TSR's 2023 D2 Outdoor Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #2

TSR Collaboration
Apr 17, 2023
17 min read

Updated: May 8, 2023

Written by Marissa Kuik & Grace McLaughlin

Additional edits and commentary by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin

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

TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.

25. Morgan Hykes, Junior, Adams State (Unranked)

The latest member of the Adams State team to try out the steeplechase is Morgan Hykes who, after this past weekend, proved to us that she can be very dangerous over the barriers and water pits.

The Grizzly distance talent ran 10:24 (steeplechase) at the Bryan Clay Invite, good enough for NCAA #9 on the D2 national leaderboard. Then, to top it all off, she ran an impressive 16:16 mark in the 5k the next day, putting her at NCAA #7 on the national leaderboard.

Seeing Hykes do so well in both of these events, especially back-to-back on the same weekend, means she has a very good chance to do well in both events at the national meet if she chooses to pursue both.

However, regardless of what she decides to do come late May, she is someone to look out for in the next month.

24. Aryelle Wright, Junior, Colorado Mines (Unranked)

Colorado School of Mines always produces consistent performers at the national level -- and Aryelle Wright continues to be a part of that list.

This past weekend, she competed at the Bryan Clay Invite and ran 2:07.83 (800), good enough for NCAA #5 on the D3 national leaderboard and virtually tied with three other women for that second spot.

With the D2 half-mile field looking like anyone could take home the national title, just like during the indoor track season, Wright has made herself one of those very realistic options to contend for NCAA gold.

She had a good showing at the indoor national meet, finishing 5th, so we will have to see if she can better that performance. Wright is very quietly making excellent improvements, holds sneaky-large amount of experience and is tactically strong.

Sure, this Oredigger middle distance standout may only be ranked at TSR #24, but her ability to be nationally competitive is greater than some people may realize.

23. Precious Robinson, Junior, Adams State (Unranked)

After not competing in very many races last year during the 2022 outdoor track season, Precious Robinson finally made her debut in the 10,000 meters -- and she did not disappoint.

Also competing at the Bryan Clay Invite, Robinson came away with a time of 33:54 (10k), making her one of four women to break the 34:00 barrier over that distance this season.

Admittedly, it is hard to know exactly how Robinson will do at this year's outdoor national meet since she has yet to compete on that stage during her Adams State career. It's also worth noting that her performances at the indoor national meet have been just "okay" and have typically left us wanting more.

But after a great showing this past weekend, she gave us plenty of hope that she can compete for a top-eight finish at the national meet in the 10k. When she has momentum, Robinson is incredibly dangerous.

22. Luisarys Toledo, Freshman, NW Missouri (Unranked)

Luisarys Toledo contested her first 800 meter race of the season this past weekend at the Bryan Clay Invite and was another woman who finished the weekend in a time of 2:07.

The interesting thing with Toledo is her willingness to attack other events, including the 400 meters and the long jump, two disciplines that she has already contested during this outdoor track season. She is ranked highly in both of those events on the D2 national leaderboard.

Toledo did choose to race the 800 meters at the indoor national meet this past winter and did a fantastic job, so we have no doubts that she could do it again. And truthfully, it seems like her versatility and unconventional strength in other events gave her a lot of durability on the national stage, both in terms of race tactics and in terms of getting through the rounds.

However, it will be interesting to see if Toledo does choose to add the long jump to her meet schedule at the outdoor national meet later this spring and how that could potentially impact her racing.

Nevertheless, Toledo will also be in the running to chase after the national title come May in the very wide-open 800 meter field if she chooses to contest it yet again.

21. Marissa D’Atri, Junior, Chico State (+3 / 24)

As expected, Marissa D’Atri raced her primary event at the Bryan Clay Invite, the 3000 meter steeplechase. And to the surprise of very few writers here at TSR, she ran a new personal best of 10:16 in the race.

Taking advantage of the strong competition at the Bryan Clay Invite, D’Atri raced the 1500 meters two days later, finishing the race in a very solid time of 4:29. Though that 1500 meter time may not be good enough to qualify her for the national meet in the event, she still showcased great speed, running five seconds faster than she has ever has at that distance before.

The Chico State standout also displayed great strength, being able to double back after a great steeplechase performance and run well in her secondary event. On paper, she has an excellent skillset.

