TSR's 2024 D2 XC Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #1

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Written by Marissa Kuik and Garrett Zatlin

Edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve and Garrett Zatlin

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NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). 

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KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in the rankings.

The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last update.

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25. Aria Hawkins, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (Unranked)

So far this season, Aria Hawkins has been a steady low-stick for her team at a pair of major invitationals. Placing 16th at the Southern Showcase was an encouraging result while a 14th place effort at the Louisville XC Classic was arguably even better.

The Flames' veteran ace has fared well in two larger meets with field sizes that roughly imitate the size of the field that she'll see at the national meet. And sure, Hawkins was already an accomplished and experienced talent, but this is certainly the best that she has ever fared at these kinds of meets. She wasn't all that far off from Anna Fauske or Kate Hedlund in Louisville and she took down a handful of respectable D1 names in her season debut.

As long as she can maintain this momentum moving forward, Hawkins will have a shot at earning top-half All-American honors in November.

24. Linda Weigang, Sophomore, Fort Lewis (-7 / 17)

A 4th place finish at the Joe Vigil Open and a 7th place effort at the Colorado Springs XC Open were fine results for Linda Weigang, but they did leave us wanting just a little bit more.

The Fort Lewis sophomore was able to take down a large handful of talented names at the former meet, but that was a clear 5k rust-buster in the first week of September. Her latter effort, however, featured more competition. And while Weigang did hold her own, she was also defeated by a handful of non-ranked runners.

The Fort Lewis talent has shown us that she still deserves to be a top-25 name. We did, however, have to push her back a bit in favor of a few other women.

23. Peyton Weiss, Rs. Sophomore, Western Colorado (-1 / 22)

We'll admit, a 64th place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival was hardly encouraging for someone of Peyton Weiss' talent level. And given that she was originally ranked at TSR #22 in our preseason list, a performance like that would usually drop Weiss out of our top-25.

However, the Western Colorado runner made up for that result with a very strong 3rd place effort at the Colorado Springs XC Open. There, she took down a handful of accomplished D2 standouts, including Helen Braybrook by 22 seconds. That was a highly impressive result which suggests that Weiss' earlier effort was more of a fluke than anything else.

Simply put, Weiss' last two races have essentially cancelled each other out. That's mostly why you're not seeing her ranking change much during this update.

22. Grace Strongman, Junior, Colorado Mines (Unranked)

If you're someone who only looks at national meet results to gauge someone's talent level, then you likely missed how strong of a runner Grace Strongman is. Despite placing 79th at last year's national meet, she secured an 8th place effort at the RMAC XC Championships before that and had earned All-American honors in the fall of 2022.

Strongman's raw talent was on full display this past Saturday as she landed a strong 6th place low-stick finish at the Lewis XC Crossover. In a race which had a lead pack of five women, all of whom could be argued as top-10 runners nationally, Strongman posted a result which very much suggests that she'll be a heavy All-American favorite.

We still want to see a bit more from Strongman in the postseason to properly gauge where she should be ranked, but it wouldn't surprise us if ends up in our top-15 by November.

21. Kate Hedlund, Rs. Senior, UC-Colorado Springs (Unranked)

A strong 13th place effort at the Louisville XC Classic was great to see from Kate Hedlund. The UC-Colorado Springs veteran struggled last year as she was clearly not at 100%. But a true low-stick result to finish one spot ahead of Aria Hawkins suggests to us that this Mountain Lion ace is truly "back."

Admittedly, we've seen only seen Hedlund race once this fall, making it difficult to truly gauge where she should be placed in these rankings. But given her experience, pedigree, proven talent and recent momentum, it was going to be hard to argue that she shouldn't be listed in the top-25 portion of our individual rankings.

20. Gianna Bomarito, Junior, Sonoma State (-10 / 10)

Gianna Bomarito has not yet competed this season.

19. Emily Schoellkopf, Senior, Adams State (0 / 19)

We'll admit, we're not sure where we should rank Emily Schoellkopf during this update. Her runner-up effort at the Joe Vigil Open (en route to defeating many top-tier names) was highly impressive. However, that was a rust-buster 5k in the first week of September.

