TSR's 2024 D1 Outdoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #3

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Written by Maura Beattie & Finn Birnie, additional edits & commentary by 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, but not strict, guide when determining eligibility.

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25. Sadie Sargent, Rs. Senior, BYU (Unranked)

When the outdoor track season began, we expected Sadie Sargent to be a key name in the steeplechase. However, the BYU veteran has yet to contest that event this spring. Instead, Sargent has stuck to the 1500-meter and 5000-meter distances over the last few months.

And so far, that decision has paid dividends.

After producing a very encouraging 15:34 (5k) PR at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Sargent later attacked the 1500-meter distance at the BIG 12 Championships. Sure, she didn't win, but a 4:09 PR is a massive momentum boost for this BYU ace, especially as we venture into the postseason.

Of course, Sargent didn't just run fast this past weekend. She also took down high-level talents such as Olivia Howell (Texas) and Billah Jepkiuri (Oklahoma State) in the process! That is an extremely encouraging development which suggests that Sargent has the capability to hang with multiple All-American talents on the national stage in either the 1500 meters or the 5000 meters.

24. Judy Kosgei, Freshman, South Carolina (-6 / 18)

The SEC Championships weren't exactly kind to Judy Kosgei this past weekend.

In fairness, the South Carolina star still held her own in the 1500-meter finals, but a bronze medal behind Flomena Asekol and Lorena Rangel Batres wasn't exactly encouraging for a 4:07 (1500) runner. Kosgei would later try to double back to the 5000 meters where she settled for 10th place overall.

In terms of raw fitness and potential, Kosgei is one of the more dangerous women in the entire NCAA. She has, after all, run 2:01 (800) and 4:07 (1500) this spring. Even so, rookie inexperience and executing in tactical affairs is something that Kosgei may have to overcome once she reaches the national meet.

23. Riley Chamberlain, Sophomore, BYU (-8 / 15)

We'll admit, Riley Chamberlain has been a challenging name to gauge this spring. She ended her winter campaign on a brilliant high note, although she hasn't quite carried over that momentum to the outdoor oval yet.

But at the same time, it would be a mistake to say that Chamberlain has been running poorly. The Cougar star has run 2:04 (800) twice this spring as well as 4:11 (1500) twice. She hasn't had a true "off" day this season (which not all women in our rankings can say), but there have been moments in the last few months where she was further off from the leaders than we would have anticipated.

Chamberlain does drop a good bit in our rankings after fading to 6th place in the 1500-meter finals at the BIG 12 Championships. Of course, her incredible postseason peak from the winter months makes it challenging to exclude her from our top-25 given that she may pull off a similar string of races yet again.

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

Texas Tech’s Juliet Cherubet has been flying under the radar all season, but now she’s gracing our TSR rankings following a successful showing at the BIG 12 Championships over 1500 meters and 5000 meters. 

Entering the weekend, the freshman talent had a modest 1500-meter PR of 4:16. However, she blew that mark out of the water with her 4:09 winning time. Cherubet took down a deep field headlined by Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State), Riley Chamberlain (BYU), Sadie Sargent (BYU), Gracie Morris (TCU) and Olivia Howell (Texas). And despite being viewed as a strength-based runner, the Red Raider still had some turnover in her legs to pull away from her competition to secure conference gold.

We also shouldn't overlook the fact that, a few hours later, Cherubet finished a solid 2nd place in the 5k, only two seconds behind the winner. Her finishing time of 16:15 was well off of her 15:25 PR, but she didn’t need to exert more energy than needed to make some noise in the BIG 12 Championship final. 

Cherubet has already been named an All-American this year following her 18th place finish at the cross country national meet. And now, with a surprisingly dynamic resume and a season-defining win now under her belt, there is a second All-American honor is surely in the cards for this rising Red Raider star.

21. Margot Appleton, Junior, Virginia (0 / 21)

Another strong weekend from Margot Appleton who cruised to an ACC title over 1500 meters. A fantastic late-race kick allowed her to glide across the finish line in a time of 4:11 and give herself a two-second win. The Virginia ace would then double back to run the 5000 meters where, despite racing on tired legs, she would finish 3rd overall in a time of 15:36.