Though Eleonora Curtabbi and Ava O’Connor may eventually be battling for NCAA gold in this event come May, the rest of this field for the steeplechase, nationally, is fairly close and D’Atri is right in the mix to finish inside the top-eight a month and a half from now.

20. Celine Ritter, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (-8 / 12)

After a little bit of a lackluster start to her outdoor track season, Celine Ritter bounced back with a couple of strong performances in both the 800 meters and the 5000 meters.

Two weekends ago, the Lee veteran ran 16:25 in the 5k and then returned to racing in the 800 meters, running a mark of 2:12. Both races were run at Lee’s home meet, the Flames Invitational.

Although 16:25 (5k) is a touch slow from what we would expect from Ritter, it is still a very positive step in the right direction. And while running 2:12 over 800 meters isn’t anything to write home about, we should note that the half-mile is not her main event. If anything, her result showed us that Ritter still has some good turnover, something that has made her such a scary opponent in the past.

Ritter is dropping in our rankings simply because others have been outperforming her as of late. That, and because we believe that Ritter still has plenty to prove the rest of the way this outdoor track season.

19. Najwa Chouati, Senior, Stanislaus State (-1 / 18)

Najwa Chouati is demonstrating some crazy range during this 2023 outdoor track season. This past weekend, she chose to race the 10k and the 1500 meters! Those are two completely different events, but she came away with two great times in the process.

First, Chouati ran the 10k at the Bryan Clay Invite, running an excellent time of 34:00, good enough for a top-five position on the D2 national leaderboard. Then, two days later, she ran 4:27 for the 1500 meters, another top-16 mark on the national leaderboard.

These times also join the 16:21 mark that she ran in the 5k earlier this season which currently gives her three events in which she is ranked inside the top-16, nationally, for Division Two. Chouati could feasibly qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in all three events, but will have to choose which route to go.

Nevertheless, whatever she decides to race, she will be someone who deserves your attention. Chouati has the aerobic strength as well as the speed to be competitive in any racing format. And when you pair that with her momentum, it's hard not to like what she brings to the table.

18. Lauren Kiley, Freshman, Grand Valley State (-1 / 17)

Lauren Kiley took another shot at the 5k this past weekend, contesting the race yet again at the Bryan Clay Invite.

As a result, she was rewarded with a nine-second PR, finishing in a time of 16:17 which moves her up to NCAA #8 on the national leaderboard. Considering that she has raced the 5k twice in just the last three weeks, it seems like this is the race that she will choose to contest at the national meet in May, and understandably so.

After an incredible performance in cross country, Kiley has the ability to finish with the best of the best women in Division Two over 5000 meters. And given her skillset, one has to think that the 10k could be a good option for get despite her youth.

Regardless, with multiple athletes very close to each other on the national leaderboard, Kiley has just as good of a chance of finishing in the top-half of the 5k field at the national meet as anyone else.

Heck, she may be a sleeper pick to come away with a top-eight finish, if not something better!

17. Megan Roxby, Senior, Simon Fraser (+5 / 22)

Megan Roxby is slowly putting together an impressive outdoor track campaign.

She ran the 1500 meters at, you guessed it, the Bryan Clay Invitational, finishing in a time of 4:24. That mark was not only a new PR, but it also put her inside the top-10 on the D2 national leaderboard at NCAA #9. The Simon Fraser ace also raced the 800 meters at the same meet, finishing with a result of 2:10.

Though that latter result does not better her seasonal best of 2:09, she has been incredibly consistent this spring which is always a positive to see.

Roxby should likely opt to focus on the 1500 meters at the outdoor national meet considering that is what she did at the indoor national meet (except it was the mile). If she decides to go that route, then she will be another name to look out for in the always competitive metric mile. Her tactics and speed are incredibly underrated.

16. Kate Hedlund, Sophomore, UC-Colorado Springs (+7 / 23)

After a decent season opener in the 1500 meters, Kate Hedlund really got after it at the Bryan Clay Invitational, thriving against the upper-tier competition.

The Mountain Lion ace also chose to contest the 1500 meter and 800 meter weekend double, running a huge PR of 4:22 in the former and a solid time of 2:09 in the latter. Her time of 4:22 puts her at NCAA #6 on the D2 national leaderboard and within striking distance of the top-five. But in the grand scheme of things, that was a result that we knew she was capable of producing, at least on paper.

