TSR's 2024 D2 XC Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #2

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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. Iresh Molina, Junior, Chico State (Unranked)

Popping into the rankings for the first time is Iresh Molina, who has put together quite a consistent season. 

She has finished in the top five of every race, bookended with a runner-up finish at the CCAA XC Championships and a 5th-place run at the WWU Bill Roe Classic in which she helped her team win over Western Washington and Alaska Fairbanks. 

Molina has always been reliable on the grass but appears to have taken a leap this calendar year after placing 12th in the 10k at the outdoor national meet. Last year, she transitioned beautifully from smaller regular season fields to larger postseason races, and we anticipate more of the same in the month ahead. 

24. Della Molina, Junior, Chico State (Unranked)

Della Molina enters our rankings just ahead of her above-listed sister after getting the better of her at their past two meets, including winning the CCAA individual title. 

It’s a slight role reversal after Iresh finished ahead of Della at both their conference meet and the national meet last fall, but we don’t anticipate these twins being separated by more than a couple of places in any race this fall. Considering that they look as strong as ever, that should translate into another pair of All-American finishes. 

23. Sarah Koomson, Sophomore, West Texas A&M (Unranked)

This season has been very up and down for Sarah Koomson. She entered the season at TSR #1 and fell out of our rankings altogether after finishing behind her less-acclaimed teammates on multiple occasions. 

However, a recent Lone Star Conference individual title gives us hope that she’s rounding into form at the perfect time. 

Although the LSC is not necessarily known for being super competitive, Koomson still had to beat all of her talented teammates as well as some tough competition from Dallas Baptist. She did so by 12 seconds, winning a race that she did not in 2023. Racing against RMAC powers at the South Central Regional XC Championships next will serve as a better indicator of where Koomson is truly at fitness-wise ahead of the national meet. 

22. Jessica Kampman, Senior, Azusa Pacific (Unranked)

After an impressive campaign in the NAIA for Dordt University, Jessica Kampman is now making a name for herself in Division Two. 

She has more than held her own throughout this season, particularly in recent weeks with an 8th-place finish at the Lewis Crossover and then an individual conference title at the PacWest XC Championships. Kampman has ample racing experience, but her recent conference title shows an ability to immediately compete in championship races at the D2 level. 

With each passing race, Kampman has further proven that she can handle the jump in competition, and we envision her continuing that trend over the final weeks of the season. 

21. Grace Strongman, Junior, Colorado Mines (+1 / 22)

Has not competed since our last rankings update. 

20. Khot Juac, Senior, Sioux Falls (-4 / 16)

Has not competed since our last rankings update. 

19. Aria Hawkins, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (+6 / 25)

Aria Hawkins is an established talent by now, so we weren't surprised when she defended her Gulf South Conference individual title on Saturday. Still, her 31-second margin of victory was laudable, and it pairs well with a 13th-place effort in a deep Louisville Classic field earlier this month.

Hawkins wasn't at her best at the cross country national meet last fall, but we anticipate that she'll be more prepared for her eighth NCAA Championships appearance. Before then, she has a South region title to defend.

18. Emily Schoellkopf, Senior, Adams State (+1 / 19)

While maybe not as impressive as her showing at the 2023 RMAC XC Championships, where she finished 3rd overall, Emily Schoellkopf still put together a great run at the conference meet this year in finishing 11th. 

She has been a backend piece for the Grizzlies this fall, most recently serving as their fifth scorer. It speaks to Adams State's overwhelming optionality that an accomplished veteran like Schoellkopf is not even a guaranteed scorer in their lineup.

Regardless of the team picture, Schoellkopf is as solid as ever, and a third-straight cross country All-American finish appears to be in the cards.

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

Linda Weigang's impressive performance at the RMAC XC Championships, finishing 10th overall, warrants a nice jump in our rankings.

She outperformed expectations a bit, as a top-10 finish in the RMAC is no joke. Weigang should know, considering she finished 16th at her conference meet last year before placing 39th at the national meet.

Weigang is not yet one of the top names in her conference, but she's not too far off either. We expect her second trip through the postseason will treat her even better than her first.

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

Allie Arnsman put forth a very strong effort at the GLIAC XC Championships, where she finished runner-up behind teammate Lauren Kiley, who's ranked in our top-five.

Arnsman has consistently been the Lakers' second scorer this season, helping keep the team upright before Kiley's return.

The expected return of new teammate Abby Olson (who sat out the conference meet) figures to give Arnsman a strong match to run with at the national meet, considering that Arnsman already enjoyed high-level success on that stage as a freshman and Olson was GVSU's lead scorer early this season.

