once again impressed with their 26th and 27th place finishes, giving the Hoyas an expected (but strong) scoring spark. Bothwell and Jones followed suit by finishing 54th and 56th, respectively.

While those packs of two were slightly further back than Georgetown may have hoped for, their teamwork and scoring stability didn’t go unnoticed. On paper, this team was just as good as their competition through four runners.

But once again, Georgetown's success came down to their fifth scorer. While the gap amongst the Hoyas' top-four was solid, the drop-off to the team's final scorer, who placed 160th overall, was simply too much to overcome.

And in the end, the team faltered to 10th place finish, a result that wasn't indicative of their true talent or the scoring value that 80% of their top-five had exhibited.

But after regrouping from a less-than-ideal showing at Pre-Nationals, the Georgetown women rallied to win the BIG East XC Championships by the skin of their teeth, outpacing Butler by a mere two points.

The narrative that we had see from this team all season long was no different at this conference meet. Georgetown, once again, was excellent through four runners.

Donahue scored a singular point by taking home the individual title. Meanwhile, Corman (6th), Bothwell (10th) and Jones (13th) kept their time-spread at just 12 seconds, all placing within the top-13 overall results. The scoring potency was there, the middle lineup scorers bridged any gaps and they simply outran equivalent scorers from other teams.

But once again, this race came down to the Hoyas' final scorer. This time, the last Georgetown woman across the line placed 35th overall. Luckily, the Hoyas were able to offset the depth of the Butler Bulldogs, but not by much.

However, despite the conference title, one could argue that the best race of the 2021 cross country season for these Georgetown runners came at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships.

And rather than praising the Hoyas' usual top-four, we needed to focus on the emergence of Chloe Scrimgeour.

The now-rising sophomore was the team’s fifth scorer at Harry Grove during the beginning of the season, but was then sidelined until the regional meet after a DNF result at Paul Short. That's why Scrimgeour’s 18th place finish in the Mid-Atlantic region was the main highlight of the meet for Georgetown.

And as a result, the Hoyas were able to dominate the field with five women in the top-20, outscoring runner-up West Virginia by 24 points.

After highly successful conference and regional meet showings, momentum was riding high for the Georgetown women heading into the NCAA XC Championships.

Once there, Donahue paced the team as she had done for most of the season, earning All-American honors with a very clutch, but somewhat unsurprising, 30th place finish. Corman came oh-so-close to the same honor, only missing out by four places (44th).

To be successful in this kind of field, Georgetown needed their top-two scorers to deliver key low-stick points. And for the most part, they did exactly that.

As for Jones and Bothwell, those two women who had consistently performed well week-after-week, struggled a bit, finishing well out of the top-100. Scrimgeour, in her third race of the season and in her first NCAA XC Championship, finished 158th in a tough field, emerging as the team's fourth scorer.

The Hoyas needed more from Jones, Bothwell and maybe Scrimgeour at the Big Dance. A top-five time-spread of 1:26 was clearly detrimental to the Hoyas' chances of earning a top-15 finish on the national stage.

Although in fairness to the Hoyas, placing 18th at the NCAA XC Championships is hardly a poor result. Georgetown didn't have their best possible showing, but they still recorded a top-20 team finish -- and that's something to be encouraged about.

But in 2022, we have a feeling that the Hoyas will be hungrier than ever to prove that they one of the best distance programs in the NCAA.

* * *

From top to bottom, the Georgetown women have it all this season.

Top returners? Check.

High-potential transfers? Check.

Incoming high school studs? Check.

Admittedly, there is some rebuilding that needs to occur in the middle portion of this lineup now that former scorers like Jones, Bothwell and Dammer are all gone. And based strictly on returners, those losses wouldn't put Georgetown anywhere near a TSR #12 ranking.

Of course, The Stride Report isn't looking just at returners...but let's start our conversation with those women anyways.

The dynamic duo of Maggie Donahue and Sami Corman provided extremely valuable low points for the Hoyas throughout last year. And despite being the most impactful scorers on this team, they are also the least worrisome.

Donahue, a two-time All-American at the cross country national meet in as many appearances, will be looking for a third honor this fall. The rising veteran was 32nd at the NCAA Winter XC Championships and then improved upon that result to finish 30th last fall. Her 2021 fall season was headlined by four top-10 finishes, including a BIG East individual title.

Since then, Donahue has looked even better. In fact, we think she has increased her chances of having an even more dominant cross country season after dropping times of 15:45 (5k) and 33:05 (10k) earlier this year.

