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TSR's 2025 Preseason NAIA Indoor Top 20 Rankings (Women): Update #2
Written by Marissa Kuik & Garrett Zatlin
Edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
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 2025 NAIA Indoor Championships.
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.
20. Ellen Palmgren, Rs. Senior, The Master’s (-4 / 16)
Since our last rankings update, Ellen Palmgren has only lined up once to race, clocking a time of 3:01 for 1000 meters. Unfortunately, that time is quite a bit below her personal best of 2:50.
We know that Palmgren can flip a switch when it matters the most at the end of the season. However, after a few performances where she has run below her potential, we have decided to drop Palmgren a bit more in our rankings. And yet, we won't ignore her pedigree and vast experience as we inch closer and closer to the indoor national meet.
19. Reagan Hiebert, Senior, St. Mary (KS) (-6 / 13)
Another name taking a hit in our rankings is Reagan Hiebert. And just like Palmgren, she is also performing well below some of her personal bests. Hiebert contested the 3k this past weekend and produced a modest time of 10:28. She finished over 30 seconds behind her sister, Riley, who won the race.
A performance like that is definitely unlike Reagan who usually finishes alongside her sister. And while she hasn't been in top form this winter, it's not like she has been running incredibly poorly, either. We're still willing to keep the Spire ace in our rankings given her past successes and lengthy experience.
18. Alexandra Clarke, Junior, St. Xavier (Unranked)
Entering our rankings for the first time this season is Alexandra Clarke who put together a very impressive 800-meter effort. Clarke clocked a time of 2:15 for the half-mile distance which earned a flat-track conversion of 2:13. That mark, along with a 1000-meter personal best of 3:00, came this past weekend at her conference meet.
Clarke now enters the conversation for the 800-meter national title at the end of this month. And depending on who you ask, the women's national half-mile field, at least at this point, is somewhat wide-open with Delaville remaining as the favorite.
However, Clarke's ability to produce fast times while still competing in many other events leaves us to believe that she'll handle the rounds at the national meet fairly well.
17. Riley Hiebert, Senior, St. Mary (KS) (Unranked)
After a string of strong performances over the past two weekends, Riley Hiebert earned herself a spot in our rankings. Hiebert produced a strong 4:58 time in the mile while also running on the fourth leg of the Spires’ national qualifying DMR squad. Then, the next weekend, she went on to run 9:57 over 3000 meters, placing herself on the national leaderboard in three events.
After some consistent results over the mile and the 3k distances, Hiebert has shown us why she is deserving to be in our top-20. Though Hiebert has not had as much success at the indoor national meet as a few others, she has proven over the last year that she can be far more productive on that stage.
And given that she's seemingly in the best shape of her life right now, the odds of Hiebert not being an All-American at the end of this season seem fairly low.
16. Alyssa Bearzi, Junior, Milligan (-1 / 15)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
15. Kylie Sauder, Senior, Grace (-5 / 10)
After running another 2:19 over 800 meters, Kylie Sauder does take another hit in our rankings. Though she is still considered to be a top name in the mile, we admittedly thought that Sauder would be faster over the half-mile distance, which is considered to be her primary event, than she is now.
Unfortunately, Sauder has contested the 800 meters twice this season and both times has left with a 2:19 result. We know that Sauder has more to give considering the strength that she built from her stellar cross country season. However, we have yet to see that materialize for the half-mile distance.
14. Noel VanderWall, Junior, Taylor (-5 / 9)
So far this winter, Noel VanderWall hasn't come within 10 seconds of her 4:55 mile PR in her two efforts at that distance. Naturally, the Taylor ace shifted her attention to the 3000 meters two weekends ago. And when she did, VanderWall had a comparatively better performance, running 10:04 (3k) to come away with the win.
But while that performance is much closer to her PR than her mile performances were, we still decided to drop VanderWall a bit in our rankings. We are getting very close to the indoor national meet and we have yet to see the Trojan ace run up to her true potential. That could easily change in the next two weeks, but right now, momentum isn't on her side.
13. Corinne Braun, Freshman, Dordt (Unranked)
Making a big jump into our rankings is Corinne Braun, a freshman who has made some waves in the middle distance events as of late.