Since then, Schoellkopf's only other race came at the Joe Piane Invite where she settled for a 93rd place effort. And while that performance may not seem encouraging, it's also hard to compare that result given that Grand Valley State was the only other D2 team in the field.

For now, we'll keep Schoellkopf at TSR #19 as we attempt to get a better read of where her current fitness level is at.

18. Precious Robinson, Rs. Senior, Adams State (-10 / 8)

We'll admit, we don't feel super comfortable dropping someone as accomplished as Precious Robinson this far down our rankings. After all, it's not like placements of 5th at the Joe Vigil Open or 64th at the Joe Piane Invite are poor efforts by any means.

Even so, Robinson hasn't been quite the top-10 name that we deemed her to be in the preseason. She also finished three spots behind Allie Arnsman at the Joe Piane Invite, making it difficult to place Robinson much higher than this.

Regardless, we're confident that the proven fitness and experience of Robinson could thrust her back in the top-10 portion of our rankings in a few weeks time.

17. Allie Arnsman, Sophomore, Grand Valley State (-1 / 16)

For the most part, Allie Arnsman has matched our expectations for her so far this season. The Grand Valley State sophomore posted a highly promising 3rd place finish at the Spartan Invite in her season debut. That performance allowed her to take down a strong contingent fielded by Michigan State.

Arnsman would go on to secure a 61st place finish, a result that largely matched expectations set by her early-season effort. Yes, she may be moving down one spot in our rankings, but that's largely based on the success of others rather than anything that she's done. We still like the upside that she could bring to the table come the postseason.

16. Khot Juac, Senior, Sioux Falls (-14 / 2)

Last fall was a massive breakout year for Khot Juac. Sure, we knew she was a talented name, but her fall campaign showed us that she has reached a top-tier level of fitness. That was further evidenced by placing 5th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships, making her the country's top returner from the D2 national meet this fall.

However, so far this season, Juac hasn't quite been the elite star that she was last year. An 8th place finish in the "Maroon" race of the Roy Griak Invitational was fine, but it certainly left us wanting more. A 5th place finish at the Lewis XC Crossover was much better and it validated the idea that she was a top-20 name in the country. However, keeping Juac inside of our top-10 wasn't something that we felt that we were able to justify.

We know just how dangerous Juac can be when she's firing on all cylinders. But even if we don't see that same upper-echelon form from her later this fall, then that's fine, too. Juac will still be a top-tier name come November who is capable of being a top-half All-American.

15. Helen Braybrook, Senior, CSU-Pueblo (-2 / 13)

It truthfully pains us to drop Helen Braybrook in our rankings after seeing her secure a massive 10th place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival. That performance allowed her to take down a handful of highly respectable Division One women and it made her an upper-tier low-stick star at the Division Two level.

An ensuing 4th place result at the Colorado Springs XC Open wasn't quite as strong, but it still demanded respect.

Braybrook falling two spots in our rankings is more based on the performances of other women rather than anything that she has done. Relative to our initial impressions of Braybrook entering this fall, we actually feel better about her now than we did in the preseason. She is more than capable of being a top-10 talent in the coming weeks.

14. Hannah Hartwell, Junior, Fort Lewis (Unranked)

It's admittedly tough to justify a jump this high up in our rankings for someone who has only competed once this fall. However, the lone performance on Hannah Hartwell's resume this season was a big-time win at the Colorado Springs XC Open.

In that race, Hartwell defeated a handful of Colorado State women as well as the entirety of CSU-Pueblo's team, Western Colorado All-American Peyton Weiss and low-stick teammate Linda Weigang.

Usually, one race wouldn't be enough for someone to make a jump inside of our top-15. However, that was a quietly strong victory over some talented names and it's hard to ignore the talent that Hartwell holds after seeing her earn silver over 10,000 meters at the outdoor national meet this past spring.

We still want to see more from Hartwell moving forward, but so far, she hasn't given us a reason to doubt or question her abilities.

13. Maggie McCleskey, Junior, Adams State (+7 / 20)

Maggie McCleskey's star emergence for the Grizzlies is slowly coming to fruition. She had a strong freshman year and then struggled to crack the lineup last year. Now, she is truly maturing into a top runner, not only for her team, but also in Division Two nationally. 

