TSR's 2023 D2 Outdoor Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #1

TSR Collaboration
Apr 3, 2023
14 min read

Written by Marissa Kuik & Grace McLaughlin

Additional edits and commentary by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin

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Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.

Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.

TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.

NOTE: Because we are in a new season, we are treating this week's rankings update as a new series of top-25 names. Therefore, we are not indicating any movement from our winter lists.

25. Gianna Bomarito, Freshman, Sonoma State

After running a time of 34:21 over 10,000 meters, Gianna Bomarito lands herself at NCAA #1 on the national leaderboard and TSR #25 in our rankings.

If you do not recognize her name, that's because Sonoma State does not race during an indoor track season. Sure, Bomarito had a strong fall campaign, but not a good enough season to qualify her for the cross country national meet.

However, the rookie distance ace has made herself known on the outdoor oval with her top time in the 10k...even if it's still early in the season. Plus, she also has a time of 16:50 (5k) this season, placing her at NCAA #9 on the national leaderboard.

With a few more chances to race on the track, this true freshman will most likely improve her times even more and will definitely be a name to watch for the rest of the season.

24. Marissa D’Atri, Junior, Chico State

After a stellar cross country season where Marissa D’Atri finished 14th at the national meet, the Chico State ace opened her outdoor track season with two provisional marks -- a time of 10:56 in the 3k steeplechase and a time of 16:30 in the 5k.

While that steeplechase performance is well off of her 10:24 personal best (which earned her 7th place at the outdoor national meet last year), D’Atri did run a massive 5k PR of over 30 seconds. If D’Atri decides to pursue the steeplechase again, there seems to be plenty more in the tank and we should be seeing another massive PR in that event shortly.

Her ability to be a national-caliber threat in multiple distance events is what allows D'Atri to crack our top-25 just like she did in the fall.

23. Kate Hedlund, Sophomore, UC-Colorado Springs

Kate Hedlund saw plenty of personal bests and breakthroughs this indoor track season, showing us that she is ready for a phenomenal outdoor track campaign.

After a disappointing finish in the mile at the indoor national meet (where she failed to get out of the preliminaries), Hedlund opened up the spring months with a converted time of 4:28 in the 1500 meters.

With her only being a couple seconds behind her PR and her jump in fitness seen over the last two seasons of competition, expect Hedlund to be one of the top contenders (as expected) for 1500 meters once we reach the postseason.

That said, her biggest task will be to get out of the preliminaries, something that was likely a fluke a few weeks ago.

22. Megan Roxby, Senior, Simon Fraser

Megan Roxby has quietly become one of the better middle distance athletes in the country, something that signaled true again with her opener at the Stanford Invitational.

The Simon Fraser veteran posted times of 2:09 (800) and 4:27 (1500) over the past weekend, slating her inside the top-10 of the national leaderboard in both events. Her 800 meter time was a personal best by nearly two full seconds while her 1500 meter time is just two seconds off of her personal best of 4:27.

Roxby has failed to get out of the preliminaries both times that she has qualified for a national meet as she finished 15th at last year’s outdoor national meet in the 1500 meters before finishing 17th at this year’s indoor national meet in the mile.

Given that Roxby has already bettered 800 meter personal best and is just two seconds off of her 1500 meter PR, the idea that she is ready for a breakout season isn’t so farfetched anymore. If she continues to race like this, we could see her make her way out of the preliminaries of either event and be a viable All-American pick in May.

21. Amanda Montplaisir, Senior, Minnesota State

Amanda Montplaisir has yet to race this season.

20. Katie Doucette, Junior, Western Colorado

Katie Doucette opened up her 2023 outdoor track season with a modest converted time of 16:49 for 5000 meters which will likely need to be improved upon to qualify her for the outdoor national meet.

However, Doucette has proven that she is an elite talent from her many national appearances and All-American finishes. She finished in 8th place last year in the 5k at the outdoor national meet, snagging the last All-American spot -- but past history suggests that she can be even better.

Though her effort at the indoor national meet was less than ideal this year, it is hard to bet against Doucette with a resume like hers. As always, expect her to be someone to watch this spring in the 5k and the 1500 meters.

19. Molly Maksin, Sophomore, Colorado Mines

Rising Oredigger standout Molly Maksin has slowly made a name for herself and has come out of the proverbial shadow of her teammate, Zoe Baker.

Maksin has now qualified for multiple national meets and has come away with multiple All-American finishes, including two cross country top-40 honors and an indoor top-eight finish in the 5k. In other words, she's a mainstay among the top distance talents in Division Two.

