TSR's 2023 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #2

Written by Maura Beattie & Finn Birnie, additional edits & commentary via Garrett Zatlin

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NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria.

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KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

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

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

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50. Juliet Cherubet, Freshman, Texas Tech (Unranked)

Texas Tech’s Juliet Cherbut picks up a TSR #50 rank following her 14-second victory at the Arturo Barrios Invite. The freshman talent defeated ranked athlete Addie Engel en route to her promising win. This was the deepest field, in a sense, that Cherubet has faced so far this season as she had only raced at Missouri and Wyoming prior to this past weekend.

The rising freshman talent will compete against a much tougher field in a couple of weeks which will be headlined by Oklahoma State, Iowa State and (more recently) BYU at the BIG 12 XC Championships. This Red Raider ace has already proven that she can be competitive at the top of certain fields, but if she can hold her own against that kind of competition, then another move up in our rankings could be in the cards.

49. Izzy Thornton-Bott, Senior, Oregon (-12 / 37)

A 14th place finish at Pre-Nationals in Virginia isn't necessarily a bad performance. Even so, for someone of Izzy Thornton-Bott's caliber, we did expect her to be a top-10 finisher (at the very least) this past Saturday.

After a solid, but simultaneously modest, result at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, this Oregon star hasn't had the most exciting fall campaign in 2023. Even so, we are strong believers in her talent and we can't forget that it was the 2022 postseason when this veteran Duck began to peak perfectly.

48. Gladys Chepngetich, Freshman, Clemson (0 / 48)

Holding down the fort with a TSR #48 rank is Clemson’s Gladys Chepngetich.

The Tiger freshman traveled to the Crimson Classic over the weekend and took on the Alabama duo of Hilda Olemomoi and Doris Lemngole. Although she wasn’t able to maintain pace with the leaders, Chepngetich still impressed with a 3rd place finish which was hardly a surprising result given how elite her opponents were.

Chepngetich has been extremely consistent this fall, finishing amongst the top-three in her four races. Admittedly, her competition has been relatively light compared to many others in our rankings, but she has proven to be a fringe All-American contender as we get closer to the NCAA XC Championships. But before that, the ACC XC Championships will give us a better idea of just how potent her talent can be in a loaded field.

47. Siona Chisholm, Junior, Notre Dame (-14 / 33)

It's not like an 81st place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is a complete collapse, but it certainly isn't close to the caliber of a 5th place finish at Joe Piane.

There is no denying that Siona Chisholm is talented. She ran 15:37 for 5000 meters last spring, qualified for the outdoor national meet, finished 7th overall at the 2022 ACC XC Championships and was a top-five finisher in one the more competitive meets of the 2023 cross country season (Joe Piane).

All of that is enough to keep Chisholm in our rankings despite a tough outing. However, greater consistency will need to be established at the ACC XC Championships in order for her to remain within our top-50.

46. Ella Baran, Senior, Colorado (-10 / 36)

A 33rd place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is very strong and it's a result that demands respect. However, for someone like Ella Baran, we would expect just the slightest bit more.

This was the first race of Baran's season, so it's hard to gauge just how good she is right now after one race. However, let's not forget that this Colorado ace can also peak for the postseason, something that she proved last fall. The PAC-12 XC Championships could tell us a lot about the direction of Baran's fitness as we dive deeper into the postseason.

45. Katie Osika, Senior, Michigan State (-7 / 38)

She may be moving a few spots backwards in our rankings, but a 27th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is somewhat close to what we would expect from Katie Osika. She's not the most potent low-stick in the country, but she has been so. darn. reliable. over her last few seasons of competition. And after also recording a 12th place finish at the Virginia Invitational, it seems like Osika is just as consistent as she ever has been.

44. Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Senior, BYU (-13 / 31)

43. Aubrey Frentheway, Senior, BYU (-17 / 26)

This BYU veteran duo was fairly decent at Pre-Nationals this past Friday, but neither woman showed us their true potential to contend with the top women in the field.

A 7th place finish for Aubrey Frentheway and a 9th place finish for Lexy Halladay-Lowry is definitely enough to keep them in our rankings, but we were hoping that those two women would be involved near the top-five of this race.