Hedlund had a disappointing finish at the indoor national meet this past winter, but it looks like she has already bounced back from that showing nicely. The UCCS ace will be a lethal threat come May and as long as she makes it out of the preliminaries, she will be a favorite to come away with a top-five finish.

In our eyes, she is one of the more well-rounded milers in D2 when she's at her best.

15. Amanda Montplaisir, Senior, Minnesota State (+6 / 21)

After an incredible indoor track season where Amanda Montplaisir ran personal bests in every event from the mile up to the 5000 meters, we were very excited to see how her 3k steeplechase times would improve.

Luckily, the Minnesota State star decided to open up her outdoor track season at the Bryan Clay Invitational in that exactly event -- and she did not disappoint.

Montplaisir ran a time of 10:14 (steeplechase), producing an 11-second PR in the process. Prior to racing at Azusa Pacific this past weekend, we saw Montplaisir attempt the 5000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays where she walked away with a 31-second personal best by clocking a time of 16:28 in the event.

Montplaisir could legitimately challenge almost anyone in the steeplechase after her jump up in fitness throughout the entirety of this academic year across all contested seasons. It was only a matter of time before Montplaisir entered the national conversation on the track, but we did not expect this big of a jump in a single weekend.

The steeplechase is slowly becoming an extremely competitive race at the Division Two level and Montplaisir is yet another name to watch, making matters that much more complicated.

14. Kaylee Beyer, Junior, Winona State (+2 / 16)

As usual, Kaylee Beyer is rounding into form at the right time.

At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Beyer ran an impressive mark of 4:24 (1500), putting her at NCAA #7 on the D2 national leaderboard. She also raced the 800 meters two days before, posting a time of 2:09, a three-second PR from her previous personal best.

Seeing Beyer run a PR in the half-mile and finish only two seconds off from her 1500 meter PR means that this Winona State ace is getting into her championship season form in April.

Beyer has always performed well in the postseason and running two great times this past weekend tells us that she is right where she wants to be. And if she still has more room to grow, then she'll be one of the last women you'll want to see in the 1500 meter prelims at the national meet.

13. Cailee Peterson, Senior, Minnesota-Duluth (+1 / 14)

Cailee Peterson ran her first 1500 meter race of the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational in a time of 4:26. She also ran the 800 meters the weekend before in a time of 2:10.

Alhough neither of those times will turn heads, Peterson’s 4:26 effort is solid and should get her into the national meet. And if 4:26 is an "off" day for Peterson, or at least clearly distant from her true potential, then she is in pretty good shape.

She will definitely need to run faster in order to place as well as she did during the indoor national meet, but no one expected her to finish 3rd place overall back in the middle of March.

As long as she peaks when it matters the most, times won't necessarily be the "be-all, end-all" of how we analyze her.

12. Zoe Baker, Junior, Colorado Mines (+1 / 13)

The Colorado Mines veteran had a solid outing this past weekend as she set a new PR in the 5000 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

Zoe Baker is an endurance specialist who has excelled on the grass as well as in the 5k/10k on the track. However, she has yet to make that jump from being "good" to truly excellent. Luckily, she ended her indoor track season on a high note with a 4th place finish in the 5k at the NCAA Indoor Championships and has since carried that momentum to the outdoor oval.

The Oredigger ace ran a 10-second 5k PR of 16:07 at the Bryan Clay Invite this past weekend which is obviously impressive, but the competitive edge that we saw from Baker during this race makes her result all that more exciting.

Baker battled with fellow Division Two stars Klaudia O’Malley and Natalie Graber throughout the race, eventually finishing within a second of those women at the very end.

The improvement and amplified competitive prowess that we've recently seen from Baker indicates a jump up in her fitness and her potential. That's why she moves up one spot and puts her in the top-half of our rankings.

11. Taryn Chapko, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (0 / 11)

Taryn Chapko maintains her TSR #11 ranking after a successful weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The Laker ace ran 2:07 in the 800 meters and set a new PR in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:21. These results show continued growth from the Grand Valley State middle distance star, although they are about what we expect from her at this point in the season.

Chapko is starting her outdoor track season how she ended her winter campaign where she ran 2:07 over 800 meters which earned her a bronze medal at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Additionally, her 4:21 mark in the 1500 meters is a two-second PR and indicates her aerobic strength is continuing to develop.

These results aren’t necessarily anything flashy/unexpected, but they’re solid marks that display continued excellence from Chapko. Her strength-based middle distance talent and turnover are impressive and she has historically peaked during the championship season.

