TSR's 2024 D2 Outdoor Top 25 Rankings (Women): Update #4 (FINAL)

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Written by Garrett Zatlin & Marissa Kuik

Additional edits & commentary by Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve

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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. Hannah Hartwell, Junior, Fort Lewis (Unranked)

Maybe we slept on Hannah Hartwell a bit considering that we were caught by surprise when she put together an impressive performance at the outdoor national meet, finishing 5th place overall in the 10k. 

She also had some strong performances throughout this spring season, including a couple of wins in the 5k and the 10k at regular season meets as well as a heat win at the Bryan Clay Invite where she ran her personal best of 34:51 (10k). 

Additionally, Hartwell earned bronze over 10,000 meters at the RMAC Championships, a strong result in the nation's most competitive distance event that portended her finish to this season.

24. Alexa Keiser, Junior, Saginaw Valley (Unranked)

After not advancing out of the steeplechase preliminary round at last year’s outdoor national meet, Alexa Keiser cemented her spot in this year's final with the second-fastest prelim mark before finishing 5th and comfortably earning All-American honors.

Keiser has been incredibly steady throughout this season, slowly improving with each race, including running personal bests of 16:41 (5k) and 10:23 (steeple). The latter mark came en route to her first-ever top-eight finish on the postseason stage.

In an event that saw a number of names drop out and a lot of falls throughout, Keiser stayed upright and outperformed her seeding for the race of her life.

23. Elizabeth Acheson, Rs. Junior, U-Mary (-9 / 14)

After an incredible half-mile runner-up performance at the indoor national meet, our expectations for Elizabeth Acheson were quite high this season. She had, after all, rediscovered the impressive form that she had shown when finishing as a two-time half-mile All-American in 2021.

a 6th place performance that she produced over 800 meters at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships didn't match her silver medal from a few months prior (hence the drop in her ranking), but Acheson is once again a two-time half-mile All-American over the academic year and has re-established herself as one of the most reliable talents in a topsy-turvy event.

22. Kate Dawson, Rs. Junior, Pittsburg State (Unranked)

Kate Dawson jumps into our rankings after putting together a nice outdoor national meet performance in which she placed 5th over 800 meters to match her half-mile finish at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships. 

Not only did Dawson do a great job navigating through the preliminary round and the competitive final, but she also produced personal bests at her past two competitions. One of those PRs includes the half-mile finals at the national meet as she showed her ability to peak at just the right time of the season. 

21. Elizabeth Wamsley, Junior, Hillsdale (Unranked)

Qualifying for two events at a national meet is already an impressive feat, but to earn an All-American honor in both of those events is plenty worthy of a spot in our rankings. 

Elizabeth Wamsley did just that, qualifying for the 5k and the 10k before earning 8th and 7th place finishes, respectively, between those events this past weekend. And considering the tough racing conditions in Emporia, Kansas, with the 10k delayed by weather and then a hot, muggy 5k on the final day, Wamsley fought much better than some of the other women on this list. 

It should also be noted that she ran personal bests in all of her races from the 1500 meters up to the 10k this season, making her an obvious choice for top-25 placement.

20. Leah Taylor, Sophomore, Western Colorado (+3 / 23)

With such a fast 1500-meter final on Saturday, athletes had to run their best in order to earn a top-eight spot. That included Leah Taylor who ran a personal best of 4:23 to place 5th. 

Taylor gets a small bump in our rankings because of her strong efforts in both rounds of the 1500 meters which turned into a very fast race after the first lap. For Taylor to respond so well when the race picked up quickly (despite only being a sophomore) shows encouraging strength and in-race adaptability. She also placed a respectable 14th in the 5k on Saturday.

Taylor may not have replicated her bronze medal in the metric mile from the 2023 outdoor national meet, but it's hard to be upset with a PR and a third-consecutive top-six postseason finish between the metric mile and the mile.

19. Katharina Goetschl, Junior, Academy of Art (Unranked)

Similar to some of the other women who are entering our rankings for the first time, we may have overlooked Katharina Goetschl who performed quite well at the outdoor national meet. Of course, she also had some impressive performances throughout the regular season. 

Goetschl boasts considerable range with personal bests of 2:13 (800) all the way up to 16:29 (5k), both of which were run this season. She popped off in the steeplechase, her signature event, with a huge 10:13 PR and 4th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

A 12th place effort in the 5k a day later doesn't hurt Goetschl's stock, either.

18. Megan Roxby, Senior, Simon Fraser (Unranked)

What's most impressive about Megan Roxby’s 2024 outdoor track season has to be her pair of All-American finishes between the 1500 meters and the 800 meters. That's one of the hardest doubles to pull off because of the anaerobic demand of both events which feature multiple rounds. 