Even so, that was their first real challenge of the season. And in most years, we wouldn't see the Cougars legitimately challenged again until the national meet. But with BYU now part of the BIG 12, this former West Coast Conference team will have high-quality foes to battle against, giving Frentheway and Halladay-Lowry another chance to prove that they are top-tier low-sticks.

42. Sarah Carter, Rs. Senior, Colorado State (Unranked)

It's hard not to like Sarah Carter. The Colorado State veteran had an excellent breakout year on the track this winter and spring. Nowadays, she is transferring that fitness over to the grass.

A 4th place finish at the Griak Invitational was pretty much on par with our expectations for Carter. However, she was certainly on the better side of our projections when she dropped a huge 20th place finish at Nuttycombe.

There might be an argument for Carter to be ranked higher. And frankly, we wouldn't argue with you (too much). Regardless, this Colorado State star has not only broken through to the next level, but she's now finding greater consistency at this tier as well.

41. Judy Kosgei, Freshman, South Carolina (0 / 41)

Judy Kosgei has not competed since our last rankings update.

40. Emily Covert, Rs. Junior, Colorado (-11 / 29)

All-American star Emily Covert drops a bit in our rankings after a slightly underwhelming 42nd place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite. While that result certainly isn't the end of the world, it is by no means comparable to her terrific 5th place finish at the Virginia Invite the month prior.

And between those two efforts, we thought balancing her ranking at TSR #40 seemed to be a good compromise.

If the Colorado senior is going to climb back up our rankings, then she'll need to conjure some greater consistency as she ventures into the postseason. And yet, despite some uncertainty, it's clear that this veteran Buffalo is still plenty talented. Her performance from September suggests that she is still top form which is why we have her at this spot.

39. Addie Engel, Junior, Ohio State (-21 / 18)

Ohio State’s Addie Engel has had an interesting season so far.

Yes, she’s been a focal name amongst the leaders in all of her races, but she just lost her second consecutive meet to a previously unranked individual. As a result, this All-American star falls back quite a few spots in our rankings.

At the Arturo Barrios Invite, Engel recorded a very respectable 2nd place finish, crossing the line 14 seconds behind the leader. It’s promising that the Buckeye low-stick ran 28 seconds faster this past weekend compared to her 2022 performance at the Arturo Barrios Invite, but Engel hasn't been able to truly contend for wins like she was doing last year.

38. Keira Moore, Rs. Freshman, Northern Arizona (Unranked)

A 14th place finish at the Virginia Invitational certainly caught our attention back in September. We had never seen Keira Moore race on the grass before and in her collegiate cross country debut (outside of a very basic rust-buster), she was quietly great.

That performance still put Moore on the fringes of our rankings, but an 18th place result at the Nuttycombe Invitational is beyond fantastic for this redshirt rookie. She would be a focal low-stick for almost any other team, but she is instead the Lumberjacks' fifth runner.

Either way, when you tack on her 2nd place finish at the Dave Murray Invitational, you have to commend Moore for her excellent consistency despite her relative youth.

37. Annastasia Peters, Freshman, Utah (+12 / 49)

The first person to make a significant jump up our rankings this week is freshman standout, Annastasia Peters. The Idaho native continues to making incredible improvements. She most recently earned a 23rd place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational which more than validates her fantastic 3rd place result from the Griak Invitational.

Peters is seemingly becoming more and more refined with each race and despite her youth, she has proven to highly reliable in two major stages that differed significantly in terms of their structure.

If she can keep this momentum going, then don’t be surprised to see her take another significant leap in our rankings and possibly contend for an upper-half All-American honor in November.

36. Paityn Noe, Freshman, Arkansas (+14 / 50)

Paityn Noe produced a fabulous front-running display at the Chile Pepper XC Festival which left us asking, “How will this rising Razorback youngster fare as the competition becomes more challenging?”

Well, after an outstanding 3rd place finish at Pre-Nationals this past weekend, I think it's safe to say that she is going to fare just fine!

The former high school standout is quickly proving that she is the real deal, providing the Razorbacks with a much needed low-stick given the unfortunate absence of Isabel Van Camp. While her inexperience entering the postseason can't be overlooked, Noe is certainly someone who is of All-American caliber and someone who is seemingly getting better with each passing race.