Then we have Corman who will be looking for her first cross country All-American honor this fall after showing highly promising improvements over her three previous performances at the NCAA XC Championships.

This senior is a true veteran of the team, being in Washington, D.C. since the fall of 2018. Her results from last fall, when looking at the team as a whole, can be summed up as consistent. Corman was the Hoyas' second scorer in four of her five races and the team's top runner at the Mid-Atlantic regional meet.

Corman also improved on the track during both the indoor and outdoor seasons, running times of 4:15 (1500), 4:36 (mile), and 9:08 (3k). With marks like those, more experience gained racing as a front-runner and training alongside teammate Donahue, our TSR #36 ranked athlete is primed for an All-American honor later this season.

Through two runners, we feel pretty comfortable saying that the Georgetown women have the best 1-2 punch of any team that we have ranked so far in our XC Top 25. In fact, it's not even close when comparing the top scoring duos of teams ranked from TSR #13 to TSR #25.

Donahue and Corman are just that good.

And remember the surprise performance that we saw from Chloe Scrimgeour at last year's Mid-Atlantic regional meet?

Well, she’s also back for her sophomore season.

Scrimgeour opened her fall 2021 campaign with a sneaky-good 14th place finish at Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invite. That was a promising start for her, but then she recorded a DNF at Paul Short.

Her DNF result, and ensuing absence, would negatively impact the middle portion of Georgetown's lineup throughout the season.

Luckily, Scrimgeour’s presence at the regional meet was a saving grace for the Hoyas. They needed to solidify a fifth scoring spot and when she finished 18th in her regional return, one had to be encouraged about her potential as a scorer.

Not just last fall, but also in the future.

Finishing 158th at the NCAA XC Championships was not what was expected after a strong regional meet performance. Still, when you consider that it was only her third collegiate race and first national meet appearance, Scrimgeour has the potential to improve immensely from last year.

Without racing the indoor track season, we need to look at the rising sophomore’s spring campaign to gauge her potential for this fall. Her 16:10 (5k) mark at Penn Relays and her runner-up finish in the same event at the BIG East Outdoor Championships leads us to believe that Scrimgeour could be a consistent top-five scorer for Georgetown later this fall.

And for a team that struggled with depth last year, that is a huge development.

Two other returners to the Hoyas' roster who could also make an impact are Chloe Gonzalez, a 2021 NCAA XC Championship participant, and middle distance ace Melissa Riggins who actually played soccer in the fall before switching to cross country this year.

Gonzalez, a sophomore this fall, had a 2021 fall season somewhat similar to Scrimgeour.

She was listed in the team's lineup for the first meet of the season, but after recording a DNS, Gonzalez didn't race until the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championship. Her 50th place finish gave her the seventh position on the team.

Then, at the cross country national meet, Gonzalez moved up to be the team’s sixth runner. Her two races of the season weren't out of this world, but she did gain valuable experience competing during the championship portion of last season -- experience that could effectively translate to this fall.

As for Riggins, the former soccer player emerged as a middle distance superstar this past year. Running 2:03 (800) and 4:17 (1500) might not put her alongside women like Corman and Donahue, but it is plenty realistic to think that she could be a top-seven performer for Georgetown on the grass.

And while her youth theoretically gives her some exciting upside, trying to figure out how her middle distance success translates to the 6k racing distance isn't easy to gauge.

Still, between Donahue, Corman, Scrimgeour, Gonzalez and Riggins, the Georgetown women had a good enough group of returners who could help this team get by later this fall.

Of course, the Hoyas are trying to do more than just "get by".

* * *

Three graduate transfers are arriving to Washington, D.C. this fall. And all three of those women could be absolute game-changers for the Hoyas, something we'll hopefully see in the coming weeks.

Katy-Ann McDonald from LSU, Grace Jensen from Vanderbilt and Andrea Claeson from Boston University are all bringing extremely promising scoring value to Georgetown this fall, so much so that concerns about the team's depth are now (almost) nonexistent.

McDonald enjoyed a breakout year during the 2021-2022 academic year, both on the grass and the track. She qualified for her first NCAA XC Championship last fall after finishing a respectable 6th place at the South Central regional meet.

However, before those two races, McDonald beat a slew of Arkansas Razorbacks en route to a highly promising 2nd place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival. She later secured a strong 20th place result at the SEC XC Championships.

For someone who is primarily an 800/1500 competitor, that is tremendous range.

A 163rd place showing at last year's national meet was about what we projected for McDonald given her lack of experience on the cross country national stage.