15. Abby Olson, Senior, Grand Valley State (-3 / 12)

Has not competed since our last rankings update. 

14. Helen Braybrook, Senior, CSU-Pueblo (+1 / 15)

Once again, Helen Braybrook backed up a strong but understated regular season with an impressive showing at the RMAC XC Championships, where she finished 9th overall. That's exactly the spot she occupied on the conference stage last year.

While she really makes waves on the track with her middle distance prowess, Braybrook has continued to impress as one of the RMAC's most reliable stars on the grass. This has been her most consistent cross country season yet.

That finish at her conference meet solidifies what we already know about the postseason reliability of someone who has back-to-back top-25 NCAA XC Championships finishes.

13. Precious Robinson, Rs. Senior, Adams State (+5 / 18)

Precious Robinson has struggled in a couple of past championship races. That, and the fact that she hadn't run a cross country meet since 2022, held her back in our rankings a bit despite her having a top-10 ceiling. However, with each race, Robinson is slowly winning back our approval. 

At the RMAC XC Championships, Robinson went head-to-head with some of the best runners in all of Division Two and came away with an 8th-place finish. That's not her best-ever finish on the conference stage, but it aligns closely with her 2021 RMAC placement (9th) after which she produced her best NCAA XC Championships finish (11th).

12. Elena Carey, Senior, Adams State (-3 / 9)

While she may be dropping in our rankings this week, it's hard to fault Elena Carey for securing a strong 6th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships. That is still a very admirable effort which is mostly on par with her 45th place finish from the Joe Piane Invite.

Admittedly, we thought that a 9:54 steeplechaser would be a top-five runner in the RMAC during the cross country season. Even so, it's still very possible for Carey to be a top-10 name in the country when all is said and done.

11. Hannah Hartwell, Junior, Fort Lewis (+3 / 14)

A 5th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships was a great result for Hannah Hartwell who has quietly been on a tear this fall.

The Fort Lewis junior, who had a breakout race in the spring at the outdoor national meet, also secured a very strong win over a sneaky-good field at the Colorado Springs XC Open earlier this fall. Now, she has two results where she has taken down multiple national-caliber names.

Hartwell is still relatively new to the highest levels of D2 cross country, but she currently has great momentum under her legs. Her remaining upside could make her even more dangerous on the national stage.

10. Peyton Weiss, Rs. Sophomore, Western Colorado (+13 / 23)

A runner-up result at the RMAC XC Championships was a massive performance for this still-rising Western Colorado sophomore. We knew that Peyton Weiss was highly talented, but that race easily blows her unexciting 64th place finish from the Chile Pepper XC Festival out of the water.

Of course, if we think back to her 3rd place effort at the Colorado Springs XC Open, then maybe her latest result shouldn't be as surprising as it feels. Regardless, Weiss is trending in an extremely encouraging direction and it feels like she's beginning to peak at the perfect time.

9. Leah Taylor, Senior, Western Colorado (-4 / 5)

It would be completely unfair to call Leah Taylor's 7th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships a "poor" performance -- because it's not. Of course, for someone of her caliber who is accomplished as she is, that result was a slight step back from expectations.

Even so, Taylor has done enough this fall to remain in the top-10 of our rankings. Her jaw-dropping 4th place effort at the Chile Pepper XC Festival is arguably a better representation of her talent than what we saw from her this past weekend. And frankly, it was going to take a truly bad result from Taylor at the RMAC XC Championships for her to fall out of our top-10, entirely.

8. Rosie Fordham, Senior, Alaska Fairbanks (+3 / 11)

Seeing teammate Kendall Kramer comfortably pull ahead of Rosie Fordham at the GNAC XC Championships isn't too surprising when you think back to their Lewis XC Crossover outing. Even so, Fordham still secured runner-up honors, comfortably defeating a quietly great name in Annika Esvelt.

Between the natural shifting of names in our rankings and Fordham's stock not having any reason to drop, it felt appropriate to give her a small bump in our rankings. As new names who have raced against Fordham this fall crack our top-25, her resume consequently gets better.

7. Tristian Spence, Rs. Sophomore, Adams State (+3 / 10)

The return of Tristian Spence was a good one as the redshirt sophomore from Adams State put together an outstanding 4th place finish at the RMAC XC Championships this past weekend in her season debut.

That was an excellent performance for Spence, but it's also not too surprising given that she has run 15:58 for 5000 meters on the track before. Even so, we've only seen Spence race on the grass once this fall. And while we feel pretty good about her being a top-10 name nationally, trying to figure out where in this section she should reside is the trickier part.

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

This UC-Colorado Springs veteran has been on fire so far this season. That being said, she unfortunately drops a few spots in our rankings.

