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

Marissa Kuik
Oct 16, 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. Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears (0 / 25)

Rocky Mountain has mostly just competed with other schools in Montana and has held their same position throughout the season. They have good leaders in their top-two runners, but the gaps really start to form with their fourth and fifth runners which could leave them a bit vulnerable in bigger races. Even so, the Battlin' Bears have been consistent in the meets that they have toed the line for which is why they stay at the same spot...for now.

24. SCAD Atlanta Bees (Unranked)

At the UAH Chargers XC Invitational, SCAD Atlanta finished a respectable 16th place out of 34 teams in a field of mostly Division Two teams. They were led by Katie Clarke, who finished an impressive 7th place overall, and the Bees still had great second and third scorers in Tatum Dykstra and Avery Raymond. This team does spread out a little bit with their fourth and fifth runners, but overall, this group has proven that they are strong enough for a top-25 ranking.

23. Mount Mercy Mustangs (Unranked)

There was clearly tons of preseason potential for this squad to crack our rankings and sure enough, the Mustangs did just that after earning a 3rd place finish at the Seminole Valley Stampede meet. Though this team does not have a true low-stick, they do have a very tight pack between their 1-2-3 runners. The gap does grow to the back-half of their lineup, so if those women can close that gap, then this team will continue to move up in our rankings.

22. Aquinas Saints (-1 / 21)

Similar to Cornerstone, Aquinas debatably lacks a true low-stick, although Madison Rempalski is certainly close to that status. However, the Saints did just defeat St. Francis (IL) at the Seminole Valley Stampede, so they are riding plenty of momentum despite falling to Goshen and Oklahoma City at the Gans Creek Classic. The Saints are relying on their top-two runners and then a tight spread between throughout the rest of their lineup, something that, in theory, should help them on the national stage.

21. Oklahoma City Stars (-2 / 19)

Sure, this team isn't perfect, but finishing within three points of a strong Goshen squad at the Gans Creek Classic was a better result than some people may realize. Louise Cocking is a big reason for the Stars' recent success, emerging as a low-stick runner. However, the rest of their lineup has stepped up immensely, making it possible for Oklahoma City to make it to the national meet come November.

20. Goshen Maple Leafs (Unranked)

Throughout this season, Goshen has put together some impressive performances, including beating Aquinas and Oklahoma City at the Gans Creek Classic. The reason why Goshen is not listed higher is because their low-stick, Mercy Chebet, can be a little inconsistent at times and their time-spread is fairly large. If they can further prove themselves in the postseason, then expect the Maple Leafs to get a healthy boost in our rankings.

19. Lewis-Clark State Warriors (Unranked)

At their most recent meet, the Charles Bowles Willamette XC Invitational, Lewis-Clark showed off the strength of their top-three, finishing with a spread of only 21 seconds. Though there was a little gap to their next few runners, that part of the lineup finished close together as well, making this team a great choice to crack our rankings. Though the Warriors do not have a true low-stick, they can still hold their own against some other great teams.

18. Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes (+5 / 23)

The majority of the meets that the Coyotes have toed the line for have featured mainly other Kansas schools. And with each race, Kansas Wesleyan has held their own, usually finishing as the second-best NAIA program behind St. Mary (KS). The Coyotes are incredibly strong via their top-three runners and the compact nature of their backend scorers is nice to see.

17. St. Francis Fighting Saints (IL) (-6 / 11)

The St. Francis (IL) women have a very tight pack amongst their 2-3-4 runners who have supported their low-stick, Allison Ramsey. However, that scoring group was just too far back at the Seminole Valley Stampede meet for the Fighting Saints to keep pace with an Aquinas team that lost to Goshen and Oklahoma City at the Gans Creek Classic. We don't want to overreact to one result, especially given how strong St. Francis looked at the National Catholic Invite, so we'll have them settle in at TSR #17 for now.

16. Carroll Fighting Saints (+2 / 18)

The schools in Montana sometimes feel like they are in their own little world, often competing against other team in the region with Carroll consistently emerging as the top NAIA program in the area. However, it is hard to gauge exactly how they will do against other teams. If they want to move up any further, they will need to see some improvements from their 3-4-5 runners who can hopefully close the gap on the top-half of their scoring group.

15. Olivet Nazarene Tigers (+1 / 16)

The Tigers have a similar lineup to many other teams in this portion of our rankings with a close pack between their 2-3-4-5 runners and a strong leader. Hannah Haag has emerged as a good low-stick for this team, but the rest of the pack will have to do their part to close some gaps in order to truly make a jump in our rankings.

14. SCAD Savannah Bees (0 / 14)

The strength of SCAD Savannah is their top-four runners, although questions remain about their depth. At most meets, the Bees' top-four runners will finish fairly close together, but can they replicate that at the national meet without any major drop-offs? If that gap can close, then this team could make a somewhat significant jump in our rankings.