Braun ran 2:54 for 1000 meters a couple weekends ago and then contested the mile again where she ran 4:59, just two seconds off from her PR of 4:57. Each of those efforts have put the Dordt rookie at NAIA #4 on the national leaderboard in both events.
In addition to being an individual standout, Braun will be a huge factor in Dordt’s relays, an area that the Defenders are known to put heavy emphasis on. And although that means that Braun will be busy at the national meet, her versatility over the middle distance events gives her tons of value, both for Dordt and in our rankings.
12. Dylan Garcia, Senior, Montreat (+2 / 14)
Each time Dylan Garcia toes the line, she seems to set another PR. This time, Garcia set a personal best over 1000 meters, running 2:55, which her earned a flat-track conversion time of 2:53. On top of some of her other marks, including 4:55 in the mile and 9:47 in the 3k, Garcia is a prominent name on the national leaderboard in a number of other events.
The Montreat veteran continues to back up her strong cross country season by not just sustaining her success, but building on it! That leaves us optimistic about her chances of being an All-American -- maybe twice over -- regardless of the events that she chooses to pursue.
11. Katie Clarke, Senior, SCAD Atlanta (0 / 11)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
10. Heather Murphy, Freshman, Montreat (-3 / 7)
Since our last rankings update, Heather Murphy has only competed at one meet and in two different races. At the Bast-Cregger Multi Invitational, the Montreat rookie posted a 5k time of 17:45 while assisting her DMR to a mark of 12:17 and a win.
Given that Murphy ran 17:02 for 5000 meters all the way back in December, it's hard to be too excited about her latest 5k effort. It also didn't help that she lost to her fellow teammate, Ali Ray, by eight seconds.
Even so, Murphy has proven that she is an excellent distance talent. And frankly, when it comes national-caliber freshmen, many of them are bound to have a few learning moments.
9. Sanae Hasnaoui, Junior, Madonna (-4 / 5)
Has not yet competed this season.
8. Jaynie Halterman, Freshman, Taylor (-4 / 4)
Has not yet competed this season.
7. Alauna Carstens, Junior, Evergreen State (+10 / 17)
We were plenty high on Alauna Carstens coming into this season. She did, after all, put together a handful of strong results while racing unattached on the grass. However, the Evergreen State junior has not only replicated that fitness on the track, but also built upon it in recent weeks.
Two weekends ago at the UW Invite, Carstens dropped a brilliant 3k time of 9:44! That mark now sits at NAIA #3 and was an 11-second PR. And if that wasn't enough, Carstens went on to score a 17:15 (5k) personal best this past weekend!
Carstens is undoubtedly fit, but what makes her so dangerous is the hot streak that she is on. With only 16 days until the NAIA Indoor Championships, which feels like a crazy thing to type out, a handful of athletes likely want the same kind of momentum that Carstens has.
6. Alina Boshchuk, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY) (+2 / 8)
At the Boston U. John Thomas Terrier Classic, we saw Alina Boshchuk pursue a fast 5k time -- and that's exactly what she got. With a mark of 17:00, the Patriot ace has earned a result that is arguably just as impressive as her 16:58 (5k) PR which was run on an oversized track.
Truthfully, we didn't learn a ton about Boshchuk other than she is at/near her peak level of fitness. That, however, is certainly not a bad thing. The best version of this Cumberlands (KY) sophomore is that of a fringe national title contender. And if this is a sign that she is beginning to peak for the postseason, then she could walk away with NAIA gold at the end of this month.
5. Sharon Jemili, Freshman, Cumberlands (KY) (+7 / 12)
When Sharon Jemili made her collegiate debut with a 17:07 (5k) effort, she caught our attention. Not only did she run an excellent time, but she also defeated a national-caliber teammate in Alina Boshchuk as well.
Thankfully, Jemili was able to validate that impressive performance two weekends ago with an excellent 9:46 (3k) time! The only women who she lost to in that race were from established Division One programs.
Jemili is young and clearly holds a ton of raw talent. We do, admittedly, have questions about how she'll handle more tactical races on the national stage. But through two races this season, it's hard for the Cumberlands (KY) rookie to be any more prepared than she currently is.
