TSR's 2023 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #4

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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ANOTHER NOTE: The Stride Report does not typically put much ranking weight on the regional meet results. Oftentimes, certain teams/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). However, you may notice less movement within our top-50 lists than usual in this update.

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50. Sophie O’Sullivan, Junior, Washington (-5 / 45)

Sure, we'll admit that a 17th place finish at the West Regional XC Championships wasn't the most encouraging result ever for Sophie O'Sullivan. But truthfully, the Huskies could have finished 5th as a team and still have advanced to the national meet.

Simply put, Friday's race didn't necessarily incite a massive sense of urgency for many of the top team in that West regional field.

Some of O'Sullivan's performances on the grass can be better than others, but she always provides great scoring value. Plus, her insane summer campaign makes us too nervous to leave a talent like her out of our top-50.

49. Judy Kosgei, Freshman, South Carolina (Unranked)

After falling out of our rankings after the SEC XC Championships, South Carolina’s Judy Kosgei rejoins our rankings after her 4th place showing at the Southeast regional meet.

The Gamecock star has been a name that is consistently thrown around when looking at our rankings as she has been winning races left at right this season. Her 11th place finish at the SEC XC Championships was an "off" day for the freshman, but it was also her first truly competitive test of the season.

Kosgei bounced back well at the regional meet and is seemingly ready to make some noise for South Carolina at the NCAA XC Championships. Of course, we'll be interested to see whether or not that inexperience will come back to be a challenge for her on Saturday.

48. Brianna Weidler, Junior, UC-Davis (Unranked)

A 7th place finish at the West Regional XC Championships was a very solid result for Brianna Weidler and it allowed the UC-Davis star to advance to the national meet as an individual. However, at the same time, that lone result, by itself, wasn't going to be enough for Weidler to crack the top-50 portion of our rankings.

But when you step back and look at the resume of Weidler in its entirety -- runner-up at the Bill Dellinger Invite, 7th at Joe Piane, runner-up at the BIG West XC Championships and now 7th at the West regional meet -- you get a very solid string of performances with no flaws.

And for that reason, we put this Aggie distance talent back inside of our top-50.

47. Chloe Foerster, Sophomore, Washington (-1 / 46)

A 13th place finish from Chloe Foerster isn't the most ideal result for her to have going into the national meet, but we're not exactly concerned about that performance, either.

A 7th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships and an 18th place finish at the Virginia Invitational show how valuable this sophomore ace can be in two fairly different race scenarios. We will, however, be interested as to how her national meet inexperience affects her this upcoming weekend.

46. Ruby Smee, Junior, Northern Arizona (Unranked)

Admittedly, Ruby Smee benefits from a few women falling out of our top-50 rather than her having a tremendous performance. But let's be clear, Smee is more than deserving enough of a top-50 spot in our rankings.

The summer-time transfer from the University of San Francisco had solid outings at the BIG Sky XC Championships (6th) and the Mountain regional meet (7th). However, those meets didn't do nearly as much for her stock as her tremendous 24th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational did.

Much like we mentioned with Brianna Weidler, it's hard to see any poor efforts on Smee's resume this season. And with the knowledge that she has been a cross country All-American in the past, it doesn't feel like she carries much downside going into Saturday.

45. Leane Willemse, Sophomore, Wisconsin (+4 / 49)

Seeing Leane Willemse produce a 5th place finish at the Great Lakes regional meet was nice, but it wasn't too surprising. That result is spot on with how she has been performing all season long. But even though we didn't learn much from that effort, it's great to know that Willemse is continuing to offer tremendous value as a low-stick.

44. Lucy Jenks, Junior, Stanford (-1 / 43)

On Friday, we saw Lucy Jenks produce an 11th place finish at the West Regional XC Championships. But as much as we'd like to dive into the nuances of that performance, it's hard to look at that result too seriously. That's because, not far behind Jenks, were teammates Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy and Zofia Dudek who all ran within fairly close proximity to each other.

The regional stage seemed to be an opportunity to run somewhat conservatively as the Stanford women prep for the national meet. And let's not forget that Jenks' best results have often come at larger meets.

43. Makenna Veen, Junior, Michigan State (Unranked)

42. Katie Osika, Senior, Michigan State (+2 / 44)

Following a 3rd place finish from Katie Osika and a 4th place finish from Makenna Veen at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships, the Spartan duo finds themselves just outside of the top-40 in our rankings.

