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TSR's 2025 "Way Too Early" NAIA XC Preview (Women's Teams)
Here it is: our final "way too early" cross country preview for the fall of 2025.
The NAIA scene is an area that we have only recently begun to cover over the last year or two. That, however, has left us with plenty of storylines, national title battles and podium contenders to analyze.
Let's chat about this year's women's NAIA cross country scene and figure out what takeaways we can pull from last year's results...
NOTE: Any analysis offered in this article is not meant to be an indication of where an athlete or team will or will not be ranked in our preseason lists as new information is constantly flowing in. Any eligibility mentioned below is based off of TFRRS and any feedback that coaches have been able to offer us. We also could not get to ALL nationally relevant teams in this article. Just because a team was not mentioned does not necessarily mean that they are less relevant than other teams which were highlighted.
Last year's NAIA XC Championship was wildly entertaining, especially on the women's side. That, of course, is because two teams were separated by just one point for the national title.
I am, of course, talking about The Master's and Taylor.
The former walked away with team gold at last year's season finale, fending off the Trojans by a singular point. But in 2025, what will these teams look like? Will we see more of the same? Or will the top of the NAIA cross country scene look a bit different come October and November?
When it comes to The Master's, the Mustangs should still be massive threats...but maybe not to the same extent that we saw last fall. That is because TFRRS suggests that the team's top-two scorers at last year's cross country national meet, Hannah Fredericks (2nd) and Ellen Palmgren (8th), are out of eligibility. That is A LOT of elite firepower to lose in a single year, even if it was only two runners.
Not only that, but things only get more complicated when it comes to Emma Nelson, last year's 9th place All-American. She is listed in TFRRS as a junior from last fall. However, she has competed in the cross country postseason during 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. In theory, she should be out of eligibility...right?
Thankfully, the Mustangs still retain All-American Suzie Johnson (37th at the 2024 national meet) and Rebekah Niednagel (42nd at the 2024 national meet). At the very least, those two women should allow The Master's to stay nationally competitive.
On paper, The Master's still have multiple low-sticks who can each be top-30 All-Americans later this fall. Sure, the Mustangs do lose tons of firepower, but retaining two (maybe three?) All-American-caliber women should keep this group in contention for the podium...right?
As for the Taylor women, their situation isn't quite as dire.
Yes, it's true, the Trojans are expected to lose Ahna Neideck from last year's team. That is a painful loss considering that she finished 6th at the 2024 NAIA XC Championships. And yet, at the same time, she was the only scorer who Taylor loses from their 2024 national meet lineup.
Compared to The Master's, the Trojans lose far less low-stick scoring. They still retain tons of elite firepower.
However, it's important to remember that Taylor's seventh runner at last year's national meet, Audrey Brinkruff (who placed 87th in her season finale) is also gone. And despite her slight "off" day at the NAIA XC Championships, this now-departed veteran is WAY more impactful than some people realize.
Remember, Brinkruff placed 8th at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge last fall and was 13th at the 2022 cross country national meet. Her loss isn't totally devastating, but it does leave the Taylor women with less margin for error and, in theory, less upside.
Even so, the Trojans still have elite all-time superstar Jaynie Halterman, as well as 7th place cross country All-American, Noel VanderWall. Tack on near All-Americans such as Samantha Patterson and Kaitlin Burden, and you get a squad that is, on paper, in a better position for success than The Master's women are this fall...but not by much.
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Alright, so...what about everyone else?
The St. Mary (KS) women, the 3rd place team at last year's NAIA XC Championships, are in a bit of a pickle this fall. TFRRS suggests that Reagan Hiebert, Riley Hiebert and Kate Madsen, each of whom were top-25 All-Americans last fall, are out of cross country eligibility.
Yes, it's true, they still have an All-American in Josie Tyrell and a returning veteran in Monse Guerrero-Chapula, the latter of whom could realistically crack the top-40 on the national stage in November. Even so, the Spires' entire scoring identity will be getting a revamp this fall as the bulk of their 2024 scoring has essentially been wiped out.
Make no mistake, Coach Alstin Benton has proven that he can rebuild squads in a single year. Even so, putting this team back in the podium conversation come November is going to be exceptionally difficult.
Conversely, I can't help but be optimistic about the Milligan women this fall. That's because, according to TFRRS, they return six of their top-seven names from the 2024 NAIA XC Championships! 5th place All-American, Ellen-Mary Kearney? Back.
16th place All-American, Alyssa Bearzi? Back.
29th place All-American, Kirsten Geary? Back.