However, the most recent outdoor track season brought McDonald to a completely different level. This past spring, the incoming graduate student dropped her 800 meter time down to 2:00 and her 1500 meter time down to 4:12.

That mix of elite speed, a new training program that is historically strong in the distance events and valuable experience gained last fall should bode extremely well for McDonald as she transitions to Georgetown.

Not only that, but few programs in the NCAA are better at translating middle distance speed to cross country success. On paper, this is a match made in heaven.

When we look at Jensen and Claeson, these two women bring very different, but equally valuable, strengths to Georgetown's 2022 cross country roster.

Jensen’s 2021 fall campaign was highlighted by a very good 24th place finish at Joe Piane and then a 17th place finish at the SEC XC Championships. On paper, those results make the newest Hoya a legitimate top-five scoring threat this fall, even if she doesn't have national meet experience on the grass.

In fact, those performances lead us to believe that Jensen could be a top-10 finisher at the BIG East XC Championships in a few months time.

The now-former Vanderbilt athlete might not have the same long distance endurance as some of her new teammates, but her recent 4:13 mark for 1500 meters from this past spring could benefit her when she's fighting for a top-five spot later this fall.

But what Jensen brings in speed, Claeson brings in aerobic-based strength.

While at Boston University, during the winter 2021 cross country season, Claeson earned a runner-up finish at the Patriot League XC Championships which led to a berth for the NCAA XC Championships.

In March of 2021, Claeson earned a 163rd place finish in her first national meet appearance. She was on track to once again qualify for the cross country national meet in the fall following a 3rd place finish at the Patriot League XC Championships. However, she faded to 55th place at the Northeast Regional XC Championships.

Even so, the potential that we've seen from Claeson on the track may actually be better than what we've seen from her on the grass. Her recent 16:03 (5k) PR on the outdoor oval is promising heading into the 2022 fall season. The same can be said for her 4:39 mile PR from this past winter.

Claeson should be able to prove herself as a top-five scoring contender for the Hoyas. She still needs to refine her consistency and deliver on her full potential, but at the very least, this former Boston U. runner gives Georgetown more stable depth that they didn't have last year.

But wait, there's more!

There are two star-studded freshmen who could challenge these veterans and transfers. Mary Grace Hegberg and Cate Joaquin arrive in the Mid-Atlantic region this fall after strong high school campaigns and some head-turning times.

Hegberg, a native of Illinois, was an All-State honoree on both the track and cross country course at the prep-level. She might not have won an IHSA title while in high school, finishing runner-up a few times, but her personal bests speak for themselves.

Hegberg owns marks of 4:45 (1600), 10:17 (3200) and 16:38 (three miles XC). The incoming rookie also gained valuable experience competing against the nation’s best high schoolers at the Arcadia Invitational, Nike Outdoor Nationals and New Balance Indoor Nationals.

After being able to watch Hegberg race in person a few times during the 2021-2022 academic year in the state of Illinois, we can confidently say that she might do more than simply crack the top-seven of the Hoyas' lineup this fall.

Coming to Georgetown via California, Cate Joaquin brings with her outstanding times of 4:46 (1600), 10:20 (3200) and 17:14 (5k XC).

The incoming freshman had her best high school cross country season in 2019 when she finished 4th at her state meet and went on to qualify for the Foot Locker XC National Championships, finishing 38th overall.

Despite a few setbacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, she came out strong during her 2022 senior track campaign, recording her 1600 and 3200 PRs as well as a runner-up finish in the 1600 meters at her state meet.

After her 2021 fall campaign ended with a DNF at the state meet, Joaquin will be out to prove herself this cross country season. And if she delivers on her full potential this fall, then having the Georgetown women ranked outside of our top-10 may have been a mistake.

* * *

Forget everything you previously knew about last year's Georgetown team. In 2022, everything about this program is different...but only in good ways.

They bring back one of the more lethal scoring duos in the country, return high-upside youngsters from last year, add two elite-caliber high school recruits and significantly bolster their depth with three of the more valuable graduate transfers in the NCAA.

It's hard to see this team having a poor race later this fall. Their scoring potency through five runners looks very dangerous and their reinforcements will likely be better than they were last year.

Yes, it's true, we don't know for sure how these incoming transfers and new recruits will translate their past successes to an entirely different program. There's also no guarantee that returners like Scrimgeour will make noticeable scoring improvements this fall.

But the probability of these transfers, recruits and younger returners actually delivering on their potential seems higher than not. And that's why it's hard to place the Georgetown women any lower than TSR #12.

And who knows? Come November, we might be saying that this team wasn't ranked high enough during the month of August.