35. Maddy Elmore, Rs. Sophomore, Oregon (Unranked)

For the first time in her career, Oregon’s Maddy Elmore enters our cross country rankings!

The junior Duck has seen major success under the guidance of Coach Shalane Flanagan and with a full year of training under her, Elmore is reaping the rewards.

In her second race of the season, the standout Oregon runner finished a remarkable 2nd at the XC23 Invitational in Virginia. Elmore remained amongst the leaders throughout the course of the race and used her 1500 meter speed to out-sprint a top-ranked talent in Paityn Noe (Arkansas) down the home stretch to the finish.

Sure, Elmore may have finished 11 seconds behind the winner (Carmen Alder), but she beat a handful of All-Americans who were behind her.

Just like other breakout names this fall, we still need to see this redshirt sophomore validate her huge performance over the next few weeks. Even so, this is a promising result for Elmore who may have a well-timed jolt of confidence as she prepares for the PAC-12 XC Championships.

If Elmore can maintain pace with the Oregon State duo, then you're looking at a home run hitting low-stick who could be even more potent than what we thought Izzy Thornton-Bott could be this fall.

34. Alyson Churchill, Senior, Florida State (-14 / 20)

It wasn't the best day for Florida State’s Alyson Churchill in Wisconsin.

At the Nuttycombe Invitational, the senior ace was expected to be closer to the leaders after she earned a 3rd place finish at Joe Piane in September. In fact, in that race, she nearly upset Kelsey Chmiel, barely missing her at the line! But on Friday, Churchill faltered in the rain and mud, struggling to finish amongst the top-30.

Churchill had to settle with a 31st place finish, but it’s not time to sound the alarm. That's still a very respectable result for someone of her caliber. This Seminole veteran is highly experienced and in terms of pure talent, is undoubtedly an All-American talent. However, in order to earn that honor, Churchill will need to regroup for the ACC XC Championships where she will have multiple top-level stars in a field that shouldn't be as overwhelming as Nuttycombe.

33. Kimberley May, Junior, Providence (Unranked)

Providence’s Kimberley May continues her unexpectedly great fall campaign with a very impressive 19th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

The New Zealand native burst onto the season at the Virginia Invite with a top-10 finish (10th) which caught us by surprise. But more importantly, her outing in Madison, Wisconsin clearly validated that performance and gave her one of the better combined results of the season between the Virginia and Nuttycombe Invitationals.

With the absence of Jane Buckley, May has been holding down the fort brilliantly as the Friars' primary low-stick. If she is able to keep this momentum rolling, then she could be a shoo-in for an All-American finish come November.

32. Greta Karinauskaite, Sophomore, California Baptist (-15 / 17)

California Baptist’s Greta Karinauskaite slips back in our rankings after a somewhat challenging day in Madison, Wisconsin. After her statement win at the Griak Invitational, we expected to see the Lancer ace mix it up with the very best at Nuttycombe.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be for Karinauskaite as she crossed the line outside of the top-50.

In fairness, a 52nd place finish is certainly not something to fret about. Karinauskaite is unbelievably talented and even on an “off” day, she was still able to provide some important scoring value for the Lancers.

With plenty of time to regroup before the NCAA XC Championships and elite talent still within her (as shown by her steeplechase performances this past spring), Karinauskaite may still have one of the higher ceilings of those who are found in this portion of our rankings.

31. Billah Jepkirui, Junior, Oklahoma State (-1 / 30)

Billah Jepkirui has not competed since our last ranking update.

30. Nicola Jansen, Junior, New Mexico (+5 / 35)

When Nicola Jansen was at Bradley, we knew that she was a solid and fairly competitive name. However, nothing that we saw from her prepared us for her 2nd place finish at the Griak Invitational earlier this season.

That early-season statement was incredibly impressive. Jansen had defeated a multitude of nationally competitive low-sticks and had seemingly made improvements on her promising fitness. And now, after earning a 21st place finish at Nuttycombe, we have all the validation we need to know that Jansen really is a lethal low-stick with All-American potential.