She has also come incredibly close to finishing in the top-eight at last year's outdoor national meet in the 10,000 meters with a 10th place finish and a 9th place finish in the 5k at this year’s indoor national meet.

Simply put, Maksin truly thrives in the longer distances and saw many improvements this past winter from the mile to the 5k. Though her season opener of 16:49 (5k) is below her usual standard, expect her to make a huge improvement, especially when she contests the 10k.

Right now, it's hard to see this Colorado Mines runner trending anywhere other than up.

18. Najwa Chouati, Senior, Stanislaus State

Stanislaus State is one of the only California schools that does have an indoor track season, allowing Najwa Chouati to show off her talent to the rest of Division Two during the winter.

Chouati qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in both the 3k and the 5k, coming away with an All-American finish in the former event. And now, as we enter the spring months, she has already kicked-off her outdoor track season with a bang, running a time of 16:21 in the 5k.

Chouati also finished 7th at last year’s outdoor national meet in the 10,000 meters, so seeing her snag an All-American honor this past indoor track season against this year’s incredible pool of talent bodes well for Chouati.

Expect her to improve her 10k time and be competitive again for another All-American finish.

17. Lauren Kiley, Freshman, Grand Valley State

Lauren Kiley opens up her outdoor track season in our rankings at TSR #17, largely because of her great performance in the 5k recently where she ran a time of 16:28.

Kiley is a little bit of an interesting case as she had an incredible first cross country season, finishing in an astounding 7th place at the NCAA XC Championships. During the indoor track season, however, she ran well, but wasn't quite at the same level as what we saw from her on the grass.

At the indoor national meet, Kiley finished 11th over 5000 meters and 14th for 3000 meters, failing to finish as an All-American. And although her recent 5k time of 16:28 is strong right now, the Laker rookie will have to improve a bit to be a contender for those top-eight spots at the outdoor national meet.

With all of that being said, Kiley coming away with a nice 5k PR means that she may be on track to be competitive like she was during the cross country season.

16. Kaylee Beyer, Junior, Winona State

During the outdoor national meet last year, Kaylee Beyer came away with a 6th place finish in the 1500 meters, setting her up for a competitive junior year.

She finished 36th at the cross country meet this past fall and also finished an incredible 4th place in a very competitive mile field at the indoor national meet. Beyer definitely peaked at the right time since as she ran comparatively modest times until the championship meets.

Expect Beyer to do the same thing during this outdoor track campaign. Her first marks this spring included a 4:32 effort over 1500 meters and a 2:16 time for 800 meters while taking home gold in both events.

Even though those marks are nothing special, we know that Beyer is just getting warmed up and will peak at the right time. She will be a name to watch in the 1500 meters once again come May.

15. Ava O’Connor, Sophomore, Adams State

After a less-than-stellar performance at the outdoor national meet last year where Ava O’Connor failed to get out of the preliminaries in the 1500 meters, we were left wondering how O’Connor would do the following year.

The Adams State ace did not race in the fall, but did run some of the top times in Division Two for the mile during the indoor track season.

We felt confident saying that O’Connor was back to her old self from last year’s indoor track season. She did, after all, have an excellent winter campaign. So with newfound momentum, O’Connor decided to try out a new event this spring -- the steeplechase.

In her first-ever attempt at the discipline, she ran a converted time of 10:44.

Expect O'Connor to improve upon that time as she continues to learn the event. You should also expect her to be one of the favorites for a top-eight finish on the national stage if she does decide to pursue the steeplechase seriously.

If she doesn't, then O’Connor has already proven to be one of the nation's most well-rounded distance talents which hasn’t changed since the indoor national meet.

14. Cailee Peterson, Rs. Senior, Minnesota-Duluth

Cailee Peterson has yet to race this season.

13. Zoe Baker, Junior, Colorado Mines

Whenever the outdoor track season comes around, the expectations for Zoe Baker continue expand. This because of her incredible talent in the longer distances, seemingly getting better the further she has to race.

The outdoor track season means that the 10k is back as an event choice and it’s another chance for Baker to compete for a high finish at the national meet. As we have mentioned time and time again, Baker has struggled to finish well at the national meet, including last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships where she placed 9th in the 10k.

But could this Oredigger veteran be on the upswing?

Baker did come away with one of her highest national meet finishes this past winter, coming away with a 4th place finish in the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet. She is another runner who saw success in all of her events over the last few months, giving her even more momentum coming into April and May.

