TSR's 2023 D3 Outdoor Top 20 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #3

TSR Collaboration
May 17, 2023
13 min read

Written by Hannah Thorn & Kevin Fischer

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.

20. Hannah Neilon, Senior, Tufts (Unranked)

Hannah Neilon has been a consistently competitive for some time now, but a well-deserved series of breakthrough races have allowed her to stand out this spring.

After moving up in distance to the 1500 meters and putting together a really solid outing in a time of 4:30 (1500), Neilon went back down to her primary event at the NEICAAA Outdoor Championships, running a second-and-a-half personal best over 800 meters of 2:10.43.

The Tufts star placed 4th in the 800 meters at the indoor national meet this past winter, so we already knew that she could compete at the highest levels of Division Three. That much is not a surprise. But prior to a few weeks ago, the times that she had run weren't necessarily up to par when compared to some of the other nation's more elite talents.

However, with her most recent marks, Neilon is showing us that she can, once again, be one of the top finishers in the NCAA this spring.

19. Sara Stephenson, Junior, Johns Hopkins (-5 / 14)

Since our last rankings update, Sara Stephenson has put together a couple of solid steeplechase efforts all while becoming a Centennial Conference champion in the 5000 meters.

While her last couple of race have not matched her personal best from this past March, they certainly haven't been bad, either. And frankly, there isn't anything that we've seen from her lately which suggests that she's not still at a nationally competitive level.

This Johns Hopkins ace is still a force to be reckoned with in the steeplechase and should be viewed as a serious threat to the top D3 contenders in the event when she toes the line at the outdoor national meet.

18. Caroline McMartin, Junior, Central College (Unranked)

Caroline McMartin couldn't get an American Rivers crown last week, but she was able to grab three runner-up finishes. The Central College standout fell to Aubrie Fisher in the 5000 meters and the steeplechase before settling behind Kassie Parker in the 1500 meters.

The most impressive performances of those three races was her 10:32 steeplechase mark. That’s an 11-second improvement, placing her 10 seconds back of Rachel Hirschkind and Aubrie Fisher in the event.

McMartin will be a serious national title contender in a couple of weeks if she continues to build on this momentum. Her resume is also becoming increasingly more well-rounded. And if she opts to come back in the 5000 meters on the national stage, then you have to think of her as an All-American candidate in that event as well.

17. Anna Kenig-Ziesler, Senior, U. of Chicago (-8 / 9)

Anna Kenig-Ziesler has slightly cooled off since running 16:37 (5000) earlier this season, but will still have plenty of scoring potential at the upcoming outdoor national meet.

The U. of Chicago star most recently ran a quiet, but solid, 16:48 mark for 5000 meters at the St. Francis Fighting Chance Invitational, earning herself a silver medal in the process.

For her to finish inside the top-five of the 10k and the 5k at the outdoor national meet this year, and assuming the pace will be fast, Kenitg-Ziesler will likely need to improve upon her current personal bests of 35:11 (10k) and 16:37 (5k).

Of course, let's not forget, the Maroon standout was 3rd at the indoor national meet in the 5000 meters this past winter, making us believe that she’ll be a legitimate All-American threat in both events at the very least.

16. Gillian Roeder, Sophomore, MIT (Unranked)

Gillian Roeder took a little bit to really get going this spring after an outstanding indoor track campaign, but she is clicking on all cylinders now.

After sneaking under 4:30 in the 1500 meters for the first time at the D3 New England Championships with a 4:29.99 mark, this MIT ace decided that a time like that wasn't enough.

So what did she do? She ran 4:28 for the metric mile at the NEICAAA Championships.

Her continued improvement in the middle distances makes her a prime candidate for another breakout race at the outdoor national meet. She was 5th in the mile at the indoor national meet and she has the potential to be a sleeper pick for another top-five finish.

15. Sydney Packard, Senior, WPI (Unranked)

Sydney Packard has made a grand return to the higher tiers of D3 competition in her final season of eligibility.

The WPI star took a few meets to find momentum this season, but has steadily improved each race since then to get back to the Sydney Packard that we have grown to know. Her most recent evidence? Seeing her run 2:09 (800) at the NEICAAA Championships.