Roxby crossed the line 6th overall in the 1500 meters and then a few hours later finished 7th over 800 meters. She also has some crazy good PRs this season with marks of 4:20 (1500) and 2:08 (800), further proof of this Red Leaf talent's status as one of the nation's top middle distance runners.

17. Alaysia Brooks, Junior, Ursuline (OH) (-13 / 4)

On one hand, Alaysia Brooks ran Division Two's fastest time in the half-mile this spring just after securing an indoor national title in that event. And in the spring, she again made it to the finals at the outdoor national meet, earning a podium finish.

However, on the flip side, Brooks made some errors that could have been corrected and may have prevented the heartbreaking fall and ensuing 8th place finish she had in the 800-meter finals. While Brooks loves going hard from the gun, she noticeably tightened up during the preliminary rounds this past weekend. She still qualified for the finals, but unfortunately, her luck ran out there. 

The Ursuline talent blasted through the first lap to the point where her legs tightened up so much that she fell on the finishing stretch with just 20 meters to go.

Of course, falling on the national stage doesn't necessarily mean that Brooks wasn't one of the best overall 800-meter runners in D2 this season. If she doesn't fall, then there's a good she wins gold or at least finishes top-three or top-four. And when you run the fastest half-mile time in D2 this spring, it's hard to put her any lower than this.

16. Kylie Anicic, Senior, Edinboro (Unranked)

Kylie Anicic is another name in our rankings who finished two races on the podium this past weekend at the NCAA Championships. There, she placed 6th overall in both the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters. 

The Edinboro veteran picked up right where she left off from the fall season where she finished 12th place overall at the NCAA XC Championships. However, she did not race this past winter, making it difficult to put her in our outdoor track rankings before now.

Nonetheless, massive PRs throughout the season -- 16:14 (5k) and 33:25 (10k) -- as well as recent postseason success demonstrated why Anicic is one of the best distance athletes in Division Two even if she's sometimes overlooked for where she competes.

15. Zoe Baker, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+9 / 24)

As a redshirt senior, all you can hope for is to go out on a high note, and that is exactly what Zoe Baker did during this outdoor track season. 

After missing her during the cross country season, we had such high hopes for the Oredigger star during the indoor track season. And for the most part, her winter performances were consistent until the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Thankfully, she bounced back this spring and left it all out on the track in Emporia, Kansas, finishing 4th place overall in the 10k and just missing the podium with a 9th place finish in the 5k. While two All-American finishes would have been a nice sendoff, the legacy that Baker left for distance running in Division Two will definitely make us look back with appreciation on this Oredigger even as we miss her.

14. Lieke Hoogsteen, Sophomore, Adams State (+2 / 16)

Clearly, Lieke Hoogsteen had no issue peaking for this postseason as she put together her best performances over 800 meters in her most important races. 

After winning the RMAC title over the half-mile distance, Hoogsteen went into the outdoor national meet with confidence and showed it when she ran a new personal best time of 2:07 to earn herself a spot in the finals.

After Alaysia Brooks took off, Hoogsteen positioned herself perfectly and competed with the pack to earn a 4th place finish -- her best ever result in an individual event at a national meet. Hoogsteen's youth makes her postseason poise all the more impressive and her future looks quite starry.

13. Maggie McCleskey, Sophomore, Adams State (Unranked)

Similar to her teammate, Lieke Hoogsteen, Maggie McCleskey put together some great performances to end her season, most notably a 3rd place finish over 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet. 

McCleskey raced sparingly this season, competing at just two meets before the NCAA Outdoor Championships, but she still qualified for both the 1500 meters and the 5k. While she didn't reach the final in the metric mile, McCleskey came back stronger than ever in the 5k and ran away with her best-ever finish at a national meet.

The Adams State talent is young and still has room for growth and improvement. But with this much postseason experience already, this Grizzly looks to be a postseason force to be reckoned with for seasons to come.

12. Aryelle Wright, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+9 / 21)

A bronze medal performance in what ended up being a chaotic 800-meter final at the NCAA Championships vaults Aryelle Wright to our TSR #12 spot.

That was a fantastic result for the Colorado Mines veteran who had produced a handful of underwhelming results coming into the national meet (although she did have a great start to her season). And yet, despite the seemingly declining momentum, Wright came through as she usually does on the national stage.

Wright ends her NCAA career as one of the more reliable half-milers that Division Two has had to offer as of late. She earned two bronze medals over 800 meters during this lone academic year and boasts three additional All-American honors on her resume (including the DMR). And it was that proven postseason steadiness that made it impossible to not consider Wright as a factor this past weekend.

11. Elena Carey, Junior, Adams State (-3 / 8)

It's hard to properly gauge Elena Carey's weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

On one hand, she finished as a top-half All-American (4th) over 1500 meters and matched her 4:21 PR in the process. But on the other hand, it felt like she could have realistically finished as high as 2nd place this past weekend given how strong she had looked throughout the spring months.

