TSR's 2024 NAIA XC Top 25 Individual Rankings (Women): Update #1 (Three Sentences or Less)

Marissa Kuik
Oct 17, 2024
8 min read

Written by Marissa Kuik, edits & additional details via Garrett Zatlin

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

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

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

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

25. Mercy Chebet, Junior, Goshen (-11 / 14)

After a great track season, we're still waiting to see the best version of Mercy Chebet this fall. She has performed okay at some meets -- the Goshen ace recently won the Bethel University Invite -- but there have been some names on this list who have beaten her multiple times which is why she has fallen (but stays) in our rankings.

24. Audrey Brinkruff, Senior, Taylor (-1 / 23)

Usually finishing as the fourth runner for her team, Audrey Brinkruff has been a consistent distance talent for the Trojans who has helped her team place highly at meets. Though Brinkruff has been a reliable standout, she does take a small drop in our rankings due to some other names on this list beating her.

23. Allison Ramsey, Senior, St. Francis (IL)) (Unranked)

One of the more popular races in the NAIA is the Seminole Valley Stampede which is where Allison Ramsey took home the win over some tough competition. We're still trying to see how she fares in other NAIA-centric fields, but that strong finish, on top of a couple other top-10 efforts, has boosted Ramsey into our rankings for the first time this season.

22. Ali Ray, Senior, Montreat (Unranked)

Though Montreat has only raced twice this season, Ali Ray has been their consistent low-stick who has helped lead them to some strong finishes. In their most recent outing, Ray finished 2nd overall at the Converse Kickoff, going against other top Division Two schools, including Wingate, and showing off her ability to compete with the best. That was enough, at least in our eyes, to give her a top-25 nod.

21. Sage Martin, Senior, College of Idaho (-17 / 4)

Has not yet competed this season.

20. Elizabeth Barrett, Junior, Indiana Wesleyan (Unranked)

Indiana Wesleyan has competed against plenty of top teams in the NAIA, including Taylor and Grace, so Elizabeth Barrett has had no shortage of competition. With each race, Barrett has risen to the occasion and has placed well against some of the best of the division. With her consistently strong finishes in highly competitive meets, Barrett deserves to make a jump in our rankings thanks to her reliability as a low-stick.

19. Alyssa Bearzi, Rs. Junior, Milligan (-13 / 6)

We'll admit, Alyssa Bearzi has struggled this fall at the two larger meets that she toed the line for, settling for finishes outside of the top-25 both times. In her defense, she was facing numerous Division One mid-major programs at those meets, but Bearzi has also been unable to stay within striking distance of her star-caliber teammates. We'll see how she fares between now and our next rankings update to see if she'll retain her spot in our top-25.

18. Maddy Walter-Sherretts, Rs. Senior, SCAD Savannah (+2 / 20)

We'll admit, the racing schedule for Maddy Walter-Sherritts has been fairly limited, but when she has raced, she has been fairly impressive. Her most recent outing came at the Louisville Classic, where she finished 2nd overall in the "Blue" section. She seems right on track to finish in the top-20 at the national meet once again if she's able to replicate that kind of effort in the postseason (and we have every reason to believe that she will).

17. Emma Nelson, Junior, The Master’s (Unranked)

Given that she's on such a competitive team, Emma Nelson is almost guaranteed to have great opportunities to push herself in any race, just because of her teammates, which is exactly what she has done this season. Nelson has been either the second or third runner for the Mustangs and has finished within the top-10 of each race that she has competed in. The only NAIA women whom she has lost to are established upper-echelon stars.

16. Kylie Sauder, Senior, Grace (Unranked)

Similar to her teammate, Esther Cameron, Kylie Sauder has improved immensely this fall, placing very closely to Cameron and emerging as a surprise low-stick despite her middle distance focus. At her most recent outing against Taylor and other schools in the region, Sauder placed 4th overall, a result beautifully complemented by her 18th place finish at the Gans Creek Classic. Two strong results in two very different fields was enough for us to place her inside of our top-20.

15. Esther Cameron, Junior, Grace (Unranked)

After finishing only a few seconds behind Jaynie Halterman at the Ray Bullock Invitational, Esther Cameron needed to be in our rankings. However, it was not just this most recent result that earned her this spot, but rather her consistency throughout this season. She has finished in the top-15 in the last four races that she has competed in and against quality teams.

14. Ahna Neideck, Rs. Senior, Taylor (+3 / 17)

The only hiccup on Ahna Neideck’s racing resume is a 13th place finish in the most recent race. Otherwise, Neideck has finished within the top-10 of all the races and it's impossible to ignore her head-turning 9th place result at the Gans Creek Classic. The ceiling of this Taylor veteran is super high, but her latest performance gave us the slight bit of pause.