12. Celine Ritter, Senior, Lee (Tenn.)

Celine Ritter only had outdoor track eligibility remaining this year, so she was absent during the cross country and the indoor track seasons, putting us in a tough spot in terms of how to rank her.

The Lee star was 5th in the 5000 meters and 3rd in the 1500 meters at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. Before that, she won the 3000 meter national title and was 3rd in the 5000 meters at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. She’s also been successful on the cross country course, giving her a balanced and extensive resume which ranks among the best of the best from this era.

Ritter is clearly talented and experienced, but she’s also been off of the competitive stage for nearly a year which makes it hard to gauge where she is at fitness-wise. She opened her spring season with times of 17:03 (5k) and 4:31 (1500) which are solid marks, but also pretty far off from her respective PRs of 15:58 (5k) and 4:17 (1500).

For now, the middle portion of our rankings seems appropriate for Ritter until we see her compete again.

11. Taryn Chapko, Sophomore, Grand Valley State

Taryn Chapko starts off the outdoor track season with a TSR #11 ranking due to her consistent success in the middle distances and promising early-season performances.

The Laker star ran 2:08 in the 800 meters and 4:23 in the 1500 meters at the Raleigh Relays, effectively extending her hot streak from the winter months. Those performances, combined with the momentum from her bronze medal performance at the indoor national meet, indicate that she is ready for a successful outdoor track season and that she will better her 6th place finish at the outdoor national meet from last spring.

Based on her increased level of experience and fitness in the 800 meters, as well as her growing potential in the 1500 meters, a TSR #11 ranking is the perfect spot for Chapko in our rankings.

10. Helen Braybrook, Junior, CSU-Pueblo

Helen Braybrook starts the outdoor track season at TSR #10 following an impressive winter campaign and strong season opener.

Braybrook placed 10th in the 800 meters at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, but the Thunderwolf ace improved all the way to 2nd place at the most recent indoor national meet. Additionally, she showed some serious endurance on the cross country course with her 23rd place finish.

Her momentum has since carried over to the spring months and so far, she has run converted times of 2:09 in the 800 meters and 4:22 in the 1500 meters on her home track. That 1500 meter performance is extremely promising and indicates it might actually be her best event moving forward...right?

Braybrook's strength-based talent, prior success and current momentum give her a well-deserved spot in our top-10.

9. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State

Last spring, Natalie Graber placed 18th in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She showed massive improvement on the cross country course and then even greater improvement on the indoor oval.

Now, she’s continuing this momentum into the outdoor track season and over barriers.

The Laker star opened her season with a 16-second PR of 10:24 in the steeplechase at the Raleigh Relays -- an obviously excellent time. However, our main reasoning for her TSR #9 ranking comes from the progress and potential that she displayed during the indoor track season.

Graber ran a 4:38 anchor split in the DMR and 9:09 in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, leaving us wondering what she could run in the 1500 meters or the 5k later this season.

Regardless of the event, Graber is wildly talented and has incredible momentum, propelling her to the top of Division Two and our rankings.

8. Klaudia O’Malley, Junior, Grand Valley State

Klaudia O’Malley comes in at TSR #8 in our first round of outdoor track rankings.

At the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Laker ace finished her winter season with a 5th place finish in the mile and a Division Two record in the DMR. Since then, she has carried her fitness directly to the outdoor oval, further building on her already-excellent talent.

O’Malley ran an impressive time of 4:19 for 1500 meters and 2:11 over 800 meters to open her spring season at the Raleigh Relays. Running this fast in March could spell even strong results in May, but it's never been a secret that O'Malley is one of the most naturally talented distance runners in Division Two.

The versatile Grand Valley State sophomore has the endurance and turnover to succeed in the 1500 and/or the 5000 meters. She’s been extremely successful on the cross country course and has built a solid track resume.

For these reasons, she earns herself a TSR #7 ranking. However, we're still wondering how close she can get to actually contending for a national title.

7. Vanessa Aniteye, Senior, Seattle Pacific

Vanessa Aniteye has yet to race this season.

6. Ukeyvia Beckwith, Senior, Embry-Riddle

Ukeyvia Beckwith is a little harder to gauge this early in the season due to the fact that she is a middle distance specialist and she did not race this past winter. That being said, a TSR #6 ranking seems like the best spot for her due to her speed-based talent, incredible postseason accolades and early-season firepower.

Beckwith was the runner-up finisher at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships and ran an 800 meter PR of 2:05 earlier that season. But this past weekend, Beckwith ran 2:06 for the half-mile distance, signaling that she is starting this outdoor track season in nearly the same level of fitness that she had last year.