4. Hannah Fredericks, Senior, The Master’s (+2 / 6)
After a relatively unexciting season opener, Hannah Fredericks was able to bolster her resume by running 9:45 (3k) en route to a win at the Westmont Sunshine Open.
Yes, that mark was run on an outdoor oval, but all that we needed to see from The Master's distance star was that she was at/near peak form. With two weeks left until the indoor national meet, Fredericks looks like she's just as dangerous as she has been in the past. That's ultimately why we bumped her up to TSR #4 in this week's rankings update.
3. Emeline Delaville, Sophomore, Life (0 / 3)
After running 2:11-high over 800 meters and 2:58 for 1000 meters earlier in the season, Emeline Delaville has been working on her turnover and speed. That was plenty evident two weekends ago when she clocked a 56.07 (400) PR.
With the exception of her primary event, Delaville is showing us that she isn't just as good as she was last year, she's actually better! So far this season, the Life sophomore has showcased greater turnover while also doubling back in relays multiple times. In theory, improved foot-speed and effectiveness while doubling are all fantastic signs for any athlete going into the national meet.
2. Ellen-Mary Kearney, Junior, Milligan (0 / 2)
Right now, Ellen-Mary Kearney is a middle distance machine. In just this season alone, the Milligan junior has recorded times of 2:13 (800), 2:52 (1k, flat-track converted), 4:54 (mile) and 9:35 (3k).
For those keeping track alone, the first three marks I mentioned currently sit at either NAIA #2 or NAIA #3 on the national leaderboard. Meanwhile, that 3k mark sits at NAIA #1! And the wildest part? That 3000-meter time in the only outright PR that she has produced this season -- she has been even better in prior winter campaigns.
In theory, Kearney doesn't have a weakness. Her raw fitness should allow her to handle any aggressively-paced battles and her quick middle distance marks give her turnover that some 3k specialists simply don't have.
And knowing that she could be even better? Well, you can now see why we have placed her at TSR #2 in these rankings.
1. Katie Woods, Junior, Marian (IN) (0 / 1)
Since our last rankings update, Katie Woods opted to move up in distance, running 9:58 over 3000 meters. That was a new PR for the Marian star who currently resides at NAIA #1 over 800 meters, 1000 meters and the mile this winter.
Woods' latest result may not change our already-high opinion of her, but it does show us that her aerobic strength is as good as it ever has been. That could also be seen in her 5k performance from December when she ran a PR of 17:28.
In theory, greater endurance-based strength means that Woods can be aggressive with her approach on championship stages and still be aggressive, even in the middle distance events. But truthfully, even if we didn't see those results from her, it would still be challenging to argue that she isn't the top distance running woman in the NAIA right now.
ADDED
Corinne Braun (Dordt)
Alexandrea Clarke (St. Xavier)
Riley Hiebert (St. Mary (KS))
KICKED OFF
Elizabeth Barrett (Indiana Wesleyan)
Maria Tirado (William Carey)
Ahna Niedeck (Taylor)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Allison Ramsey (St. Francis (IL))
Leah Kuntsmann (St. Francis (IN))
Elizabeth Barrett (Indiana Wesleyan)
Heidi Helt (Olivet Nazarene)
Maci Mills (Southeastern University)
Maddy Walter-Sherretts (SCAD Savannah)
Madalenn Fee (Cottey)
Kahea Figueira (College of Idaho)
Elke Wijkmans (Cumberlands (KY))
Emily Tedder (Huntington)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Suzie Johnson (The Master’s)
Esther Cameron (Grace)
Emma Timmermans (Hope International)
Tarikua Majocchi (Cumberlands (KY))
Ali Ray (Montreat)
Josie Tyrrell (St. Mary (KS))
Addi Dewey (Indiana Wesleyan)
Liz Hogan (SCAD Savannah)
Chrissy Shank (Campbellsville)
Louise Cocking (Oklahoma City)
Notes
- Taylor's Ahna Niedeck is not currently listed on the Trojans' roster. For that reason, we have removed her from our rankings.