All of these factors create a strong argument for Chapko to fall right outside of the top-10 in our rankings/

10. Ava O’Connor, Sophomore, Adams State (+5 / 15)

Ava O’Connor has earned her spot in our top-10 after running excellent times at the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend. The Grizzly ace ran 4:20 for 1500 meters to PR by one second, but the real stunner was her performance in the steeplechase.

O’Connor ran an altitude converted 10:45 mark in her steeple debut at the CSU-Pueblo Spank Blasing Invitational a few weeks ago. She then absolutely demolished that time and ran an impressive 10:07 mark in the event this past weekend at the Bryan Clay Invite. This insane improvement and display of future potential in the event is a game-changer for O’Connor and the Division Two scene.

To give some perspective, that time is currently sitting at NCAA #2 on the D2 national leaderboard and would have earned her a silver medal at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships...which is absurd considering that was her second time ever racing the event.

The Irish distance star ran 9:16 over 3000 meters this past winter and placed 6th in that event at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. Since then, the Adams State runner has continued to build on that momentum this spring, specifically over the water pits and barriers.

O’Connor’s newfound potential in the steeplechase, combined with her already-dynamic talent in other distance events, gives her a TSR #10 ranking.

9. Natalie Graber, Junior, Grand Valley State (0 / 9)

Natalie Graber maintains her position in our top-10 during this round of rankings after posting a massive PR in the 5000 meters.

For the past two outdoor track seasons, Graber has focused on the steeplechase which makes her 16:08 (5k) at the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend her first outdoor 5k ever. She did run 16:32 (5k) this past winter, but that still makes this performance a stunning 24-second PR in the event!

That result was very promising and it shows us solid progression, especially when we look at her steeplechase PR from the Raleigh Relays a few weeks ago.

Graber's momentum from her stellar indoor track campaign has translated beautifully to the spring months. Her 9:09 (3k) PR in the 3k and 4:38 DMR anchor split indicated that she would show progress on the outdoor oval, but we weren’t sure exactly how much progress we would actually see. These performances also raise the question of what she could run and how competitive she could be in the 1500 meters this season.

The consistent excellence, strength-based talent and continued progression of this Laker veteran makes Graber one of the top talents in Division Two and results in a well-deserved spot in our top-10.

8. Helen Braybrook, Sophomore, CSU-Pueblo (+2 / 10)

Helen Braybrook has been on fire since this past fall and her momentum doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. The CSU-Pueblo ace moves up two spots in our rankings this week after two successful races at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

The Thunderwolf talent ran 2:07 in the 800 meters to finish ahead of Taryn Chapko this past weekend and she finished just behind the 2023 indoor national champion in this event, Vanessa Aniteye. That performance was an outdoor PR for the Braybrook and it indicates that she has successfully translated her indoor track success onto the outdoor oval.

Braybrook also raced the 1500 meters and posted an impressive PR of 4:20, a time which suggests that her endurance continues to improve (and that's a big deal for strength-based races). While she was the silver medalist in the 800 meters at the indoor national meet, the strength that we saw from her on the grass and her natural turnover makes her an ideal 1500 meter runner, at least in theory.

Regardless, with two new personal bests, some of the fastest times in the country and consistent success, Braybrook has clearly earned her elevated TSR ranking.

7. Klaudia O’Malley, Junior, Grand Valley State (+1 / 8)

Klaudia O’Malley moves up one spot in this round of rankings due to her consistent excellence. The Grand Valley State ace is a unique athlete in that she has the aerobic strength and speed to double successfully in the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters

Sure enough, this past weekend was the perfect example of her dynamic talent.

O’Malley ran a 5k PR of 16:07 and then ran 4:20 in the 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. She nearly tied her 1500 meter PR of 4:19 at the Raleigh Relays a few weeks ago and then ran 4:20 this past weekend.

Her consistency in the metric mile is promising and she has solid momentum in the 5k right now. While she is not necessarily a national title favorite in either event, based on her experience and competitive prowess, we wouldn’t count her out of that conversation.

6. Ukeyvia Beckwith, Senior, Embry-Riddle (0 / 6)

Ukeyvia Beckwith maintains her TSR #6 ranking and status as the 800 meter national title favorite during this round of our rankings.