With stable backend contributors such as Patricia Barrera and Ashlyn Haas, as well as rising sophomore Karly Wilhjelm, set to return, the Buffaloes look like they are in a GREAT position going into this fall. The Buffaloes boast experienced low-sticks who, on paper, aren't too far off from the low-sticks that The Master's and Taylor hold. And with solid enough depth, it's fair to suggest that Milligan could contend for NAIA gold come November.
What about teams like Montreat and College of Idaho? What should we expect from them in the fall of 2025?
Admittedly, Montreat takes a hard hit this year in terms of lost scoring. That's because two upper-echelon low-sticks of theirs, Ali Ray and Dylan Garcia, both appear to be out of eligibility, per TFRRS. And with backend scoring veteran Aubrey Bahner also out of eligibility, the Cavaliers have A LOT of work to do if they are going to remain in contention for the podium this fall.
College of Idaho, however, is a slightly different story.
Yes, 'Yotes lose a star-caliber ace in Kahea Figueira, someone who was so darn reliable throughout her time with COI. Molly Connor, a key stabilizing scorer with a high floor, also appears to be out of eligibility. The same can be said for their sixth runner, Larissa Mauer.
And yet, at the same time, College of Idaho still has a lot of different ways that they can remain as a podium threat.
Julia Gilbert, for instance, was an All-American last fall while Kylee Quinton was three spots off from that same honor. Since then, Quinton has emerged as a national-caliber steeplechaser, meaning that COI likely already has two proven low-stick talents on their roster for this fall.
Kimbrie Knudsen was just a freshman last fall, but peaked fairly well for the 2024 postseason. She'll be a high-upside name who can bridge two-halves of this lineup for College of Idaho.
Both Grace College and SCAD Savannah have solid returning pieces for this fall. But at the same time, the women they do lose were crucial low-sticks. Thankfully, these two teams should have VERY experienced squads in 2025. In theory, that means that these two groups should have high floors and very few poor performances...right?
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What about the teams that we're exceptionally high on?
Well, for starters, the Cumberlands (KY) women look poised to be incredibly dangerous this fall. This team finished 6th at the NAIA XC Championships in 2024, a result that was roughly on par with expectations.
Yes, the Patriots do lose 21st place All-American, Elke Wijkmans. That's a tough blow for any team, regardless of their historical caliber. Even so, everyone else from their top-seven returns this fall, including top-half All-American Alina Boshchuk and 38th place All-American Tarikua Majocchi.
However, more importantly, this roster now features long distance standout Sharon Jemeli, a mid-year transfer who was an All-American on the track, and Viola Jepleting, another mid-year transfer who was an All-American on the track (over 1500 meters).
With tons of rising upperclassman, great depth and high-upside newcomers, it's going to be incredibly difficult to beat the Cumberlands (KY) women in 2025. I don't know if they'll be favored for NAIA gold, but gosh, it would be surprising if they weren't on the podium at this year's cross country national meet.
We then come to Indiana Wesleyan, a team that looks quietly complete and void of any major flaws going into this fall.
The Wildcat women return six of their top-seven women from the 2024 NAIA XC Championships! That includes all five of their scorers. Addi Dewey is a returning All-American and Elizabeth Barrett, who was 50th at the national meet last fall, showed throughout last year that she is capable of being an All-American on the right day. She did, after all, place 9th at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge.
With Eden Norris, Katie Morrison and Ashlyn Kephart all set to come back this fall, and Cadence Traylor making great strides on the oval this past spring, IWU's projected scoring five has the potential to be all upperclassmen this fall.
That, in theory, means that this should be a steady and stable group of women. And in a year where numerous teams have multiple scoring vulnerabilities, the high-floor nature of this squad could lead to them being podium threats a few months from now.
But truthfully, there is no team that I find more fascinating this fall than the Dordt women. Last year's team took 11th place at the NAIA XC Championships, a result that roughly aligned with the how the Defenders' fall campaign went as a whole.
That, however, isn't the interesting part.
The Dordt women fielded not one, not two, but FIVE underclassmen at last year's cross country national meet. It also just-so-happens that all five of those women were scorers for the Defenders -- but none cracked the top-50.
In 2025, every single woman from Dordt's 2024 cross country lineup is set to return. This time, however, they'll have way more national meet experience. Corinne Braun is clearly capable of being a top-30 All-American and the rest of this squad still holds tons of youth-based upside. Adeline Crow even made great progress on the track this past spring and seemingly has the potential to be an impact scorer for this team.
This team oozes potential. In my eyes, the Dordt women have far more avenues for this season to be a success than for it to be a failure. Sure, they still need to properly develop, avoid injuries and close gaps in their lineup. That, however, seems more than reasonable for a team that has a crazy-high ceiling.