29. Ali Upshaw, Junior, Northern Arizona (Unranked)

For the last year or so, we have been very high on Aliandrea Upshaw. She has had multiple moments of subtle brilliance and it seemed like she was brimming with potential. And on Friday, after a long wait, we finally got to see her break out in a massive way.

Upshaw's 12th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational was beyond impressive. Yes, we were high on the former New Mexico runner, but we didn't anticipate this kind of result from her. She shattered expectations and gave her team a ton of unexpectedly great scoring potency.

From here, we simply need Upshaw to validate that stunning result. But given that we've been preaching about her potential for multiple seasons, we're not too worried about her showcasing that kind of top-tier fitness in the postseason.

28. Carmen Alder, Junior, BYU (Unranked)

Carmen Alder of BYU had a breakout race over the weekend at the XC23 Invitational in Virginia. The junior not only won the race, taking down a top-heavy field, but she did so in dominant fashion. Alder outpaced the field by 10 seconds en route to her first collegiate win.

And while that field may not have been nearly as competitive as the Nuttycombe Invitational, her victory was still a tremendous, out-of-nowhere performance which suggests that she may be a top-tier low-stick moving forward.

The BYU Cougar standout, who primarily focuses on the 1500 meter distance on the track, translated that track fitness to the grass seamlessly this past weekend. If Alder can repeat her Pre-Nationals performance later this season (which is the only thing holding her back from a better ranking), then she will put her team in a very strong position to be on the podium in November.

Luckily, the BIG 12 XC Championships will be the perfect meet for Alder to gauge herself against other top-tier individuals.

27. Melissa Riggins, Sophomore, Georgetown (Unranked)

Last fall, Georgetown middle distance specialist Melissa Riggins impressed us with a handful of solid efforts which gave her team some respectable backend depth. However, she was hardly a major factor.

On the track, Riggins was incredible during the spring months, running 4:10 for 1500 meters and making the finals in that event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships where she finished 10th overall.

However, those were middle distance performances and Riggins had never shown us anything on the grass that would make her a low-stick scoring threat during the fall months.

That, of course, is what makes her recent breakout so incredible.

The Pennsylvania native got her season off to a tremendous start after posting a 13th place finish at the Virginia Invitational. That low-stick performance was crucial for a Georgetown team that didn't have their traditional ace, Maggie Donahue, for that race. But for good as that performance was, it still needed validation and it wasn't quite enough for her to ranked.

Thankfully, replicating that kind of effort was no problem for Riggins who produced an unbelievable 15th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, further blowing away expectations as to what she is capable of this fall.

Riggins is clearly operating on a completely different tuer compared to last year. Her ceiling is seemingly limitless given how little experience she has when it comes to racing at this kind of level over the longer distances.

26. Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rs. Senior, Oregon State (-3 / 23)

Following a 22nd place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational, we have Grace Fetherstonhaugh dropping just a few spots in our most recent update. The redshirt senior opened her season with a respectable performance in a loaded field, but we know that there is still more to come for the All-American.

The Oregon State Beaver placed higher in 2022 at Nuttycombe, but before that performance, the redshirt senior already had a race under her belt. She has gained valuable experience over the course of her collegiate career and that will likely pay off as we head into the championship portion of the season.

25. Taylor Roe, Rs. Senior, Oklahoma State (-6 / 19)

Taylor Roe has not competed this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

24. Ceili McCabe, Senior, West Virginia (-11 / 13)

Ceili McCabe has not competed this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

23. Natalie Cook, Sophomore, Colorado (-1 / 22)

Natalie Cook has not competed in uniform this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

22. Amelia Mazza-Downie, Senior, Florida (-10 / 12)

Amelia Mazza-Downie has not competed this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

21. Bailey Hertenstein, Rs. Senior, Colorado (-11 / 10)

Bailey Hertenstein has not competed this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

20. Amaris Tyynismaa, Senior, NC State (-11 / 9)

Amaris Tyynismaa has not competed this season. If she does not compete at her conference meet, then she will be removed from our rankings.