The Embry-Riddle veteran has the experience and turnover to be viewed as the current 800 meter title favorite, but she will have several new competitors to fend off as the season continues to ramp up.

5. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M

Florance Uwajeneza has been on fire this year and she has already made a statement with her win in the 5000 meters at the Texas Relays. The Buffalo ace crossed the line in a time of 16:07 and defeated a field of D1 runners by a jaw-dropping margin of 24 seconds.

Uwajeneza placed 10th in the 10k at last year's outdoor national meet. But since then, her resume has been littered numerous top-five, upper-tier All-American finishes. And now, she has opened up her outdoor track season with a massive victory that was within a second of her personal best.

Based on the hot streak that she's on now, Uwajeneza is probably one of the last women who we would want to face right now.

With this resume, a potential lean towards the 10k and clear momentum that she has been building, it's easy to see why we’ve picked Uwajeneza as our TSR #5 runner in our first round of rankings.

4. Lindsay Cunningham, Sophomore, Winona State

Lindsay Cunningham starts off the outdoor track season at TSR #4 following her record-breaking performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The Winona State superstar won the 5000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a new Division Two record of 15:41. On top of that phenomenal performance, Cunningham also placed 4th in the 3000 meters in an impressive time of 9:10.

Oh, and not to mention that she was also the runner-up finisher at the cross country national meet this past fall.

With this level of consistency and her current momentum, we expect Cunningham to have an equally, if not more, successful outdoor track season compared to the winter months. The introduction of the 10k as a contestable event only gives her more room to improve her overall stock.

The Warrior ace has already been busy this spring. She opened up her season with a 5k mark of 16:08 at the Wartburg Outdoor Select Meet, an unsurprising result given her racing tendencies and natural talent.

For now, Cunningham sits at TSR #4, but her eagerly anticipated 10k debut could easily change that.

3. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M

Eleonora Curtabbi is the undisputed Division Two steeplechase queen and she has already started her season off with a bang. The Buffalo senior returned to jumping barriers this past weekend and ran a new steeple PR of 10:02 to take home gold at the Texas Relays.

Let's be blunt: Curtabbi is on another level regarding the steeplechase. Frankly, she might be untouchable in the event within Division Two.

Based on her phenomenal cross country and indoor track seasons, we predicted her momentum would carry over into her main event. However, opening her season with a five-second PR and 17-second victory on the last day of March shattered our expectations.

Curtabbi earns our TSR #3 ranking due to her most recent steeplechase performance, her national title in the event from last spring and the progression that we’ve seen from her so far this year.

2. Brianna Robles, Junior, Adams State

Brianna Robles starts the outdoor track season with a TSR #2 ranking due to her success during the winter months and the fact she is the reigning national champion in the 5000 meters on the outdoor oval.

The Adams State ace finished her indoor track season on a high note with two silver medals as well as personal bests of 15:47 (5k) and 9:06 (3k), both of which fall under the previous Division Two records in the events.

Robles has already carried this momentum into this outdoor track season, running a converted time of 4:25 for 1500 meters at the CSU-Pueblo Open. While not her main event, it was nice to see some speed work and range being added to her schedule.

Looking back to the 2022 outdoor national meet, Robles was the runner-up in the 10k and the national champion in the 5k. Based on her level of experience, consistent success and current momentum, Robles should be able to better her 10k PR of 32:50 this winter and hopefully get redemption in the event this season by securing gold.

And with teammate Stephanie Cotter unlikely to contest the 5k or 10k this year, it's safe to wonder if Robles could earn two gold medals in late May.

Brianna Robles is easily one of the most reliable runners in Division Two and her resume speaks for itself when it comes to her talent and pure endurance. It's pretty easy to see why the Adams State sophomore deserves a TSR #2 spot in our first set of rankings.

1. Stephanie Cotter, Senior, Adams State

After Stephanie Cotter’s phenomenal indoor track season, it should not be a surprise that she comes in at TSR #1 in our first round of outdoor track rankings.

While she has not raced yet, she is coming off of two national titles, a Division Two record from the indoor track season and a national title on the cross country course.

Additionally, the Grizzly ace has historically been extremely successful in the 1500 meters on the outdoor oval. The Irish star was the national champion in the event in 2019 and 2021 and holds an impressive PR of 4:14 in the event.

Since returning to Adams State this past fall, Cotter has brought firepower to every competition and has been dominant on the national stage. We expect nothing less from her this spring. Based on her excellent indoor track season, history of success, raw talent and current momentum, Cotter clearly earns the top spot in our rankings.