Osika has been on a roll this postseason and if history repeats itself, then she could find herself finishing as an All-American for the second season in a row. To no surprise, she continues to be incredibly reliable this fall.

As for Veen, she’s joining our rankings for the first time this season. The junior talent placed 3rd at the BIG 10 XC Championships two weeks prior to her regional meet performance and has since validated that result on the regional stage.

Veen has shown not only massive growth from her 2022 season, but her consistency at this level has been a welcomed development as well. She’s made a case for herself to be an All-American come Saturday.

41. Gladys Chepngetich, Freshman, Clemson (-3 / 38)

During a year where numerous freshmen are emerging as star-caliber talents, it's Gladys Chepngetich who has seemingly been underappreciated.

This Clemson rookie has been excellent since day one. She has taken down multiple women who were/are ranked in our top-50 and she has yet to have a poor performance. Not only that, but Chepngetich seems to be peaking beautifully for the postseason after placing 7th at the ACC XC Championships and 5th at the Southeast regional meet.

Her youth and inexperience on the national stage is something to monitor, but her upside likely goes beyond where we have currently placed her in our rankings. And yes, she's dropping three spots in our rankings, but that's more based on what other women have done.

40. Molly Born, Rs. Senior, Oklahoma State (-5 / 35)

On Friday, Molly Born placed 5th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, losing to teammates Billah Jepkirui and Taylor Roe as well as Kansas' Lona Latema and Iowa State's Madelynn Hill.

Truthfully, it's hard to put much emphasis into that result. Born was great in her first two races of the season and she was within seven seconds of Roe on Friday. The Oklahoma State men and women know that qualifying is the main goal of the Midwest regional meet which is why we aren't putting much stock into her most recent result.

Born may drop a few spots, but that may be more of the product of other women in these rankings than anything that she did.

39. Sadie Sigfstead, Rs. Sophomore, Villanova (+3 / 42)

A narrow win over Melissa Riggins at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships has to feel good if you're Sadie Sigfstead. Her Georgetown opponent has been on fire this season, but you could make the argument that this Villanova redshirt sophomore is beginning to peak at the perfect time.

Truthfully, Sigfstead could have finished as far back as 9th place and still advanced to the national meet, so the weight of this victory doesn't necessarily feel massive. Even so, this Wildcat low-stick feels like she could be a wild card on the national stage -- she is seemingly primed for a huge performance.

38. Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Senior, BYU (+4 / 34)

37. Jenna Hutchins, Rs. Freshman, BYU (0 / 37)

36. Aubrey Frentheway, Senior, BYU (+5 / 41)

A trio of BYU Cougars find themselves together in our rankings following their performances at the Mountain Regional XC Championships.

Starting with Jenna Hutchins, the redshirt freshman has not competed since our last ranking update. However, the redshirt freshman not racing on Friday isn’t a point of concern as Coach Diljeet Taylor was most likely just resting the second-year standout prior to her first appearance at the cross country national meet.

As for Aubrey Frentheway and Lexy Halladay-Lowry, the All-American contenders finished 5th and 9th at the Mountain regional meet, respectively. Both women have been finishing amongst the top-10 every time that they race and Friday, while solid, didn't give us any new data on the two veterans.

Sure, a top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships isn’t projected for either Frentheway or Halladay-Lowry, but repeat All-American honors are most definitely in the cards. And if that happens for all three of these ladies, then a BYU podium finish is most certainly in the cards.

35. Sydney Thorvaldson, Rs. Sophomore, Arkansas (+4 / 39)

Razorback ace Sydney Thorvaldson takes another leap up our rankings after blowing away the field at the South Central regional meet. Prior to the regional meet, the redshirt sophomore had put together a slew of excellent performances, the most notable of which was a 6th place finish at the SEC XC Championships.

This commanding win on her home course, however, was the icing on the cake, further validating everything we have seen from her so far.

For someone who has shown some inconsistency in the past, this result was encouraging to see, even if the regional stage doesn't hold much emphasis in our rankings. If Thorvaldson is able to maintain this high level of consistency, then an All-American finish is certainly not out of the question. Luckily for her, she will likely have her teammate, Paityn Noe, to key off of.

34. Carmen Alder, Junior, BYU (+2 / 36)

With the cross country national meet fast approaching, we're going to be interested in seeing what BYU’s Carmen Alder does this time around on the course at Panorama Farms.