The eight-time All-American has enjoyed so much success over the years (as well as some obstacles), but it is great to see her running well. She should be someone to look out for as we get into the championship racing season, especially given her mix of recent momentum and plentiful experience.

14. Lexi Brown, Junior, Wartburg (-4 / 10)

Since our last update, Lexi Brown has raced a few times, most notably recording a nice 1500 meter PR of 4:31. She also put together 3rd and 4th place finishes at the American Rivers Conference Championship in the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters, respectively.

As far as national qualifying goes, she is on the outside looking in for the 1500 meters right now, but her 5000 meter mark of 16:39 from earlier this season puts her in a great position to chase All-American status in that event.

If she goes into that event fresh on Saturday, then she will be at an advantage over a field full of people with tired legs. And given her unique combination of turnover and endurance that she has flexed this year, Brown could be a significant problem for her competitors a week and a half from now.

13. Maddie Hannan, Junior, UW-La Crosse (+2 / 15)

Maddie Hannan has continued to have a stellar season.

The UW-La Crosse star was the 1500 meter champion and finished 2nd in the 800 meters at the WIAC Outdoor Championships. She didn’t race at a "last chance" meet, but she didn’t really need to. She did pace some teammates in the 1500 meters at the UWL Last Chance meet, but naturally didn’t finish that race.

Hannan sits in a weird position as she nears the end of her outdoor track campaign. She hasn’t found herself in a super fast 1500 meter race lately and she is sitting outside of the national qualifying spots for that distance despite being safe in the half-mile and the 5000 meters.

If nothing changes between today and Thursday...could we see Hannan attempt the rare 800 meter and 5000 meter double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships? If that were to happen, then somehow, it would be hard not to pick Hannan as an All-American threat in both events if the dominoes fall that way.

12. Maddie Kelly, Junior, U. of Chicago (-5 / 7)

Maddie Kelly has only dropped in our rankings because of some outstanding performances from other runners. And as someone who already held top-20 times on the D3 national leaderboard in two events, Kelly didn’t need to go all-out at any "last chance" meets like other runners did.

But don't be mistaken, Kelly has still been running strong as of late. At the UAA Outdoor Championships, she won the 5k title and then helped her team finished 2nd in the 4x800 meter relay. After that meet, the U. of Chicago star took some time off and then came back to race in the 1500 meters at the Dr. Tucker Open. She ran 4:27.85 for that metric mile distance which is a new PR by four seconds.

Kelly already has four All-American honors to her name and has the potential to add one more, if not two, to her trophy case next weekend. She remain as one of the more reliable middle distance talents that D3 has to offer and is tactically refined in loaded, championship-caliber fields.

11. Emily Konkus, Junior, Washington U. (+1 / 12)

Emily Konkus seems to be peaking at the right time and has been consistently getting faster with each passing race.

Her 4:25.34 metric mile effort from the St. Francis "last chance" meet is her best race yet and it puts her within striking distance, seed time-wise, of fellow D3 stars such as Annika Urban and Ana Tucker.

And while a national title conversation may look different for those women than it does for Konkus, it's fair to say that this Washington U. veteran may be more competitive next weekend than we were initially expecting.

It’s more than likely that Konkus will attempt the 1500/5k double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, giving her the chance to somewhat realistically earn two All-American honors. And with the 1500 meters being first, she’ll be able to focus on her main event, potentially working herself into contention for NCAA gold.

10. Hope Murphy, Junior, Baldwin Wallace (+10 / 20)

Hope Murphy has been ballin’ as of late as she has run herself into shape. She won the 800 meter and 1500 meter titles at the OAC Outdoor Championships the other weekend. She also ran on Baldwin Wallace's 4x400 meter relay and 4x800 meter relay, finishing 3rd overall in both of those races.

That’s a long weekend for any runner, but Murphy handled the workload rather well.

However, it was her next few efforts that really caught our attention.

Murphy continued to bounce back at the Harrison Dillard Twlight meet. Her 4:29 mark over 1500 meters is a massive improvement from her 5:03 result that she opened up this season with. Then, at the same meet, she ran a new 800 meter PR of 2:09.03!

Again, that's a far cry from the 2:14 result that she opened up her season with.

