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TSR's 2025-26 D3 Current Freshman Class Rankings: #3-2-1 (Women)
Written by Conor Daly, edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve
Despite our research, it is possible that certain names have been erroneously omitted. Did we miss someone? If so, send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com & let us know!
3. Emory Eagles
Despite being known for developing superstar distance talents like 2023 NCAA mile champion Annika Urban and 16:25 (5k) runner Brigid Hanley in 2024, Emory has been left with a void of superstar talent over the last year.
However, that may all change with Emory’s most recent recruiting class. Not because the Eagles brought in an instant superstar, but because they brought in a class of eight women, most of whom could make an impact as underclassmen and one day could evolve into legitimate stars.
That’s not to say that there’s not some noticeable firepower in this class. Ella Werkman arrived in Atlanta as the most accomplished, with a 10:48 (3200) personal best that says she’s well ahead of her classmates over the longer distances.
In both the high school and college ranks, Werkman’s performances on the grass haven’t been as effective, but it feels like that’s destined to change. Either way, her additional personal bests of 5:00 (1600) and 2:22 (800) add nice versatility for the rookie.
Werkman is not the only Emory freshman who has taken serious swings at the five-minute 1600-meter barrier. Four others are in that same boat.
New Jersey native Lucy Ambrogio is the lone one who has dipped under that barrier, with a 4:59 (1600) personal best. The 2:20 (800) and 11:15 (3200) runner has nice range in both directions, but it’s clear that her talents are best utilized in the mile. Even so, Ambrogio was a part of Emory’s UAA XC Championship lineup this past fall, placing 58th there.
Ayla Cooke and Ashley Clyman both contributed instantly to Emory’s varsity cross country lineup, enjoying nearly identical fall freshman seasons. The duo placed 16th and 17th at the South Regional XC Championships and 146th and 147th at the NCAA XC Championships, respectively.
At her best, Clyman has been a 5:01 miler and Cooke was a 5:03 (1600) runner in high school. Clyman has a middle distance lean similar to the aforementioned Ambrogio, but has proved to be plenty effective on the grass.
Cooke, on the other hand, will likely not stop shorter than the mile, as her sub-11:10 (3200) personal best will set her up for success in the longer distances.
Another woman who deserves to be in the same conversation as Clyman and Cooke based on high school credentials is 2:17 (800) and 5:04 (1600) PR-holder, Maddie Chen. To be arguably the fifth-best recruit in your class with those types of marks is unique and is a driving factor for Emory’s ranking.
Zoe Dichter holds a similar middle distance skillset, with personal bests of 2:15 (800) and 4:48 (1500). She will look to be a force in the half-mile distance.
Adeline Edwards is someone who may bounce around between different events more often. She’s run 2:18 (800) and 5:11 (1600), while also displaying competence in the two-mile and on the cross country course. We’re anxiously awaiting to see where she focuses her efforts, since she has not yet raced in an Emory uniform.
Ines Lemee is more of a developmental name who may need some time to catch up with her teammates. Even so, a 2:26 (800) and 5:16 (1600) runner is an effective pickup for Emory.
Having five women who have run under 5:05 for 1600 meters is not something that we are used to seeing in a Division Three recruiting class, which made Emory stand out. With a few blue-chip long distance recruits leading the way and plenty of depth in the middle distances, the Class of 2029 has positioned Emory well for the coming years.
2. Tufts Jumbos
Between both the men’s and women’s teams, Tufts outperformed expectations greatly as a program this fall.
Returning six runners from their cross country national meet lineup and with an incredible freshman class to boot, the Jumbo women, in particular, are set up excellently to continue to thrive in the coming years.
Two freshmen, Zui Chinchalkar and Lily Simmonds, were in that NCAA XC Championship lineup. And when you look back at each of their high school resumes, you can’t be all that surprised by the rookie seasons they just had.
In high school, both were best at the 1600 meters, running as fast as 5:00 (Chinchalkar) and 4:59 (Simmonds). But interestingly enough, each's second-best event on the track was the 800 meters, where both hold 2:17 personal bests.
In New Jersey, Chinchalkar was plenty effective on the cross country course, with an 18:14 (5k XC) clocking to her name and a 4th-place finish at the 2024 NJSIAA Group 3 XC Championships. In her rookie campaign, she placed 31st at the NESCAC XC Championships, 12th at East Regional XC Championships and 91st at the NCAA XC Championships.
The latter performance made her one of the top-10 rookies on the day, suggesting Chinchalkar could one day grow into an All-American.
In contrast, Simmonds discovered new aerobic talents during the fall that were not apparent during her high school days. She was right with Chinchalkar for most of the season, finishing two places behind her (33rd) at the NESCAC XC Championships and one place behind her (13th) at the East regional meet. Ultimately, Simmonds' season finale (192nd place) wasn’t representative of what she showed in her previous races, but that should not diminish the body of work she produced.
Beyond those two cross country stars, Tufts has assembled an incredible young half-mile group. Lauren Downer and Kayleigh Forde have covered the 800-meter distance in 2:13 and 2:15, respectively, putting them within striking distance of becoming national-caliber standouts at the D3 level.