The last time that the junior raced in Virginia, she stunned the country with a statement, victory at Pre-Nationals. That was a breakout race for the Cougar veteran and it immediately made her an All-American contender. She prepped for the cross country national meet by placing 4th at the Mountain Regional XC Championships, crossing the line with fellow BYU teammate, Aubrey Frentheway.

Alder is on track to make a massive improvement from her 2022 NCAA XC Championships result of 203rd place this upcoming weekend if she continues to ride the momentum wave. With experience, greater consistency, a massive jump in fitness and familiarity with the course on her side, it's hard to dislike anything about Alder going into Saturday.

33. Paityn Noe, Freshman, Arkansas (-1 / 32)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

32. Alyson Churchill, Senior, Florida State (+1 / 33)

When the best three women in your region (the South region) are Parker Valby, Doris Lemngole and Hilda Olemomoi, there isn't much that you can do. Alyson Churchill simply did her job on Friday and walked away with a solid 4th place finish. And truthfully, we were never going to get a perfect gauge of where her fitness was at on the regional stage -- that's reserved for the conference and national meets.

31. Maddy Elmore, Rs. Sophomore, Oregon (-2 / 29)

Oregon’s Maddy Elmore has been one of this fall’s pleasant surprises and her 5th place finish at the West regional meet further validates all of the terrific performances that we have seen from her thus far.

Prior to the season, we saw Elmore as a more mile-centric runner. But nowadays, it's safe to say that she is far more aerobically talented than we initially thought.

The redshirt sophomore has been pivotal in the Ducks' success so far this season and that isn't going to change come Saturday, for better or for worse. If she can piece together another low-stick performance, then she will not only earn herself an All-American honor, but she may very well guide the Oregon women to a top-10 team finish.

30. Greta Karinauskaite, Sophomore, California Baptist (0 / 30)

California Baptist’s Greta Karinauskaite proved yet again that she is not afraid to run alongside the very best in the NCAA. The sophomore standout placed 2nd at the West regional meet on Friday, just four seconds adrift of Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell.

That performance further highlights just how good Karinauskaite can be and it further proves that her outing at the Nuttycombe Invite was just a rare “off” day. With the Big Dance on the horizon, the Lancer ace has all the credentials to cause a big splash, and if she can maintain this consistency, then she could quite comfortably outperform her rank.

29. Nicola Jansen, Junior, New Mexico (+2 / 31)

In a deep field at the Mountain regional meet, New Mexico’s Nicola Jansen continued to finish amongst the leaders. The junior standout placed 2nd overall, six seconds behind winner Gracelyn Larkin of Northern Arizona.

While competing at Bradley University in 2022, Jansen just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA XC Championships, but she didn’t let history repeat itself.

As the Lobo talent heads to Virginia this upcoming weekend, she will aim to prove that her breakout season thus far is no fluke and that a top-30 finish isn't just possible, but probable.

28. Sarah Carter, Rs. Senior, Colorado State (0 / 28)

An 8th place finish for Sarah Carter at the Mountain Regional XC Championships was "just okay" given her lead up to last Friday. However, when you realize that Carter defeated Nicola Jansen (who finished runner-up on Friday) two times prior to the Mountain regional meet, you begin to recognize the varied importance that the meet has for certain teams and individuals.

Nonetheless, Carter remains as one of the better distance talents in the nation this fall. She has looked like a far more complete runner in terms of consistently racing at a top-tier level. We don't expect that to change on Saturday.

27. Leah Stephens, Freshman, NC State (-5 / 22)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

26. Addie Engel, Junior, Ohio State (+1 / 27)

Sure, Addie Engel was in "no man's land" based on the results of the Great Lakes regional meet, but her silver medal performance was a nice step in the right direction.

The Ohio State veteran has been solid throughout the entirety of this season, but she also hadn't looked quite as sharp as she was in 2022. But in her last two efforts, Engel has been able to consistently take down some of the top women in the BIG 10. That's a good sign for someone who is entering her season finale on Friday.

25. Juliet Cherubet, Freshman, Texas Tech (+1 / 26)

On Friday, rookie Juliet Cherubet finished 3rd at the Mountain Regional XC Championships. And with that result comes a fun fact: In all five of Cherubet's races this season, the Texas Tech star hasn't fallen outside of the top-three in any of her efforts, two of which were wins.

And let's not pretend that Cherubet was racing against pushovers. Everyone knows how loaded the Mountain region is historically and a win over Addie Engel at the Arturo Barrios Invitational is a result that demands respect.