Regardless, there was far more good than bad in Carey's races this past weekend. And frankly, her season as a whole was extremely encouraging to say the least. It wouldn't necessarily surprise us if Carey ended up being a national title winner in 2025.

10. Klaudia O'Malley, Senior, Grand Valley State (-4 / 6)

Don't be fooled by the four-spot drop in Klaudia O'Malley's ranking. For the most part, this Grand Valley State veteran was great this past weekend, snagging bronze over 1500 meters in a time of 4:21 (taking down Elena Carey in the process) before settling for 10th place over 5000 meters.

O'Malley has been a true Division Two distance star for as long as we can remember. And on paper, she's been talented enough to win a national title in most of the years prior to her entry to the collegiate realm. And while she never did secure individual NCAA gold, she consistently produced strong All-American results on the national stage each and every year.

The spring and winter of 2024 was arguably the best that O'Malley has ever been. She further improved her already-strong times, refined her range and had some of her best-ever success on the national stage. For those reasons, she remains in our top-10 to end her spring campaign.

9. Annika Esvelt, Senior, Seattle Pacific (Unranked)

Wow! Welcome back to the highest tier of Division Two distance running, Annika Esvelt!

It's one thing to earn a silver medal on the national stage over 10,000 meters, but to take down a top-ranked star in Brianna Robles in the process was massive. Not only that, but Esvelt also came back to place 7th over 5000 meters, ending her season with double All-American honors.

During her earlier days at Seattle Pacific, it looked like Esvelt was going to be a formidable foe for years to come. However, a non-existent 2023 indoor track season and a lack of progress in her fitness made it difficult for this SPU runner to remain in the national spotlight.

Thankfully, Esvelt very clearly put herself back into the national spotlight in 2024, but to have the success that she did this past weekend far surpassed our expectations for her...even if she did run 16:18 (5k) and 33:41 (10k) earlier this spring.

8. Jessica Simon, Senior, Adams State (+9 / 17)

There was no denying that, during the regular season, Jessica Simon was one of the best 800-meter runners in all of Division Two. She did, after all, run 2:07 (800) twice this spring, both marks being unconverted at altitude.

However, Simon had an extensive history of qualifying for the NCAA Championships over 800 meters, but consistently failing to advance out of the prelims. That, of course, was not the case in 2024 as the Adams State veteran not only qualified for the finals, but also earned silver!

This was the seasonal finish that we've been waiting to see from Simon for quite some time now. And for that reason, she gets a boost into our top-10.

7. Ines Macadam, Junior, Tiffin (Unranked)

We will fully admit that we were not expecting Ines Macadam to win a national title this past weekend. While the Tiffin star had proven to be a nationally competitive name in prior seasons, expecting her to secure NCAA gold in an 800-meter field that seemed fairly deep would have been a stretch.

Of course, Macadam seemingly didn't care what the odds were. In the 800-meter finals of the national meet, the middle distance runner took advantage of a late fall by Alaysia Brooks to win gold in 2:08.

However, trying to rank Macadam higher than TSR #7 is admittedly a challenge as other women simply had far stronger regular seasons than she did. After all, Macadam's 800-meter personal best of 2:08.15 was set in the prelims this past Friday and she had not run faster than 2:09 this spring prior to the national meet.

Regardless, this was one of the biggest and best underdog wins at the D2 level that we can remember. Now, it's only right that the national champion resides in our top-10.

6. Marissa D'Atri, Senior, Chico State (+7 / 13)

It was an overall fantastic season for Marissa D'Atri, showcasing nationally competitive talent since the month of March. Her 4:26/10:08 (1500/steeple) weekend double at the Bryan Clay Invite was largely validated by two eventual sub-16:40 (5k) clockings going into the national meet.

However, D'Atri also found success last spring going into the 2023 national meet before fading a bit from expectations. Thankfully, that wasn't the case in 2024 as D'Atri secured bronze at the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase this past weekend.

With a 10:10 mark over the barriers and water pits, D'Atri may have had already done enough to be a top-10 name in our rankings. But by adding a 5th place All-American honor on top of that, D'Atri concludes her season as one of the most valuable individuals in all of Division Two this spring.

5. Ava O'Connor, Junior, Adams State (+10 / 15)

After remaining absent for essentially the entire indoor track season, Ava O'Connor returned to the oval on absolute fire this spring.

The Adams State star continued to work on her speed by attacking multiple 800-meter and 1500-meter races before dropping a monster 9:54 steeplechase PR at the Portland Twilight meet. And despite having just one steeplechase race under her legs this season going into the national meet, O'Connor delivered on the nation's biggest stage, finishing runner-up with a 10:08 mark over the barriers.

Admittedly, O'Connor's resume in the middle distance this spring, while still very good, didn't match the impressiveness of her steeplechase effort. Of course, if that is the only critique that we have for her this season, then that's a good problem to have.