The Embry-Riddle ace ran a new 800 meter PR of 2:05 at the Duke Invitational and placed 3rd in a fairly competitive field. That time is almost two seconds faster than any other Division Two runner this spring which is promising as the season starts to wrap up in the coming weeks.

Beckwith is clearly talented and showing improvement in the event, but what makes her 800 meter prowess so impressive is her consistency and ability to excel in tactical races. When Beckwith is on the starting line, you can expect her to bring firepower and execute a solid performance.

As the top returner in this event from last year's outdoor national meet, and the fact that Vanessa Aniteye’s collegiate career has ended, it is looking more probable that Beckwith will take home gold in the 800 meters at the end of the season...right?

5. Brianna Robles, Junior, Adams State (-3 / 2)

Brianna Robles was the national runner-up in the 10k last spring and the national champion in the 5k during that same season, so we have some pretty high expectations for the Grizzly ace. That being said, she moves down a few spots in our rankings this week due to more impressive performances from other runners.

Robles ran 33:11 in the 10k at the Bryan Clay Invitational which is a great time, but it doesn’t necessarily show the firepower that we expected from her. This performance was 21 seconds off of her PR from last year. And with the progression that we saw from her over the last two seasons, we were expecting to see the same momentum from Robles on the outdoor oval.

Overall, that was a solid performance, but it was nothing that particularly "wowed" us.

With her success in the mile and the 3000 meters during the indoor track season, and the fact that the 10,000 meters has some competitive title contenders, Robles’ best event might be the one that she took home NCAA gold in last spring, the 5000 meters.

She has yet to run it this season, but with her 15:47 (5k) PR, as well as a balance of endurance and speed, Robles is looking at a sub-16 time in the next couple of weeks which could move her back into the top-three portion of our rankings.

4. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (+1 / 5)

Florance Uwajeneza moves up one spot in this round of rankings due to her talent and recent momentum in the 10,000 meters.

The West Texas A&M star placed 6th overall in the 10k at the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 32:49. What makes this performance even more impressive is that she beat last year’s national meet 10k runner-up, Brianna Robles, by 22 seconds!

It seems as though the longer the race, the better Uwajeneza gets. Her success in cross country and in the 5k on the indoor oval has not only translated to the outdoor oval, but she is performing even better around the 400 meter laps! Her consistency and stamina are serving her well as the season moves along.

With her 16:07 (5k) mark from the Texas Relays and now her 32:49 mark in the 10k, Uwajeneza is proving to be a legitimate problem when it comes to competing against her. The Buffalo ace has quickly become a fairly realistic title contender in both events which moves her up one spot in our rankings.

3. Lindsay Cunningham, Sophomore, Winona State (+1 / 4)

After Lindsay Cunningham’s successful cross country season and record-breaking indoor track season, it was clear that she would progress and excel in the 10k on the outdoor oval.

Still, an 85-second PR in the event was even a little crazier than we expected.

The Winona State endurance star was the top collegiate in the 10k at the Mt. SAC Relays with a time of 32:43 which is a blazing 5:16 (per mile) pace. This performance was wildly impressive from a pure talent standpoint as well as showing her competitive edge in racing against professionals.

This time also puts her at NCAA #3 all-time in the event for Division Two which isn’t necessarily surprising considering that she holds the D2 indoor 5k record.

There is not much else to say about this Warrior ace other than she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. This performance makes her the clear national title favorite in the 10,000 meters and it also moves her up one spot in our rankings.

2. Eleonora Curtabbi, Senior, West Texas A&M (+1 / 3)

Eleonora Curtabbi just gets better and better. The talent and strength of the West Texas A&M senior this past weekend pushes her up one spot in our rankings.

The Bison ace ran the third-fastest steeplechase time in Division Two history with her 9:57 mark at the Bryan Clay Invitational. That was a PR for Curtabbi, but she also placed 11th overall in a top-tier field, showcasing her competitive prowess. That performance is also 10 seconds faster than the next-best time in D2, further emphasizing her dominance in the steeplechase at this level.

However, Curtabbi’s weekend at Bryan Clay Invite did not end there. She also ran the fastest 1500 meter time in D2 so far this season with a mark of 4:18, taking down top mile/1500 meter talents such as Cailee Peterson and Klaudia O’Malley in the process.

With top performances in both the steeplechase and the 1500 meters, as well as beating the best runners in the country, Curtabbi’s momentum, experience and dynamic talent make her the clear pick for our TSR #2 spot.