And after battling both Billah Jepkirui and Taylor Roe en route to bronze at the BIG 12 XC Championships, it seems fair to say that few NCAA freshmen should be more prepared for the national stage than Cherubet.

24. Flomena Asekol, Senior, Florida (-5 / 19)

Usually, we would drop Flomena Asekol much more than five spots for placing 8th at the South Regional XC Championships. However, Friday's race held very, very, very few realistic avenues which resulted in a poor Kolas national qualifying scenario for the Gators. This meet likely held little emphasis for the women of Gainesville and it would be unnecessary to offer any in-depth analysis on their results.

23. Melissa Riggins, Sophomore, Georgetown (+1 / 24)

Consistency has been Melissa Riggins’ strong suit this fall. Georgetown's breakout star has been having one helluva season and is seemingly getting stronger with each and every race. A 2nd place finish at the Mid-Atlantic regional meet wasn't surprising, but it perfectly aligned with everything that we have seen from her thus far.

The Hoya sophomore has shown countless times that she can get the job done when her team needs her the most. However, this Saturday, Riggins' newfound prowess of racing at the highest level will be put to the test in a high-pressure environment, especially with Georgetown aiming to keep their podium hopes alive.

22. Ali Upshaw, Junior, Northern Arizona (+3 / 25)

Northern Arizona's Ali Upshaw has been quietly stacking brilliant performance after brilliant performance and Friday was no different. A 6th place finish in the hotly contested Mountain region is a result that aligns with all that we have seen from the Lumberjack ace this fall.

Upshaw has proved to be a vital cog in the NAU machine this season and that certainly won't be changing this weekend in Virginia. With clear momentum and consistency on her side, Upshaw will be looking to snatch her first-ever All-American finish, and if all goes to plan, she could have a national time title to go along with it.

21. Kimberley May, Junior, Providence (+2 / 23)

Providence ace Kimberley May continues to climb further and further up our rankings as all she can seemingly do is make improvements.

A 2nd place finish at the Northeast regional meet is another strong performance to add to her already tremendous season. Not to mention, she took down Columbia’s Phoebe Anderson who has also been in fine form this fall.

The New Zealand native has proven that she may well be one of the most consistent racers in the nation despite being so new to this level of racing on the grass. If she can continue to ride this momentum, then a top-20 finish in Virginia this weekend certainly isn't out of the question.

20. Billah Jepkirui, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (+1 / 21)

A Midwest regional title has to feel good if you're Billah Jepkirui. However, the trio of Jepkirui, Taylor Roe and Molly Born were all packed together at 4900 meters (4886 meters to be exact) before chasing after the two women ahead of them. Simply put: There's not a whole lot to analyze here.

19. Margot Appleton, Junior, Virginia (+1 / 20)

The home course advantage will be on Margot Appleton’s side at the cross country national meet. The Virginia junior has been incredibly consistent this season, finishing amongst the top-five over the course of her first four contested races.

On Friday, Appleton kept pace with the leaders and was awarded with a 3rd place finish at the Southeast regional meet, a 13-place improvement from the 2022 regional meet. And while that was a nice result, it was hardly a performance that surprised us.

With the NCAA XC Championships up next, Appleton could crack the top-20 en route to earning her first cross country All-American honor. As far as reliability is concerned, she seems like one of the safer All-American picks to make in your pre-race predictions.

18. Phoebe Anderson, Junior, Columbia (0 / 18)

Not many have been as consistent as Columbia’s Phoebe Anderson this season. The Lioness star has utilized her newfound fitness superbly and a 3rd place finish at the Northeast regional meet was hardly a surprise, especially after her superb outing in Madison, Wisconsin.

With the Big Dance just around the corner, it feels like the sky is the limit for the Columbia junior. She hasn’t done a single thing wrong all season and if she can continue to flex that kind of fitness on Saturday, then she could well crack our top-15.

17. Rosina Machu, Sophomore, Gonzaga (0 / 17)

Gonzaga’s Rosina Machu has been on fire this season, finishing in the top-two in all four of her races. However, for as brilliant as she has been, it's been hard to gauge how her fitness would compare to those at the very top. This is due to the fact that she hadn’t toed the line in a larger field with far more elite competition spread throughout.

The West regional meet was the first time that we got to see Machu face-off against a loaded field – and it's safe to say that she delivered!