McCleskey started her season by winning Adams State’s home opener at the Joe Vigil Open. Then, she went on to finish 57th overall in an elite field at the Joe Piane Invitational, serving as the third Grizzly to cross the line. With more experience and momentum under her belt than ever before, McCleskey looks primed for a memorable postseason.

12. Abby Olson, Senior, Grand Valley State (Unranked)

We knew that Butler transfer Abby Olson would have some serious potential at the Division Two level. However, until we saw her in action donning a Lakers uniform, we decided to hold off on ranking her. Her consistently elite start to this season through two meets makes her deserving of this high entry point in our first rankings update. 

Olson has led Grand Valley State in each of the races that she has toed the line for, first placing 2nd overall at the Spartan Invitational, only losing to an unattached Klaudia O’Malley.

That result suggested that GVSU had another high-octane star to complement their two other women in these rankings. Olson's 49th-place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational further corroborated that sentiment.

While it is hard to know yet if Olson will be the Lakers' lead scorer this fall, she has quickly placed herself in a prime position relative to the rest of Division Two and is thriving under Coach Jerry Baltes' training.

11. Rosie Fordham, Senior, Alaska Fairbanks (+10 / 21)

One thing you can expect out of Alaska Fairbanks is constant racing, and this season is no different with Rosie Fordham toeing the line almost every weekend since the cross country season officially began. The benefit of this type of schedule is that it showcases Fordham's consistency, which is part of why she is earning such a huge bump in our rankings. 

Fordham has finished in the top-five of every race she's run this fall, including 4th-place finishes at the Bill Roe Classic and the Lewis Crossover. This veteran runner has showcased even more high-level consistency than in years past and should be in store for a second-straight All-American placement by a comfortable margin.

10. Tristian Spence, Rs. Sophomore, Adams State (-4 / 6)

Tristian Spence has not completed a race this season, recording a "DNF" result at the Joe Vigil Open back in early September.

9. Elena Carey, Senior, Adams State (+6 / 15)

After some successful track seasons competing in the middle distance events, Elena Carey is shaping into a strong cross country runner, flexing her range on the grass with some top finishes in her first two races of this fall.

Carey started with a 7th-place result at the Joe Vigil Open, finishing behind a handful of her teammates. She was then far more impressive upon going down to sea level and competing in a deeper field, finishing 45th overall at the Joe Piane Invitational as the Grizzlies' second scorer and the field's second D2 finisher. That was yet another signal that Carey, who owns a blazing 9:54 steeplechase PR, can mix it up with the best of Division Two.

8. Lauren Kiley, Junior, Grand Valley State (-3 / 5)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

7. Allison Beasley, Senior, Western Colorado (-4 / 3)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

6. Alyssa Becker, Senior, U-Mary (Unranked)

After recording a top-half All-American finish in her freshman cross country season and failing to match that success despite establishing some high-level consistency in the ensuing years, Alyssa Becker appears to have reached and surpassed her 2021 form.

The U-Mary runner has already raced in four meets this fall, producing top-three finishes in each. Her most impressive performance came at the Roy Griak Invitational, where she took home the individual win in the "Maroon" division. She had to take down all of the impressive names from a top-five Augustana (SD) team as well as recent D2 megastar Kaylee Beyer, who ran unattached. Nonetheless, Becker dispatched that field by 10 seconds.

Becker has yet to lose to a D2 woman this fall, and we're betting that won't change ahead of our next rankings update.

5. Leah Taylor, Senior, Western Colorado (+6 / 11)

Leah Taylor came out swinging this season with two impressive early results. First, she easily won Western Colorado’s home opener, the Mountaineer/Cowboy Invitational, against her talented teammates.

While that first win was expected, Taylor's 4th-place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival -- in which she only finished behind three well-established Division One women -- suggests that she has leveled up.

For perspective, Taylor finished 14th at the same meet last year, the same season she was 13th overall at the cross country national meet. While that doesn't guarantee Taylor will finish this season in the top-five, she's in the mix to remain the Mountaineers' lead scorer even when Allison Beasley (likely) returns.

4. Kendall Kramer, Senior, Alaska Fairbanks (+5 / 9)

Similar to her teammate, Rosie Fordham, Kendall Kramer has been busy producing top finishes this fall. Her worst placement this season is runner-up, which is where she landed at the Bill Roe Classic (behind a non-NCAA athlete) and at the Lewis Crossover (behind our TSR #1 runner).