Anna Fauske's 2024 fall campaign has been highlighted by a 10th place finish at the Louisville XC Classic and now a 3rd place effort at the RMAC XC Championships! Those are fantastic results, but the return of Lauren Kiley paired with the statement performances of a few other women forced Fauske to drop a bit in our rankings.

It's important to note that Fauske is dropping in our rankings not for anything that she has done wrong, but rather for what her opponents have done right.

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

Simply seeing Lauren Kiley back in action this past weekend gives many of us at The Stride Report a small sense of relief. The Grand Valley State had been absent from racing this season up until the GLIAC XC Championships which she won with relative ease.

We didn't necessarily learn anything new about Kiley as a runner from this past weekend. We did, however, find out that she's seemingly healthy and fit this fall. And frankly, that's enough for us to give her a slight boost in our rankings.

4. Alyssa Becker, Senior, U-Mary (+2 / 6)

This U-Mary veteran has been outstanding this fall, looking even better than she did during her tremendous freshman year.

Not only did Alyssa Becker secure a win in the "Maroon" race at the Roy Griak Invite this fall, but she also placed 3rd at the SDUS XC Classic in a D1-laden field and more recently won the individual title at the NSIC XC Championships.

We'll admit, Becker hasn't truly been tested yet by D2 competition in any significant way this fall. Even so, her wins have been dominant and it's fairly clear that she has yet to truly hit her ceiling this season. If that's the case, then the top-three women in our rankings should be careful that she doesn't overtake them on the national stage.

3. Kendall Kramer, Senior, Alaska Fairbanks (+1 / 4)

It's been hard to find a single flaw on Kendall Kramer's resume this fall. We knew that she was absurdly talented, but 2024 has been her best cross country season yet -- and that's saying quite a bit given her pedigree.

Not only that, but it feels like Kramer has been a bit more consistent at the highest levels of her fitness. She didn't just win the GNAC individual title this past weekend, she comfortably secured gold. And don't forget, Kramer had fellow teammate Rosie Fordhma (TSR #8) in that field as well.

Between her Lewis XC Crossover performance and now her easily-won GNAC title, it feels like Kramer is one tier away from truly competing for the national title in November.

2. Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (-1 / 1)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

1. Ava O'Connor, Rs. Junior, Adams State (+2 / 3)

Wow, what a statement victory from Ava O'Connor!

We knew that the Adams State star had reached a new level of aerobic fitness when she placed 18th at the Joe Piane Invite earlier this season. Even so, landing the RMAC individual title is arguably just as good...if not better.

What makes O'Connor's win even more impressive is the fact that she won by 10 seconds. That's the kind of fitness that, in theory, should put her in contention to win the NCAA title in a few weeks time.

Admittedly, the RMAC XC Championships didn't feature Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, the other contender for the D2 national title this fall. And truthfully, it would have been nice to see those two women go head-to-head before the less-emphasized regional meets approach.

Regardless, O'Connor looks exceptionally strong and her resume at this point in the season is simply better than anyone else's in the country (among D2 runners).

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ADDED

Jessica Kampman (Azusa Pacific)

Sarah Koomson (West Texas A&M)

Della Molina (Chico State) Iresh Molina (Chico State)

KICKED OFF

Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)

Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)

Gianna Bomarito (Sonoma State)

Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Maggie McCleskey (Adams State)

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

Reagan Justice (Wayne State (MI))

Abbi Steiner (UW-Parkside)

Sophia Strange (Oklahoma Baptist)

Ella Bakken (Augustana (SD))

Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific)

Sophia Taarud (Winona State)

Madison Clay (Catawba)

Kristine Kalthoff (U-Mary)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Kate Hedlund (UC-Colorado Springs)

Lauren Willson (Western Colorado)

Bethany Mapes (Biola)

Margot Thomas-Gatel (CSU-Pueblo)

Shannon King (Colorado Christian)

Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)

Katie Hughes (Adams State)

Leah Keisler (CSU-Pueblo)

Anna Igims (Slippery Rock)

Lexi Herr (Colorado Mines)

Mia Salas (MSU Denver)

Emily Diercks (Fort Hays State)

Corinne Lynch (Cedarville)

Evyn Humphrey (Hillsdale)

Lesli Salas (Dallas Baptist)

Ana Patricia Campos (Lee (Tenn.))

Naomi Addo (West Texas A&M)

Hannah Smrcka (Lewis)

Notes

- Allison Beasley (previously TSR #7) of Western Colorado has not raced despite being listed in the entries for the RMAC XC Championships. We have removed her from our rankings.

- Gianna Bomarito (previously TSR #20) of Sonoma State has also been removed from our rankings given that she has yet to race this season.