A 4th place finish behind some multiple time All-Americans was some solid validation of all of the promise that we had seen from her this season. However, the NCAA XC Championships are a much more challenging story and the regional stage is not always the best time to evaluate someone relative to another runner.

Even so, Machu is someone who has everything going her way and there's a very real possibility that her ceiling is that of a top-10 talent.

16. Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rs. Senior, Oregon State (0 / 16)

Oregon State veteran Grace Fetherstonhaugh is rounding into shape at just the right time. Her 3rd place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships was a clear indicator that her fitness was coming along nicely. And sure enough, she has since backed that up with a 3rd place finish at the West regional meet, a result that was good enough to secure her ticket to the Big Dance.

With experience on her side, we fully expect the Beaver star to utilize her growing fitness and add another All-American accolade to her growing collection. With recent momentum, extensive national meet exposure and prior postseason success, it's hard to find few top-tier as safe as Fetherstonhaugh.

15. Taylor Roe, Rs. Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 15)

Two races into her season and Oklahoma State’s Taylor Roe is primed for the cross country national meet.

In an admittedly fairly weak field at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, Roe moved up well over the course of the race and ran side-by-side with teammate Billah Jepkirui before essentially crossing the finish line together.

Roe has tons of experience competing at the NCAA XC Championships as she’s finished 2nd (winter 2021), 5th (fall 2021) and 13th (2022). The redshirt senior is on the cusp of being a four-time All-American talent if things go accordingly, but her ceiling for this fall could go beyond this ranking.

14. Annika Reiss, Senior, Northern Arizona (0 / 14)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

13. Amy Bunnage, Freshman, Stanford (-3 / 10)

Stanford freshman Amy Bunnage fell out of the top-10 portion of our rankings after a 14th place finish at the West regional meet. Of course, that seemed to be an intentionally conservative effort.

The Aussie's placing and proximity to her teammates on Friday suggests that she and the Cardinal were aiming to limit themselves in preparation for this weekend's NCAA XC Championships.

In her short time at Stanford, Bunnage has been superb and a PAC-12 individual title was an indicator of just how good she can be. If the youngster can emulate that kind of performance on the national stage, then she could well find herself back in our top-10.

12. Olivia Markezich, Senior, Notre Dame (0 / 12)

For the second year in a row, Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich won the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships, taking down the field by 12 seconds.

Markezich has raced very similarly to how she did during the 2022 cross country prior to finishing 8th at the NCAA XC Championships. She's not necessarily winning all of her races, but she very clearly belongs at the top of each field.

We fully anticipate the Fighting Irish senior to finish among the top-15 given her experience, but she has shown us in the past that she has enough raw talent to potentially crack the top-five on a perfect day.

11. Gracelyn Larkin, Senior, Northern Arizona (+2 / 13)

While competing at New Mexico prior to transferring to Northern Arizona, Gracelyn Larkin’s highest finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships was 4th place in 2021. Under a new training system with Coach Mike Smith and the Lady Lumberjacks, Larkin found herself victorious at this past weekend’s Mountain regional meet.

The NCAA XC Championship veteran is already a three-time All-American honoree, but this Larkin just seems to be at a completely different level this fall. With teammates like Elise Stearns, Annika Reiss and Ali Upshaw to work with, the NAU standout should have plenty of familiar company with her at the top of the field on Saturday.

10. Kaylee Mitchell, Senior, Oregon State (+1 / 11)

Few women have the extensive experience that Oregon State star Kaylee Mitchell has on the national stage. The multi-time All-American has been terrific all season and a comfortable win at the West regional meet suggests that she is rounding into form nicely.

With the Big Dance creeping ever closer, Mitchell seems capable of handling whatever kind of race scenario that is thrown her way. Not only that, but she will likely have her teammate Grace Fetherstonhaugh alongside her to aid her in her endeavor.

9. Amina Maatoug, Junior, Duke (0 / 9)

To nobody’s surprise, Amina Maatoug punched her ticket to the NCAA XC Championships with a 2nd place finish at the Southeast regional meet. The Duke Blue Devil has been simply superb this season and her consistency is something that truly sets her apart from the rest of her competitors.

The Dutch distance star has proved all season long that she can battle with the most dominant aerobic-centric distance talents in the NCAA. Her latest two performances in particular should give her a wealth of confidence as we reach the climax of the season.