Kramer has the confidence and control of her fitness to run from the front no matter the field and has the benefit of a star running mate and an improving team to push her. Her final test may be whether she can finally crack the top-five on the national stage after several years near the top of the sport. Remember: she finished 8th at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships.

3. Ava O'Connor, Rs. Junior, Adams State (+4 / 7)

Although we only have one result to go off of for Ava O’Connor, it is an incredibly strong effort. She finished 18th overall at the Joe Piane Invitational earlier this month against the likes of runners from Northern Arizona, BYU, and Notre Dame, making her the top D2 woman in the meet by a wide margin.

Finishing that high up shows that O’Connor is in the best shape of her life. Mind you, this is someone who placed 17th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and was the national runner-up in the 3000-meter steeplechase this past spring. Now, she could be poised to serve as the lead scorer for a heavy title favorite that has six individuals ranked in our top-25 and a few others knocking on the door.

2. Anna Fauske, Senior, UC-Colorado Springs (+2 / 4)

The dominance that Anna Fauske showed at the UCCS XC Rust-Buster was incredibly impressive. Without star running mate Kate Hedlund competing, Fauske was all by herself and still ran a course record of 17:09, taking it away from former teammate (and 11-time All-American) Layla Almasri. 

If that opening statement was not enough, Fauske went on to finish 10th overall at the Louisville Classic, crossing the line as the first Division Two runner. She improved upon her placement from last year, moving up four more spots and dropping her time by 20 seconds.

That kind of improvement after a season in which Fauske finished 9th overall at the cross country national meet just means that this Mountain Lion is ready to make a chase for a top performance in Sacramento later next month. With Hedlund looking to be in top form alongside her and a wide-open individual race ahead, the sky is the limit for this UCCS senior.

1. Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+11 / 12)

Like Anna Faukse, Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge opened up her season with a statement by running a course record. She won the Roadrunners Invite easily against her own accomplished teammates and the rest of the field. 

Ramsey-Rutledge then went on to nab an even more impressive win at the Lewis Crossover, beating our TSR #4 runner in Kendall Kramer by 11 seconds. She also beat Rosie Fordham and Khot Juac, just to name a couple of other top runners in the Division Two realm.

As we near the season's midpoint, Ramsey-Rutledge has shown she has as strong of a chance as anyone to nab her first individual national title. Individual gold is seemingly wide-open for the taking and this Colorado Mines veteran just earned a statement win against multiple top-10 talents. For us, that was enough to give her the nod as our TSR #1 runner in this rankings update.

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ADDED

Alyssa Becker (U-Mary)

Abby Olson (Grand Valley State)

Hannah Hartwell (Fort Lewis)

Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)

Grace Strongman (Colorado Mines)

Aria Hawkins (Lee (Tenn.))

KICKED OFF

Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)

Morgan O'Keefe (née Hykes) (Adams State)

Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)

Aubrey Surage (Augustana (SD))

Savannah Ackley (Cedarville)

Ashley Reeck (Western Washington)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)

Morgan O'Keefe (née Hykes) (Adams State)

Corinne Lynch (Cedarville)

Iresh Molina (Chico State)

Della Molina (Chico State)

Reagan Justice (Wayne State (MI))

Lesli Salas (Dallas Baptist)

Sophia Strange (Oklahoma Baptist)

Ella Bakken (Augustana (SD))

Jessica Kampman (Azusa Pacific)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)

Aubrey Surage (Augustana (SD))

Madison Clay (Catawba)

Bethany Mapes (Biola)

Fiona Hawkins (Adams State)

Margot Thomas-Gatel (CSU-Pueblo)

Sophia Taarud (Winona State)

Shannon King (Colorado Christian)

Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)

Constance O'Neal (Sonoma State)

Katie Hughes (Adams State)

Leah Keisler (CSU-Pueblo)

Kristine Kalthoff (U-Mary)

Julie Lafare (West Texas A&M)

Lauren Willson (Western Colorado)

Anna Igims (Slippery Rock)

Lexi Herr (Colorado Mines)

Notes

- N/A