13. Katie Clarke, Senior, SCAD Atlanta (Unranked)

After finishing 4th place overall in the 10k, Katie Clarke has built on that momentum, finishing in the top-10 of the last three races that she has competed in. Her best showing came recently at the UAH Chargers XC Invitational against other strong Division Two programs where Clarke was able to pull off a 7th place finish overall. That performance, paired with an encouraging win at the Firehawk Invite, made it easy to send Clarke deep into our top-25.

12. Kirsten Geary, Junior, Milligan (Unranked)

The only thing Kirsten Geary has done this season is improve, moving up not only in her races, but within her own team as well. Throughout the season, Geary has finished as either the second or third runner for her team. But at their most recent meet, the Pirate XC invite, Geary finished 10th overall to defeat numerous lead scorers for mid-major Division One programs, a result that ultimately gave her a massive boost in our rankings.

11. Suzie Johnson, Junior, The Master’s (0 / 11)

Though Suzie Johnson doesn't move in our rankings, she has been steady and reliable throughout these fall months. All of her performances have been within the top-six this season which is great consistency, although earning a few more wins over ranked names would be our next ask of her.

10. Ellen Palmgren, Rs. Senior, The Master’s (Unranked)*

*We were initially under the impression that Ellen Palmgren was not returning this season, thus explaining why she was not listed in our preseason rankings.

With how this season is going for Ellen Palmgren, she could potentially better her finish from last year’s national meet (which was 17th). She has finished very close to her teammate, Hannah Fredericks, in many races, which should theoretically make her a big threat for a top-10 finish in her season finale. However, a surprisingly tough outing at her latest meet made us hesitant to list her any higher than TSR #10.

9. Kahea Figueira, Senior, College of Idaho (-4 / 5)

Kahea Figeira has not raced as much as some other names on this list. And although she has held her own on a handful of occasions, a recent 17th place finish at the Willamette XC Invitational left us wanting more. Of course, it would be an overreaction to drop her out of our top-10 after that race, so we opted to move her back to TSR #9...for now.

8. Noel VanderWall, Junior, Taylor (+8 / 16)

Similar to her other teammates, VanderWall has continued to perform at a high level with the rest of her team, finishing within the top-10 in every race. Placing 7th at the Gans Creek Classic and then 3rd at her home meet, the Ray Bullock XC Invite, further showcases the raw talent that she flexed in the fall of 2022 when she placed 7th at the national meet.

7. Emma Timmermans, Senior, Hope International (+11 / 18)

At the Master’s University XC Invitational, Emma Timmermans finished 2nd place overall against a very strong Master’s team, only finishing behind Hannah Fredericks. That result alone suggested that this Hope International veteran was closer to the highest echelons of NAIA distance runners rather than the next-best tier. For that reason, she received a healthy boost into our top-10.

6. Reagan Hiebert, Senior, St. Mary (KS) (-3 / 3)

Though Reagan Hiebert does drop in our rankings a little bit, she has still been fantastic. Securing the win at a small handful of meets, including her most recent outing at the Brian T. Simpson Invite, suggests that Reagan Hiebert is just as fit and competitive as she was last year when she finished 6th overall at the NAIA XC Championships.

5. Riley Hiebert, Senior, St. Mary (KS) (+2 / 7)

Though her opening race was not her best outing, Riley Hiebert is slowly building on her huge improvement during the track season and is running right along with her sister, Reagan. In the past, Riley has been further back from Reagan, but now they are running almost side-by-side, which will help St. Mary remain in the hunt for the team national title.

4. Ellen-Mary Kearney, Senior, Milligan (+8 / 12)

In almost every race for the Buffaloes except one, Ellen-Mary Kearney has led Milligan to multiple team titles, making her a vital low-stick for this talented squad. Kearney has also placed well in all of these meets and she has done so in a variety of different settings. Between her consistency, experience, star-caliber talent and recent momentum, it's hard to dislike this Milligan veteran.

3. Alina Boshchuk, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY) (-2 / 1)

Though Alina Boshchuk drops a couple spots in our rankings, it is more because of the performances of others rather than her own doing. Boshchuk has put together a couple great races thus far, including a 4th place finish at the Gans Creek Classic against many other top NAIA schools. She only lost to Jaynie Halterman, solidifying Boshchuk as a top-three competitor and someone with some of the best momentum in the nation.

2. Jaynie Halterman, Freshman, Taylor (+8 / 10)

With a perfect season so far, Jayie Halterman is living up to her storied high school career. The true freshman us clearly a favorite for the national title and she also has the potential to grow even further this fall. However, her inexperience does put her at a disadvantage, especially as we near the postseason.

1. Hannah Fredericks, Senior, The Master’s (+1 / 2)

With almost a completely flawless season so far, Hannah Fredericks has won three out of the four races that she has toed the line for and finished 3rd in her opening race, just nearly losing by a couple of seconds. Fredericks has the experience on her side which may give her an edge over the competition behind her.