Downer caps out at the half-mile distance, but brings excellent race execution skills, as a 6th-place 800-meter finish at the 2025 MIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions suggests. As for Forde, her 4:41 (1500) credentials prove that she is effective in longer events as well.
Joining Downer and Forde as 800-meter stars are 2:16 and 2:17 runners Mia Bratti and Cori Stewart, respectively. The track is where both of these women are at their best, so we expect to see the duo put the majority of their training and racing efforts into the half-mile. Although they have both shown some level of strength in running 5:12 for the mile (Bratti) and 5:16 for 1600 meters (Stewart).
Bratti and Stewart may not be able to instantly contribute, but they are certainly qualified to do so soon. If this group of four sub-2:17 (800) rookies gets on a roll, then Tufts could level up very quickly.
Two other middle distance runners, but who prefer the mile distance, are Kalliope Patera and Claire de Mersseman. The former has clocked 4:42 (1500) while the latter has run 5:03 over the full mile distance.
Patera, who went to high school in Greece, is an especially intriguing name as she faces a busier American racing schedule. She found a lot of success at the youth level in her native country, placing top five over 1500 meters at both the Greek U18 and U19 Championships in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Those are marks that most programs would love to have, but the fact that these women don’t stick out in this class is why it's one of the very best in the country.
Other newbies on Tufts' roster are Bridget Yu and Alanna Jacob, who may take some time to reach the varsity level of Emory’s roster. Even so, Yu’s 2:26 (800) and 5:18 (1600) marks and Jacob’s 11:25 (3200) provide a solid foundation for their collegiate years.
1. Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
As we have come to expect, Coach Bobby Van Allen has assembled one of the nation’s premier recruiting classes.
His current group of rookies is flat-out insanely talented, with two of the best recruits in Division Three, as well as great balance between the middle and long distances. All of these rookies would be in a league of their own at nearly every program across the country.
The most impactful rookie, both in this class and nationally, has been Mia Kotler. She was a staple in the Blue Jays’ scoring lineup this fall. She placed 10th at the loaded Connecticut College Invitational before culminating her season with a mind-blowing 14th-place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. That performance at “The Big Dance” was good for the fastest freshman of the day.
When we look back at her high school successes, Kotler’s college success shouldn't be seen as all that much of a surprise. Her 10:29 (two-mile) personal best really jumps off the page, while she was similarly elite on the cross country course. Her high school cross country performances are highlighted by a 16:32 (three-mile XC) clocking at Detweiller Park and a 17:23 (5k) in another outing.
Also holding a 4:57 (1600) best, Kotler is an instant impact name from the mile up, and she's projected to be an All-American staple in the coming years.
Another one of the fastest recruits we found in all of Division Three who represents Johns Hopkins is Ani Wedemeyer. The Iowa native is best over the middle distances, having run jaw-dropping marks of 2:09 (800) and 4:30 (1500) in the prep ranks. Those times are already nationally elite at the NCAA level, and not much progress is needed for her to become an All-American threat in both events.
In high school, Wedemeyer never ran anything longer than a mile on the track, although she did run a blazing 18:06 (5k) on a cross country course. But since arriving in Baltimore, she has been very effective over the longer distances. On the grass, Wedemeyer placed 67th at the Connecticut College Invitational and 13th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships. On the track, she’s stamped a 9:58 (3k) performance in her first-ever attempt at the event.
Wedemeyer was already exceptional in the middle distances and has quickly expanded her horizons to be really good in the longer events as a collegian. We can only imagine what that will do for her over the mile and half-mile.
Speaking of the long distance events, Johns Hopkins signed a quartet of women who have already shown great talent in that area. Maya Eisenberg, Evangeline Dunckley, Mika Tampadong and Ia Reistad have all run between 10:52 and 10:56 (3200), with an altitude conversion getting Reistad there.
Many D3 rookie classes would love to have just one sub-11:00 (3200) woman, but Johns Hopkins has five!
A couple of them also feature some nice chops over 1600 meters, with supporting 4:59 (Eisenberg) and 5:02 (Reistad, altitude converted) personal bests. With cross country 5k personal bests in the 18:40s, that duo makes up a strong cross country foundation for the Blue Jays to build on their podium finish from this fall.
Dunckley has been one of the most productive freshmen so far. She has already smashed her 19:05 (5k XC) high school personal best, placed 16th at the Centennial Conference XC Championships and run 10:08 (3k), which converts to a nearly identical time as her high school 3200-meter personal best.
As for Tampadong, she holds some of the best range of this group, running 2:22 (800) in addition to her 3200-meter credentials that we led with. While cross country hasn’t historically been her strong suit, she has great versatility on the track, which will surely prove useful in the future.
To swing back the other way, the final two rookies we'll mention are partial to the middle distances. West Coast talents Hannah Bruno and Sofia Fernandez have run 2:13 and 2:16 for the half-mile distance, respectively. They also each have sub-5:10 (1600) marks to their name, and both hold the potential to become key pieces of a DMR lineup at this rate. Expect Bruno and Fernandez to take a back seat to their aforementioned teammates during the fall and really come alive in the spring.
With Kotler and Wedemeyer as headliners with varying-but-complementary skillsets and a half dozen other star-caliber signees joining them, Johns Hopkins had the top women's freshman class in Division Three by a fairly large margin.