Murphy is currently trending in the right direction, peaking yet again like she did during the winter months. And if she displays this level of fitness/racing acumen at the outdoor national meet next week, then she could replicate her bronze medal finish in the mile that she produced this past indoor track season.

9. Rachel Hirschkind, Junior, SUNY Geneseo (+4 / 13)

It’s only fair to have Rachel Hirschkind ranked right behind Aubrie Fisher as her steeplechase time of 10:22.51 sits right next to Fisher’s mark of 10:22.07. Of course, if you're familiar with what Hirschkind has done this season, then you know that it's not just her success over the barriers that has her listed as a top-10 name.

In our eyes, the SUNY Geneseo star is probably going to double at the outdoor national meet as she has run 16:48 in the 5000 meters and could fight for a top-eight finish in that event as well. And with the steeplechase coming first in the meet schedule, that entry approach would make sense.

Hirschkind hasn’t raced since SUNYAC Outdoor Championships where she won the steeplechase title with relative ease and finished 5th in the 5k behind her SUNY Geneseo teammates.

The two weeks of rest that she had had will likely serve her well as she tries to unseat Fisher as the favorite. And depending on how you feel about seasonal momentum, maybe this New York-based star is the national title steeplechase favorite this year...

8. Aubrie Fisher, Junior, Wartburg (-2 / 6)

Aubrie Fisher took on a heavy workload at the American Rivers Outdoor Championships where she ran the 1500 meters, the 5000 meters and the steeplechase. She was 5th in the metric mile, the champion in the 5k and the title winner in the steeplechase.

Fisher’s steeplechase times this spring have been close to her personal best of 10:20, but she has not yet eclipsed that mark. Her 10:22 effort from the Drake Relays is two seconds off of her personal best, which is actually fairly encouraging in the grand scheme of things, but she’ll need every millisecond to hold off Rachel Hirschkind for the national title.

This Wartburg ace was pushed to her brink at last year’s national meet as she ran her PR (10:20) to finish as the silver medalist in the steeplechase. Now, in 2023, she’ll be looking for revenge here. And with tons of valuable experience on her side, the case for her to win NCAA gold next week feels somewhat air-tight.

7. Clara Mayfield, Junior, Carleton (+1 / 8)

Clara Mayfield has continued to improve during this outdoor track season. Since our last ranking update, she has posted a new 1500 meter PR of 4:27.

The future Utah graduate transfer also participated in the 10k/5k double at the MIAC Outdoor Championships where she finished runner-up to Fiona Smith in both efforts.

Even though she ran the mile during the indoor track season, we would love to see Mayfield run the 10k at the outdoor national meet this spring. Her 34:08 mark in that event is a full minute ahead of the NCAA #5 athlete on the 10k Division Three national leaderboard right now.

While she could compete in the 1500 meters, an attempt at the 10k could be her best bet at another top-three All-American finish.

6. Ana Tucker, Junior, Hope (+5 / 11)

Ana Tucker continues to have a great outdoor track season, a statement that hardly feels surprising to anyone who has followed her over the past year or two.

After setting new personal bests in the 1500 meters, the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters earlier this spring, Tucker was a double champion in those latter two events at the "MIAA Field Day" meet.

Tucker currently sits in the top-five on the D3 national leaderboard in the 5k and the 10k this outdoor track season...but those aren’t even her best events! She is currently sitting at NCAA #2 over 1500 meters behind indoor mile champion, Annika Urban.

Her 4:25.22 mark in the metric mile is fairly close to her fellow D3 competitors on the national leaderboard (not named Urban), but her resume is more well-rounded in comparison to those women who are also running in the 4:25 to 4:27 range.

Tucker has historically contested multiple events on the national stage. And if she were to toe the line for the 1500/5k double next weekend, then that would actually be a lighter load than the 2023 indoor national meet where she did the mile, the 3000 meters and the DMR.

5. Aoife Dunne, Junior, Washington U. (0 / 5)

The other half of Washington U.'s 1-2 punch in the 800 meters, Aoife Dunne, is someone who, much like her fellow superstar teammate, seems to be peaking at the right time.

The middle distance veteran finished runner up to teammate Emma Kelley over 800 meters at the Billy Hayes Invitational recently in an incredibly fast time of 2:08.55. That’s a new PR which will have her seeded as the second-best woman in that event on the national stage.