8. Chloe Scrimgeour, Junior, Georgetown (0 / 8)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

7. Maia Ramsden, Junior, Harvard (0 / 7)

Harvard’s Maia Ramsden has been nothing short of spectacular this season and her victory at the Northeast regional meet came as no surprise. The Crimson ace's biggest challenge this season came in the form of the Nuttycombe Invite, a meet where she excelled (6th).

With momentum heavily on her side, there are not many women as prepared for the national meet as Ramsden. The 1500 meter national champion from June is extremely versatile and remarkably consistent, strengths that are going to help her in her journey to a top-10 finish this coming Saturday.

6. Hilda Olemomoi, Sophomore, Alabama (0 / 6)

It feels like she has been a bit overshadowed at times, but Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi has been quietly putting together a brilliant season.

A 3rd place finish at the South regional meet behind Florida’s Parker Valby and fellow Crimson Tide star Doris Lemngole almost mirrored her performance at the SEC XC Championships. This time, however, the Alabama duo were able to significantly close the gap between them and Valby.

Entering this weekend's NCAA XC Championships, Olemomoi has a big advantage. She has her teammate Lemngole to work with as well as national meet experience that Lemngole doesn't have. With tons of raw talent, Olemomoi is just as dangerous as ever.

5. Kelsey Chmiel, Senior, NC State (0 / 5)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

4. Elise Stearns, Junior, Northern Arizona (0 / 4)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

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

Alabama’s Doris Lemngole has made it loud and clear that she’s on track to be the top freshman on the NCAA Division One scene this season.

After finishing 34 seconds behind conference foe Parker Valby at the SEC XC Championships, the Alabama ace was only three seconds behind Valby this past weekend at the South regional meet, although it's safe to say that the regional level holds less emphasis than a conference championship might.

Even so, Lemngole has recorded solely 1st and 2nd place finishes this season. A top-three finish in her first appearance at the NCAA XC Championships isn’t out of the question. But we also can't help but ponder this: Is there a chance that the Crimson Tide talent stands atop the podium in Virginia?

2. Katelyn Tuohy, Junior, NC State (0 / 2)

1. Parker Valby, Junior, Florida (0 / 1)

It’s going to be quite the battle between Florida’s Parker Valby and NC State’s Katelyn Tuohy this weekend at the NCAA XC Championships.

At the 2022 cross country national meet, Valby dared anyone to go with her by choosing to the front-running aggressor. However, Tuohy perfectly bided her time and made her move over the last kilometer, winning the national title three seconds ahead of Valby.

But unlike last year where the two superstars didn’t see one another until the cross country national meet, Valby and Tuohy went head-to-head at the 2023 Nuttycombe Invite back in October. There, the Gator ace stunned Tuohy by winning with a 12-second margin.

Both women easily won their respective conference and regional meet races. Right now, on paper, Valby has the advantage over Tuohy given the Nuttycombe victory, but the historically elite resume of Tuohy may still make her the national title favorite in the eyes of many.

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ADDED

Judy Kosgei (South Carolina)

Ruby Smee (Northern Arizona)

Makenna Veen (Michigan State)

Brianna Weidler (UC-Davis)

KICKED OFF

Keira Moore (Northern Arizona)

Emily Covert (Colorado)

Hannah Prosser (Boston University)

Annastasia Peters (Utah)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Keira Moore (Northern Arizona)

Hannah Prosser (Boston University)

Abigail Hassman (Northeastern)

Annastasia Peters (Utah)

Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

Bethany Graham (Furman)

Emily Covert (Colorado)

Karrie Baloga (Colorado)

Ella Baran (Colorado)

Loral Winn (Ole Miss)

Grace Hartman (NC State)

Grace McLaughlin (California Baptist)

Jenny Schilling (Virginia)

Madelynn Hill (Iowa State)

Yasna Petrova (California Baptist)

Samantha Bush (NC State)

Riley Chamberlain (BYU)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

Sierra Atkins (UC-Davis)

Chloe Thomas (Connecticut)

Amelia Mazza-Downie (Florida)

Silan Ayyildiz (South Carolina)

Fatima Alanis (North Carolina)

Gionna Quarzo (NC State)

Emma McGill (Villanova)

Erin Strzelecki (Notre Dame)

Siona Chisholm (Notre Dame)

Brooke Wilson (Wake Forest)

Carly Wilkes (Furman)

Daniella Santos (Ohio State)

Maggi Congdon (Northern Arizona)

Daphnee Lavassas (Miami (FL))

Ashley Jones (Tennessee)

Notes

- N/A