Did we learn anything new about Margot Appleton this past weekend? No, not really. She largely delivered on expectations. Of course, that doesn't make her strong weekend any less impressive. And at the very least, we know that the UVA star is fit and firing on all cylinders as we enter the most important time of the year.

20. Chloe Scrimgeour, Junior, Georgetown (Unranked)

In her first-ever 10k, Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour dropped a fantastic time of 32:36 to win the BIG East title (comfortably). And while we'd like to be surprised by that performance, her past results have suggested that a time like this was plenty possible.

At the national level, the women's 10k feels fairly wide-open when it comes to the All-American spots after Parker Valby, Hilda Olemomoi and maybe Grace Hartman. And despite Scrimgeour's inexperience in the event, it's hard to see how she shouldn't be a top-eight finisher over that distance on the national stage. The Georgetown star thrived in fast-paced settings and is simply more fit than most of the All-American contenders in the NCAA this spring.

With an opportunity now open for Scrimgeour to earn All-American honors in June, it was only right that she was given a spot in our rankings.

19. Gladys Chepngetich, Freshman, Clemson (+6 / 25)

Clemson’s Gladys Chepngetich has been superb ever since her arrival in the NCAA. She flexed her strength on grass and then impressed with her speed on the indoor oval.

However, despite running so fast on the indoor oval, we had questions about her abilities in a championship setting. Of course, those questions have since been put to bed after the rookie produced a spectacular double at the ACC Championships.

The rising Tiger star ran a new 1500-meter PR of 4:13 which was good enough to garner a brilliant 2nd place in the 1500 meters behind national medalist, Margot Appleton. She then returned to the track just over an hour later for the 800-meter finals where she ran 2:02 to secure a gold medal, toppling Virginia Tech’s Lindsey Butler and North Carolina's Makayla Paige in the process.

That ability to double so effectively is going to be crucial as Chepngetich navigates the rounds of both the regional and national meets. With momentum on her side, Chepngetich is going to be a name that we will have to watch closely as we creep further into the postseason.

18. Elise Thorner, Senior, Florida (-6 / 12)

We really didn’t learn much from Elise Thorner’s 2nd place finish in the steeplechase at the SEC Championships. We expected the Florida Gator to finish behind Alabama’s Doris Lemngole, although we were hoping that the race would be just the slightest bit closer.

And yes, we are moving her down in our rankings a good bit, but part of that is simply because other women so well over the last few weekends.

Thorner finished 15 seconds behind the Alabama star in a time of 9:43 (steeple) which is well off of her PR. Even so, the Gator ace still ran a strong time and has continued to firmly etch her name among the favorites for All-American honors in the steeplechase this spring.

She's talented enough to improve upon her 5th place finish from the 2023 outdoor national meet, but Thorner will need to replicate her Bryan Clay Invitational performance if that is going to happen.

17. Maddy Elmore, Rs. Sophomore, Oregon (-3 / 14)

Maddy Elmore was slated to contest the 10k/5k double at the PAC-12 Championships, but the redshirt sophomore didn’t toe the line. That’s not at all concerning as we head into the postseason as one week prior to conference, Elmore ran a solid time of 4:11 (1500) and acted as a pacer en route to a 15:56 (5k) mark at Hayward Field. 

The Oregon Duck is in the conversation to finish amongst the top-five in both the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet. It might be smarter for Elmore to choose one event to focus on, but if the Oregon women are gunning for the podium as a team, Elmore attempting the double would be the move. 

16. Silan Ayyildiz, Junior, Oregon (0 / 16)

Silan Ayyildiz’s hot streak continues!

Fresh off of her monumental 15:15 mark over 5000 meters at the Bryan Clay Invite, the Oregon Duck dipped under 4:10 (1500) for the first time, finishing as the top collegiate at the Drake Relays in 4:09.