4. Kaylee Beyer, Senior, Winona State (-2 / 2)

During a season where Kaylee looked strong, but not quite as sharp as she was during the winter, it would have been easy for her to fall behind a few names this past weekend.

However, Beyer was able to defeat both Klaudia O'Malley and Elena Carey en route to runner-up honors at the NCAA Championships over 1500 meters. And when you tack on a 4th place 5k All-American finish, having Beyer fall outside of the top-three in our rankings is admittedly hard to reconcile.

Thankfully, Winona State can take solace in the fact that Beyer fading from our top-three is more based on the results of others rather than anything that she has done.

3. Brianna Robles, Senior, Adams State (0 / 3)

It's probably fair to say that Brianna Robles' weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships was mostly successful...right?

The Adams State superstar has been the definition of excellence when it comes to Division Two distance running over the years. She has won multiple national titles, has earned countless All-American honors and has produced multiple all-time marks. In fact, she even ran a jaw-dropping 5k time of 15:30 (unattached) at the Sound Running Track Fest three weekends ago!

Admittedly, a 5k time as impressive as that usually suggests that Robles could have won a national title this season. And while that is true, it's hard to fault her for earning silver (5k) and bronze (10k) in her two races this past weekend, losing to national title winner Florance Uwajeneza in both efforts.

2. Florance Uwajeneza, Senior, West Texas A&M (+3 / 5)

In almost any other years, Florance Uwajeneza would almost certainly be ranked at TSR #1. What this West Texas A&M star did this past weekend was brilliant, taking home double gold over 10,000 meters and 5000 meters despite the latter field holding a 15:30 runner in it.

Throughout the spring months, Uwajeneza ran 16:00 (5k) as well as 32:52 (10k) and never lost to a single D2 competitor. She was the most proven aerobic-centric distance runner in D2 this spring and there isn't much argument against that.

1. Gracie Hyde, Rs. Senior, Adams State (0 / 1)

At this point, there's really no need to explain why Gracie Hyde is our TSR #1 runner.

After winning the steeplechase national title and the 1500-meter national title this past weekend, Hyde has capped what was almost certainly the best pair of track seasons (in the same year) that we've even seen from a D2 distance runner.

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ADDED

Ines Macadam (Tiffin)

Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)

Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)

Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)

Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)

Katharina Goetschl (Academy of Art)

Elizabeth Wamsley (Hillsdale)

Kate Dawson (Pittsburg State)

Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley)

Hannah Hartwell (Fort Lewis)

KICKED OFF

Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)

Tristian Spence (Adams State)

Taryn Chapko (Grand Valley State)

Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)

Natalie Graber (Grand Valley State)

Katie Heck (Fort Lewis)

Morgan Hykes (Adams State)

Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (Colorado Mines)

Vienna Lahner (Adams State)

Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)

Tristian Spence (Adams State)

Taryn Chapko (Grand Valley State)

Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)

Katie Heck (Fort Lewis)

Morgan Hykes (Adams State)

Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (Colorado Mines)

Vienna Lahner (Adams State)

Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)

Mckenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))

Precious Robinson (Adams State)

Katherine Marsh (Adelphi)

Anna Fauske (UC-Colorado Springs)

Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)

Marian Ledesma (Western Washington)

Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)

Riley McGrath (Colorado Mines)

Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)

Maria Mitchell (Grand Valley State)

Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))

Anna Igims (Slippery Rock)

Ila Davis (Western Washington)

Margot Thomas (CSU-Pueblo)

Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)

Della Molina (Chico State)

Aubrey Surage (Augustana (SD))

Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)

Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)

Emma Kjellsen (Western Colorado)

Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)

Shannon King (Colorado Christian)

Grace Strongman (Colorado Mines)

Khot Juac (Sioux Falls)

Lauren Wallace (Mississippi College)

Lina Hanich (Academy of Art)

Abby VanderKooi (Grand Valley State)

Thailya Christensen (Wayne State (MI))

Nicole Lawrence (Adams State)

Ashley Reeck (Western Washington)

Sira Bo (Wingate)

Ellie Frye (Dallas Baptist)

Betty Bajika (West Texas A&M)

Iresh Molina (Chico State)

Madison Clay (Catawba)

MaKenna Thurston (Minnesota State)

Stephanie Cotter (Adams State)

Lydia McGlocklin (NW Missouri)

Lainy Williams (Southwest Baptist)

Sofia Camacho (Azusa Pacific)

Jadyn Herron (CSU-Pueblo)

Jori Paradis (CUI)

Lauren Willson (Western Colorado)

Claire Rethman (Walsh)

Landyn Howell (Grand Valley State)

Madison Ebright (Grand Valley State)

Mikayla Jones (Catawba)

Holly Moser (Colorado Mines)

Notes

- N/A