19. Margot Appleton, Junior, Virginia (-5 / 14)

A 4th place finish at Pre-Nationals was decent for someone like Margot Appleton. However, it felt like she was the favorite to win that race, especially since she was on her home course. We certainly didn't have Carmen Alder, Maddy Elmore and Paityn Noe all taking down this Virginia distance star.

Even so, there's not much to evaluate with Appleton. She still did her job as the Cavaliers' ace and our opinion of her hasn't changed all that much since our last rankings update.

18. Phoebe Anderson, Junior, Columbia (+10 / 28)

Phoebe Anderson has been nothing short of superb this season and for that, she takes another sizable leap upwards our rankings.

The Columbia ace validated her outstanding 4th place finish at the Virginia Invitational with a somewhat equivalent 17th place result at Nuttycombe. The Lioness was just a mere 10 seconds from the top-10 and we still get the feeling that the best is yet to come.

With momentum and consistency on her side, there really isn’t much to dislike about Anderson right now. The junior's next challenge will be going toe-to-toe with Harvard superstar Mia Ramsden at the Ivy League XC Championships. And while we don't have Anderson favored, we do believe that she has enough momentum to be a potential upset candidate for the overall win.

17. Flomena Asekol, Senior, Florida (+10 / 27)

Florida newcomer Flomena Asekol kicked off her season in promising fashion with a 16th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational. The former Alabama talent was the Gator's second scorer behind Parker Valby and her low-stick performance was crucial in guiding the Gators to a 5th place finish.

As good as this performance was, it largely came as no surprise, especially from someone who finished in the top-15 at last fall's NCAA XC Championships. That being said, it's great to see Asekol back on the line and if she is able to remain consistent, then we don't see her leaving the top-half of our rankings this fall.

16. Leah Stephens, Freshman, NC State (+16 / 32)

NC State true freshman Leah Stephens is quickly proving that she is the real deal.

Seeing what this Wolfpack rookie did at the Nuttycombe Invitational (14th) was truly superb and it proved that her race at Joe Piane (where she finished 4th) was no fluke.

Stephens has shown great poise in her first two major races and her scoring value for the Wolfpack is going to be crucial if they hope to regain their national team title this November.

With tons of youth-based upside and a clear ability to hold her own in high-level settings, Stephens has made it impossible to rank her outside of the top-20. If she can keep doing what she is doing, then she could have an All-American honor to go alongside a potential team title in November.

15. Rosina Machu, Sophomore, Gonzaga (+9 / 24)

Gonzaga sophomore Rosina Machu skyrockets up our rankings once again after clocking a blistering 19:16 (6k) en route to her victory at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. Truthfully, we don't tend to focus on times during the cross country season, but that result was hard to ignore, especially after seeing how good she was at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational.

We still haven't seen this Gonzaga ace run against larger fields with far more elite competition spread throughout. That's the only uncertainty we have with this sophomore as she nears the national meet. Even so, Machu enters the championship portion of the season with some unmatched momentum. If she is able to replicate her recent display of fitness in November, then she could be knocking on the door of our top-10.

14. Amy Bunnage, Freshman, Stanford (+1 / 15)

Stanford freshman Amy Bunnage continues to excel and her 13th place finish in Wisconsin backs up what we got to see from her at the Virginia Invitational (6th). Sure, she may have been a little overzealous going with Katelyn Tuohy and Parker Valby, but who can blame her for giving it a go? That decision largely didn't hurt her end result too much.

With someone as talented as Bunnage, it would be no surprise to see her feature in our top-10 at some point this season. However, in order to do so, she must first handle the PAC-12 XC Championships, a race where the Aussie youngster will be one of the favorites to take the title outright, but will have to battle numerous women at the top of the field for that same honor.

13. Amina Maatoug, Junior, Duke (+3 / 16)

Amina Maatoug may just be one of the most consistent runners in the country. The versatile Dutch athlete crossed the line with a superb 11th place finish at Nuttycombe, a performance that closely mirrors her run at the Virginia Invite (7th).

Maatoug has shown time and time again that she can mix it up with the very best and this level of consistency could well give her the edge over some of her competitors come November. Her next challenge, however, will be the hotly-contested ACC XC Championships where we will get a better chance of seeing just how potent her low-stick presence is when she battles women such as Tuohy, Chmiel, Markezich, Stephens, Appleton, Churchill and a few others.