Then, at the PAC 12 Championships, the Duck ace took on a very strong 1500-meter field where she finished 2nd overall, less than a second behind 4:28 miler, Chloe Foerster. And while she may not have captured the win, Ayyildiz still took down a host of All-Americans including her teammate Klaudia Kazimierska as well as the indoor 800-meter national champion, Juliette Whittaker.

Ayyildiz is flying high right now and with her exceptional range, the Turkish distance star is seemingly an All-American threat in both the 1500 meters and 5k. Now, the only question left between now and June is whether she opts to double or hedge her bets on one event.

15. Sanu Jallow, Sophomore, Arkansas (Unranked)

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow.

That's probably the best way to talk about Sanu Jallow's performance over 800 meters this past weekend. The Arkansas sophomore followed Michaela Rose throughout the entirety of the 800-meter finals at the SEC Championships. We kept waiting for the Razorback talent to fade from Rose, but she largely never did. Instead, Jallow hung right behind her to secure silver and post a jaw-dropping time of 1:59.29 (800).

Make no mistake, Jallow was already a national-caliber talent prior to this past weekend. She held a 2:01 (800) PR from the winter months and had run 2:03 for the half-mile distance three separate times this spring. But to take a leap all the way to the NCAA #5 all-time mark (outdoors) and legitimately challenge one of the greatest collegiate middle distance runners ever is beyond impressive.

Admittedly, that result came a bit out of nowhere for Jallow, leaving us a bit unsure as to what we should expect from her moving forward. We simply need to see more consistency from this star underclassman at that elite level before we can start putting her in the same tier as Michaela Rose or Juliette Whittaker.

And yet, the fact that we're even having this conversation should just go to show how brilliant Jallow was on Saturday.

14. Hayley Kitching, Sophomore, Penn State (-1 / 13)

Penn State’s Hayley Kitching has continued to showcase her impressive consistency with a 2:02 (800) clocking en route to victory at the BIG 10 Championships this past weekend. The Nittany Lion made short work of the field, clinching the victory by nearly two seconds.

This victory didn’t really tell us anything that we didn't already know about the Nittany Lion star. She has remained remarkably consistent all season long and the blazing 2:00 mark that she recorded in Australia puts her in the upper-echelon of runners in the NCAA.

If Kitching can continue to prove her reliability, then she could certainly be a medal contender at the half-mile distance.

13. Chloe Foerster, Sophomore, Washington (+7 / 20)

When Chloe Foerster ran her 4:28 mile PR during the winter months, we were super impressed, but also a bit cautious about how that would translate to the indoor national meet. Sure enough, inexperience got the best of the Washington sophomore who was unable to make it out of the prelims in her season finale.

But so far this spring, Foerster looks like an experienced veteran rather than a high-upside underclassman. She is racing with far greater conviction in her moves, she has defeated multiple top-tier women and her overall seasonal consistency surpasses what she put together during the winter months.

A win this past weekend at the PAC-12 Championships (over 1500 meters) only boosted Foerster's stock even further. Defeating women like Silan Ayyildiz (Oregon) and Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) only adds to her resume which now features personal bests of 2:03 (800) and 4:07.96 (1500).

After a valuable learning experience at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the fortunes of this Husky sophomore could be taking a turn for the better come June.

12. Gabija Galvydyte, Senior, Oklahoma State (+12 / 24)

I don’t think anyone has quite timed their postseason peak like Gabija Galvydyte has. The Cowgirl superstar did an extraordinary job of peaking for June last year and you could argue that she is in better fitness this time around.

At the BIG 12 Championships, the Lithuanian middle distance star ran a remarkably well-judged race. She didn’t get drawn into the blazing 55-second opening lap that Houston’s Kelly-Ann Beckford set. Instead, over the final 200 meters, the Oklahoma senior star saw her opportunity and sailed past Beckford with roughly 40 meters go, securing the victory in a new PR of 2:00.42.

With the women’s 800 meters looking exceptionally stacked this year, Galvydyte won't have an easy ride if she hopes to contend for gold. However, with a proven ability to peak during the postseason, Galvydyte is certainly a name that cannot be counted out.

11. Billah Jepkirui, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (0 / 11)

We will admit that Billah Jepkirui didn't have the strongest showing at the BIG 12 Championships, but her performances were certainly nothing to panic about.