13. Cornerstone Golden Eagles (+2 / 15)

The strength of this team is the fact that their top-three will finish within seconds of each other and that the rest of their squad, although a little further back, will also finish fairly close to each other. The Golden Eagles do lack a low-stick, which could definitely help them out moving forward, but for now, they will rely on their tight time-spread and hope that the back-half of their lineup can come even closer to their top-three.

12. Embry-Riddle Arizona Eagles (-3 / 9)

The strength of Embry-Riddle Arizona is that their top-five pack is very close together with freshman Sophia Noriega slowly turning into a low-stick for this team. The tough part for the Eagles, however, is that their top-five pack is just not as fast as other teams in front of them. With Noriega really shining this season and the continued improvement from the other runners, the Eagles could move up in the future, but for now, they take a small drop in our rankings.

11. Southern Oregon Raiders (-4 / 7)

The Raiders have been strong up front with the help of Alyssa Johnson and Cammeo Ramirez as well as with the emergence of freshman Fiona Fraser as their third runner. However, Southern Oregon is missing a scoring punch at the back-half of their lineup. They'll need to close those gaps if they want to return to the top-10, but we do recognize that they are beginning to gain some momentum despite having just seven (yes, seven) women on their roster.

10. Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (+3 / 13)

Similar to the below-ranked Grace College women, Indiana Wesleyan has consistently held their own against the same competition. Elizabeth Barrett has been a huge asset for the team as she has led the way in every race. Where this team could get stronger is the return of All-American Addi Dewey who is (very slowly) rounding back into form.

9. Grace College Lancers (+3 / 12)

Though Grace has competed against the same teams in multiple outings, they have solidified themselves as a top-10 squad because of their consistency. Each time they have competed, they have only finished behind Taylor University (among NAIA schools) and they have often finished ahead of other schools on this list, including Indiana Wesleyan. That kind of consistency and the strength of their two low-sticks (Esther Cameron and Kylie Sauder) makes the Lancers very dangerous.

8. Montreat Cavaliers (+2 / 10)

With Ali Ray emerging as the true low-stick for this team, Montreat is becoming a top-10 threat, nationally. At the Converse Kickoff, Montreat finished 3rd overall behind only Division Two teams while Ray led the way with a 2nd place finish overall. The rest of her teammates kept the pack fairly close, showing off the potential that this squad has in larger fields like the national meet.

7. Dordt Defenders (+1 / 8)

Though you could argue that Dordt’s strength of schedule has been on the weaker side, this team has still won all three meets that they have competed in behind the talent of true freshman, Corinne Braun. Though it seemed that this could be a rebuilding year for Dordt, the Defenders have seen some huge improvements from their squad. This group likes to run as a pack and with each race, that same pack gets faster and faster.

6. College of Idaho Coyotes (0 / 6)

Though Sage Martin has not yet raced, College of Idaho has done just fine without her as they have been led by Kahea Figueira and many underclassmen who have stepped up. At their most recent meet, some of those underclassmen (such as Julia Gilbert and Kylee Quinton) actually closed the gap on Figueira, making this team even better...well, at least on paper. However, until we see Martin race, we're opting keep the Coyotes at TSR #6.

5. Cumberlands Patriots (KY) (0 / 5)

Even though some names that we originally thought would make an impact for Cumberlands (KY) have not yet raced, this team still stays among our top-five thanks to the strength of others in their lineup. Alina Boshchuk has been nothing but amazing when leading the Patriots and the rest of their scoring five has kept their time-spread tight. If the rest of their scoring runners start closing in on Boshchuk, then this team will likely make a run for a top-three finish.

4. Saint Mary Spires (KS) (-1 / 3)

This team has something special with the firepower of Reagan and Riley Hiebert. However, it will be the strength of the women behind that dynamic duo that will truly determine whether or not the Spires can be a podium squad in 2024. Make no mistake, this team is still talented, but with other top programs also sporting great low-sticks, the St. Mary women may need to find a way to differentiate themselves if they want to make the top-four at the national meet.

3. Milligan Buffaloes (-1 / 2)

The only difference between Milligan’s lineup and the top-two teams in our rankings is that they are not quite as potent at their final two scoring spots. Ellen-Mary Kearney, Alyssa Bearzi and Kirsten Geary are incredibly strong runners for this team, but we'll need to see a more complete structure from the Buffaloes if they want to be contenders for NAIA gold in November.

2. Taylor Trojans (+2 / 3)

One of the teams that could give the Mustangs a run for their money is Taylor who has a stellar top-four and an impressive low-stick superstar in Jaynie Halterman. Though Halterman is a freshman, the rest of this lineup has plenty of experience, giving them a shot at taking down the Mustangs. Of course, it could very well come down to the depth of each team when it comes to the national title conversation.

1. The Master’s Mustangs (0 / 1)

With a very strong top-four that is headlined by Hannah Fredericks, the Master’s women will be a tough team to beat. However, what also makes this team stand out is the depth of their squad. If one person has a bad day, then someone else can usually step up, making this a very tough team to beat.