12. Annika Reiss, Senior, Northern Arizona (+22 / 34)

11. Gracelyn Larkin, Senior, Northern Arizona (+14 / 25)

What a great pair of races by these Northern Arizona women at Nuttycombe this past weekend! Aside from the success of front-running star Elise Stearns, seeing Gracelyn Larkin and Annika Reiss snag huge top-10 finishes validates every hope that we had for this duo coming into this season.

Larkin, a veteran on the cross country course, crossed the finish line in 8th place on Friday, one place higher and five seconds faster than her 2022 Nuttycombe performance. The new Northern Arizona runner’s 8th place finish in Madison was, in our eyes, clearly more impressive than her 9th place showing at the Virginia Invitational.

For Reiss, this was yet another excellent race from the experienced Lumberjack. With a 10th place finish, the senior earned her second top-10 result of the season. It perfectly complemented her 8th place finish from the Virginia Invite in mid-September.

Things are going well for Reiss right now. She is largely matching the elite firepower that she flashed at the beginning of the 2022 season, but nowadays, she's doing it consistently.

This Lumberjack duo works well together and between the success that they have both had so far, it would be hard to see Larkin and Reiss fading out of the top-15 at the NCAA XC Championships.

10. Olivia Markezich, Senior, Notre Dame (-4 / 6)

To be clear, Olivia Markezich has still been plenty strong this season, although she hasn’t necessarily stunned us in any major way so far this fall.

After a 6th place finish at Joe Piane, we were hoping for more from the Notre Dame star at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Markezich was certainly better with a 9th place finish, although a top-five or top-six result would have been closer to our expectations.

It's not time just yet to worry about what Markezich could accomplish at the NCAA XC Championships. In 2021, the Fighting Irish senior was 55th at Nuttycombe before finishing 11th at the cross country national meet. And in 2022, she was 17th at Nuttycombe before an 8th place finish at the cross country national meet.

So in reality, a 9th place finish this past weekend is right on par for what Markezich usually does at this point in the season. However, it’s going to take a massive performance at the ACC XC Championships to reestablish herself as a top-five talent, nationally.

9. Chloe Scrimgeour, Junior, Georgetown (+12 / 21)

Georgetown’s Chloe Scrimgeour backed up her 2nd place finish from the Virginia Invitational when she recorded a huge 7th place result at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

The breakout low-stick star missed out on the top-five by a mere five seconds, but this was a monumental performance. It truly validated her as one of the very best cross country runners in the NCAA this fall and frankly, it was better than what we expected.

Is it crazy to suggest that she could threaten for a top-five spot in our rankings at some point? That may not be totally off the table...

This Hoya star is not only succeeding on an individual level, but she is the driving force behind Georgetown’s success. And, if she keeps this up, then her first cross country All-American honor will surely be earned alongside a team podium finish.

8. Maia Ramsden, Junior, Harvard (0 / 8)

To no one's surprise, Mia Ramsden ran very well at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Her 6th place finish was about what we expected from her. Of course, despite the lack of surprise, it was still encouraging to see her flex this kind of form in her first real challenge of the season.

The Harvard junior looks like she is in a perfect position to replicate last fall's success. Of course, before she focuses on Charlottesville, she will have to take care of business at the Ivy League XC Championships where Columbia's Phoebe Anderson at least seems capable of pulling off an upset.

7. Kaylee Mitchell, Senior, Oregon State (+4 / 11)

Oregon State senior Kaylee Mitchell was unsurprisingly excellent (5th) at the Nuttycombe Invite. And for that reason, she makes her first appearance in our top-10.

In her first real test of the season, the Beaver ace took down a multitude of household names including Olivia Markezich and Maia Ramsden. This result should give Mitchell a world of confidence as we transition into the business end of the season. Not only is a top-10 finish at the national meet looking possible, it's also looking probable for one of the nation's most reliable distance talents.

6. Hilda Olemomoi, Sophomore, Alabama (+1 / 7)

There isn’t much to say about Hilda Olemomoi’s win at the Crimson Classic. The sophomore talent crossed the line with teammate Doris Lemngole by her side.