In the 1500-meter final, the Oklahoma State star finished in a modest (by her standards) 4th place, crossing the line in a very strong time of 4:09, just half a second off of the win. While she may not have held on for the win, it's hard to be upset about another sub-4:10 clocking.

As for the 800 meters, Jepkirui slipped back to 7th place, crossing the line in 2:04. While the half-mile distance isn't her go-to event, it wouldn't have been surprising to see her finish further up the field given that she had just run a new PR of 2:02 just one week prior.

Of course, doubling back from a 1500-meter race as intense as what she went through certainly wasn't going to make her effort over 800 meters any easier.

While the BIG 12 Championships may not have quite gone to plan, Jepkirui has been spectacular all year long and across each season. One "poor" weekend (which wasn't even "poor" in reality) certainly isn't going to change our view of her as a strong medal contender over 1500 meters this spring.

10. Taylor Roe, Senior, Oklahoma State (-2 / 8)

It seems fair to have concerns about a top-10 name posting a modest 4:15 (1500) mark earlier this month and then not racing at their conference meet. Even so, we're not quite ready to hit the panic button.

Taylor Roe still put together a 33:17/15:36 (10k/5k) weekend double at the Bryan Clay Invitational back in April. And in our eyes, those efforts were strictly for the purposes of regional qualification and not much else.

Why? Because she then didn't race until early May.

We imagine that Roe is simply building her base and gaining fitness as she attempts to stay fresh for the 10k/5k double on the regional and national stages. And given how well she peaked during the winter months, we don't want to drop this Cowgirl veteran from the top-10 portion of our rankings just yet.

9. Juliette Whittaker, Sophomore, Stanford (-2 / 7)

Since being crowned the NCAA Indoor 800 meter Champion, Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker hasn’t quite looked as convincing as she did on the indoor oval. She has pieced together some very commendable results, but nothing that has blown us away.

At the PAC 12 Championships, the Cardinal sophomore opted to contest the 1500 meters. Here, she earned herself a respectable 3rd place finish, crossing the line in 4:17, just one second behind race winner Chloe Foerster. Third place was exactly where we predicted her to finish heading into the championship, given her racing up in distance.

With a 2:01 (800) mark to her name this season, Whittaker finds herself three seconds adrift from fellow national title contender Michaela Rose. While that may not have stopped her indoors, the Stanford star is going to have to rediscover that peak fitness if she hopes to tussle with Rose once again

8. Melissa Riggins, Junior, Georgetown (+1 / 9)

Georgetown’s Melissa Riggins has proved she is the real deal all season long, and this past weekend was no exception.

At the BIG EAST Championships, Riggins ran 4:08 to win the 1500-meter title, beating accomplished miler Shannon Flockhart (4:11) in the process. Flockhart has established herself as one of the favorites for an All-American accolade this June, so for Riggins to beat her with such ease is very impressive.

With the Hoya showcasing a frightfully fast 800-meter PR of 2:01 and boasting some of the best consistency in the nation, it's really hard not to like her as we delve deeper into the championship portion of the season. If Riggins can carry this momentum forward, then she could well see herself amongst the medals come June.

7. Kimberley May, Junior, Providence (+3 / 10)

Friar distnace star Kimberley May impressed many of us with her first-ever 5k race on the track at the BIG East Championships this past weekend. In a field that she simply could have sat and kicked on, May ran away from her competition around the 2k mark and only extended her lead by the time she crossed the line in a blistering time of 15:26 (5k), nearly 30 seconds ahead of the chase pack.

It’s unlikely that May, a 4:27 miler, will focus on the 5k at the East Regional Championships (although it's possible that she doubles). However, that extra endurance will come in handy for the Providence junior over 1500 meters if that race becomes a grind from the get-go on the national stage.

6. Olivia Markezich, Senior, Notre Dame (0 / 6)

In only her second individual race of the 2024 outdoor track season, Notre Dame senior Olivia Markezich not only won the 5k title at the ACC Championships, but she also ran an eye-catching PR of 15:23. That improvement in her endurance will surely come in handy for the veteran when she races her marquee event, the steeplechase, at the NCAA Championships. 