Dunne could also double in the 1500 meters, but she might save herself for the 4x400 meter depending on her team's aspirations. Her 1500 meter time of 4:29 is plenty competitive, and she could thrive if that race turns tactical. That, however, seems unlikely.

Regardless, as far as raw talent and dominance within a single event goes, Dunne is still among the highest tier, even if her seed tie

4. Fiona Smith, Junior, St. Benedict (-1 / 3)

We can tell that Fiona Smith has been prepping for the 10k/5k double at this year's outdoor national meet by the number of races she has been running. For example, at MIAC Outdoor Championships, she took home the triple crown by winning titles in the 1500 meters, the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters.

That includes victories over some very good competition such as Christine Albrecht from St. Olaf and Clara Mayfield from Carleton.

Smith hasn’t raced at any "last chance" meets (and she hasn’t needed to), but our opinion of her is just as high as it was during our last rankings update. She only drops one spot in our rankings due to the recent 800 meter performance we saw from our TSR #3 runner.

The St. Benedict star will have some big battles against Kassie Parker ahead of her as she tries to claim her first national title on the outdoor oval. That, however, will take some intricate planning and a sudden burst in fitness.

3. Emma Kelley, Junior, Washington U. (+1 / 4)

Emma Kelley is looking sharp ahead of the outdoor national meet...really sharp.

At the Billy Hayes Invitational, the Washington U. superstar ran an insane time of 2:04.41 for 800 meters. That makes her the fifth-fastest woman in D3 history for that event! It also puts her four seconds ahead of the rest of the field in 2023.

Kelley is the unrelenting national title favorite in this event and it will take quite the performance to knock her out of the gold medal position. Without overanalyzing her resume, she's just flat-out better than her fellow D3 half-mile competitors...by a lot.

2. Annika Urban, Junior, Emory (0 / 2)

Annika Urban did not need to run at a "last chance" meet as she held top-six times on the D3 national leaderboard in the half-mile, the metric mile and the 5000 meters.

That, however, didn't stop this Emory ace from choosing to race in the 1500 meters at the Lee University "Last Chance" meet where she threw down a blazing-fast mark of 4:19.43! That time places her at NCAA #7 all-time in D3 history!

And as it pertains to this season, Urban now leads D3 by almost six seconds in that event, making her the undeniable national title favorite, a status she already held after winning the mile national title during the indoor track season.

Now, the interesting part is...which event she will choose to double in next weekend? If at all? Her seasonal best in the 800 meters is 2:10.15, but she could also run the 5k where she currently sits at NCAA #3 behind Kassie Parker and Fiona Smith in a time of 16:06.

If that 5k race is a sit-and-kick affair, then that definitely favors Urban who flat-out has the fastest legs, turnover-wise, in the field. The 5k would also make more sense than the 800 meters given that there would be no additional preliminary rounds to interfere with the 1500 meters.

1. Kassie Parker, Senior, Loras (0 / 1)

Kassie Parker has been running in "off" events ever since she lit D3 on fire with her 10k effort at the Stanford Invitational and then again in the 5k at the Payton Jordan Invite.

Since coming down in distance, we've seen Parker post very strong times of 4:31 and 4:26 in the 1500 meters. That latter mark came at the ARC Outdoor Championships where she did the unconventional 1500/10k double, taking home both conference titles.

The long-time Loras ace will be able to rest from conference weekend until the national meet where we will probably see her do her classic 10k/5k double. And even though she has the fastest time in both events by a country mile, she may not be a perfect "lock" to win both events.

Remember, Parker was in the same position last year before the outdoor national meet, but ended up being the runner-up finisher in both events.

Even so, Parker will be incredibly difficult to beat in either event next weekend. She has (arguably) been the best that we’ve ever seen at this level and it will take a memorable performance from the field to knock-off the distance running superstar from Loras.

ADDED

Hannah Neilon (Tufts)

Caroline MacMartin (Central College)

Gillian Roeder (MIT)

Sydney Packard (WPI)

KICKED OFF

Ellie Rising (George Fox)

Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U of Chicago)

Grace Hadley (WPI)

Windsor Ardner (SUNY Geneseo)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Frances Schaeffler (U. of Chicago)

Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Cyna Madigan (UW-Oshkosh)