Olemomoi has had a daily quiet season thus far, only racing once prior to Alabama’s home meet. Her 8th place finish at Joe Piane is nothing to shy away from (she was ill for that race), but Olemomoi will face some deep competition at the SEC XC Championships between her teammate Lemngole, the Florida Gators and the rising Arkansas women.

5. Elise Stearns, Junior, Northern Arizona (-1 / 4)

4. Kelsey Chmiel, Senior, NC State (+1 / 5)

There's truthfully nothing to discuss with Kelsey Chmiel or Elise Stearns who finished 3rd and 4th, respectively, at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Both of these women have proven to be among the most consistent and reliable low-sticks in the entire NCAA, specifically on the grass. Nothing that we saw from them on Friday changes that.

3. Doris Lemngole, Freshman, Alabama (0 / 3)

It was a low-key weekend for Alabama’s Doris Lemngole. After her two dominating wins earlier this season, the freshman star ran alongside teammate Hilda Olemomoi at the Crimson Classic. Lemngole crossed the line with her teammate, but was given the 2nd place finish.

Alabama’s little tune-up for the SEC XC Championships will suit Lemngole well as she enters the championship portion of the season. Seeing her go up against Parker Valby will give us a much better understanding of where her fitness is at this fall.

2. Katelyn Tuohy, Junior, NC State (-1 / 1)

1. Parker Valby, Junior, Florida (+1 / 2)

You can't talk about one without talking about the other...

At this point, everyone knows that Florida's Parker Valby took down NC State's Katelyn Tuohy at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday -- and it wasn't even close. The Gator superstar produced a huge 12-second win over the Wolfpack phenom by simply running away from her. Valby also earned the course record despite battling muddy and rainy conditions.

Beating Tuohy is one thing, but beating her as soundly and as convincingly as Valby did is downright stunning. Sure, Valby was the only who could have realistically defeated Tuohy, but this was still a significant upset.

When looking at career resumes, Katelyn Tuohy is unquestionably the better and more accomplished distance runner when compared to Parker Valby. That shouldn't be an argument.

Even so, these rankings are focused on this season. And after Friday, we don't know how Valby couldn't sit atop of our list. That being said, the individual national title race is hardly settled. Tuohy could absolutely end this season with yet another NCAA gold medal in November.

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ADDED

Juliet Cherubet (Texas Tech)

Sarah Carter (Colorado State)

Keira Moore (Northern Arizona)

Maddy Elmore (Oregon)

Kimberly May (Providence)

Ali Upshaw (Northern Arizona)

Carmen Alder (BYU)

Melissa Riggins (Georgetown)

KICKED OFF

Samree Dishon (Colorado)

Samantha Bush (NC State)

Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)

Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

Maggie Donahue (Georgetown)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Bethany Graham (Furman)

Brianna Weidler (UC-Davis)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)

Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

Maggie Donahue (Georgetown)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Bethany Graham (Furman)

Brianna Weidler (UC-Davis)

Ruby Smee (Northern Arizona)

Grace Hartman (NC State)

Molly Born (Oklahoma State)

Sophie O'Sullivan (Washington)

Victoria Patterson (Oregon)

Elise Thorner (Florida)

Karrie Baloga (Colorado)

Grace McLaughlin (California Baptist)

Ryann Helmers (Ole Miss)

Jenna Hutchins (BYU)

Sydney Thorvaldson (Arkansas)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Samree Dishon (Colorado)

Samantha Bush (NC State)

Ella Baran (Colorado)

Sierra Atkins (UC Davis)

Joy Gill (Alabama)

Daphnee Lavassas (Miami (FL))

Emily Boutin (Navy)

Hannah Prosser (Boston U.)

Yasna Petrova (California Baptist)

Victoria Lagat (Oklahoma State)

Makenna Veen (Michigan State)

Gabby Hentemann (Oklahoma State)

Leane Willemse (Wisconsin)

Madelynn Hill (Iowa State)

Sadie Sigfstead (Villanova)

Riley Chamberlain (BYU)

Anna Workman (Virginia)

Daniella Santos (Ohio State)

Notes

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