At the ACC Championships, Markezich outdistanced the field by nine seconds en route to her victory. The Notre Dame ace led for more than half the race and kept at least five seconds on the field until the final 800 meters. Her move shut down the field and gave her a nine-second victory over teammate Siona Chisholm.

Markezich is expected to face Alabama’s Doris Lemngole in the steeplechase at both the East Regional Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the same athlete who beat Markezich earlier in the season in the steeplechase. For the Fighting Irish veteran to defend her outdoor national meet steeplechase title, she will need to heavily lean on her aerobic strength for a race that will almost certainly be fast from the gun come June.

5. Hilda Olemomoi, Junior, Alabama (0 / 5)

To be quite frank, we are running out of things to say about Alabama ace Hilda Olemomoi. She entered the SEC Championships as the overwhelming favorite in the 10,000 meters, and as expected, she delivered.

Her mark of 33:47 (10k) is a far cry from her best, but that comes as no surprise as she was most likely focused on picking up the victory and saving herself for the climax of the season.

What was very nice to see was the fact that two weeks prior to the SEC Championship, Olemomoi dropped all the way down to the 1500 meters in an effort to refine her speed. And boy did she do that. A 4:14 (1500) is a very strong showing from one of the most aerobic-centric athletes in the nation.

With her speed refined, Olemomoi now possesses all the necessary skills to contend for a national title in June. While Parker Valby may be viewed as a favorite in both distance events, Olemomoi is certainly one of the few capable of giving her a run for her money.

4. Michaela Rose, Junior, LSU (0 / 4)

Are you even surprised anymore by Michaela Rose?

For the fifth time during this academic year, the LSU star ran sub-2:00 for 800 meters and won yet another SEC Championship title. However, this was a surprisingly close race for the Tiger standout as she had Sanu Jallow of Arkansas on her heels. Even so, Rose found another gear on the final straightawa, crossing the finish line in 1:58.89 (800), four-tenths of a second ahead of Jallow. 

Rose’s consistency is remarkable and her ability to go wire-to-wire doesn’t go unnoticed. As we enter the championship season, Rose will be aiming to reclaim the NCAA 80- meter title after suffering a loss at the indoor national meet to Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker. And as of right now, there is showing no signs of wavering.

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

To nobody's surprise, Alabama newcomer Doris Lemngole excelled over barriers at this past weekend's SEC Championship earning her first-ever SEC gold medal.

The Crimson Tide ace threw down a blazing 9:28 en route to a 15-second victory over Florida’s Elise Thorner. This mark came as no shock, especially after seeing her produce an exceptional 9:22 to defeat reigning NCAA champion Olivia Markezich at Wake Forest earlier this spring.

Lemnogole followed this up with a very strong effort over the 5000 meters just one day later. Her mark of 15:25 (5k) was good enough for second place behind none other than Florida’s Parker Valby. This performance deserves some major props as it highlights Lemngole's ability to double effectively at the championship level. A skill that is going to be very useful come June, whether it's navigating rounds or doubling up.

With that being said, the major question everyone is left asking is: Will she double up? Or will she bet the house on the steeplechase?

2. Maia Ramsden, Junior, Harvard (0 / 2)

Between the Penn Relays and the Ivy League Championships, Harvard’s Maia Ramsden has been quite busy as of late. 

The Harvard superstar anchored her Crimson teammates to a stellar DMR victory against a deep field at the Penn Relays. There, Ramsden split 4:21 on the anchor leg and helped Harvard earn the NCAA #1 All-Time DMR record of 10:37. 

Then. just one week later, Ramsden won the 1500/5k double at the Ivy League Championships, running a conference meet record in both events. In her marquee event, the reigning NCAA 1500-meter champion outpaced the field en route to a 4:09 victory, just a mere two seconds off of her seasonal best.

However, the performance that was arguably more impressive was her conference title in the 5k. Despite moving up in distance, running on tired legs and having to battle an All-American threat in Phoebe Anderson, this Crimson ace still came away with a very comfortable sub-15:50 win.

Ramsden will most likely declare for the 1500 meters and maybe the 5k for the rest of the postseason. Of course, the former event is most definitely her best opportunity for a third NCAA title. The question really isn’t, is Ramsden going to win, but rather, how fast will she run?

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

Parker Valby came into the SEC Championships aiming to run a 5k qualifying mark for the East Regional Championships. And in typical Valby style, she far exceeded the time needed to qualify. 

Teammate Elise Thorner paced Valby through the first 3000 meters before leaving the junior talent solo for the remainder of the event as Valby was already 10 seconds ahead of the field. The Gator ace continued to grind and lapped numerous runners en route to a 15:07 (5k) victory which now sits at NCAA #4 all-time.

Even though we predicted Valby to run 14:51 (5k), her finishing time is still nothing to write off. Valby was running in the heat and humidity of Florida and was probably saving a little extra for her next two meets. Instead, it's the last meet where we could see the reigning champion run an NCAA outdoor 5k record.

Oh, and one last thing, does anyone own a "Magic Eight" ball? And if so, can you ask it what Valby will contest at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June? Will she try the classic 10k/5k double? Or will she put all of her eggs in one basket for just the 10k or just the 5k?

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ADDED

Sanu Jallow (Arkansas)

Juliet Cherubet (Texas Tech)

Sadie Sargent (BYU)

Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown)

KICKED OFF

Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

Lindsey Butler (Virginia Tech)

Shannon Flockhart (Providence)

Klaudia Kazimierska (Oregon)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Roisin Willis (Stanford)

Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

Lindsey Butler (Virginia Tech)

Shannon Flockhart (Providence)

Klaudia Kazimierska (Oregon)

Flomena Asekol (Florida)

Grace Hartman (NC State)

Amaris Tyynismaa (NC State)

Victoria Bossong (Harvard)

Makayla Paige (North Carolina)

Sydney Thorvaldson (Arkansas)

Molly Born (Oklahoma State)

Sophia Gorriaran (Harvard)

Kelly-Ann Beckford (Houston)

Maggi Congdon (Northern Arizona)

Wilma Nielsen (Washington)

Olivia Howell (Texas)

Phoebe Anderson (Columbia)

Julia Nielsen (Bradley)

Janette Schraft (Iowa State)

Sophie Novak (Notre Dame)

Lorena Rangel Batres (LSU)

Paityn Noe (Arkansas)

Florence Caron (Penn State)

Sam Bush (NC State)

Teagan Schein-Becker (Rider)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Amy Bunnage (Stanford)

Bailey Hertenstein (Colorado)

Taylor Lovell (BYU)

Jenna Hutchins (BYU)

Emma Tavella (Boston College)

Suus Altorf (Florida State)

Annika Reiss (Northern Arizona)

Laura Taborda (Arkansas)

Josefine Eriksen (Utah)

Madison Neuner (Syracuse)

Chloe Thomas (UConn)

Andrea Markezich (Notre Dame)

Gracelyn Larkin (Northern Arizona)

Sylvia Chelangat (South Carolina)

Gracie Morris (TCU)

Yasna Petrova (California Baptist)

Mena Scatchard (Princeton)

Nicole Vanasse (Columbia)

Leah Stephens (NC State)

Kelsey Chmiel (NC State)

Kate Jendrezak (UCLA)

Marlena Preigh (Washington)

Siona Chisholm (Notre Dame)

Sophia Toti (Penn State)

Notes

• Amina Maatoug (Duke) has been removed from the "Just Missed" section of our rankings due to not competing since earlier in the season at the Raleigh Relays.

• Carley Thomas (Washington) has been removed from the "Just Missed" section of our rankings due to her not competing this season.

• Sophie O’Sullivan (Washington) made her season debut at the PAC-12 Championships this past weekend after battling an injury in recent months. The 4:02 (1500) runner recorded an altitude-converted mark of 4:15 (1500) to finish in 7th place overall. Although Sullivan has the potential to finish as an All-American this spring, we need to see more from the Husky junior before we can make that pick.