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TSR's 2026 NCAA Preseason D1 XC Top 50 Rankings: #50-41 (Women)
50. Zenah Cheptoo, Junior, Washington State
After barely missing out on a spot in our preseason rankings last summer, Washington State's Zenah Cheptoo has snuck into the 2026 edition of our list -- and rightfully so.
This Cougar distance standout has been consistently great for the last few years. Sure, she's not a perfect runner, but her ongoing ability to step up on major stages was enough to give her the final spot in our top-50 rankings.
A 6th place finish at last year's Gans Creek Classic was simply fantastic. That was a brilliant low-stick result that showcased tons of firepower. It also validated the idea that, at her best, Cheptoo was an All-American-caliber talent.
While a 21st place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite wasn't quite as strong, it was still a fantastic result that validated the idea of Cheptoo being an All-American candidate. Finishes of 3rd at the West Conference XC Championships and 6th at the West Regional XC Championships further supported that idea.
However, Cheptoo ended her 2025 fall campaign with a 66th place result at the national meet. That was a small step back from her 47th place effort that she produced at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. And yet, if that's her "worst" result of last year's cross country season, then that's a good problem to have.
There is no denying that, at her best, Cheptoo can be an All-American runner on the grass. In fact, she has showcased that potential over the last two years. Of course, actually delivering a peak-level performance in her season finale is the one thing holding her back from a higher ranking.
But at the same time, this Washington State product has proven that she has a high ceiling, she's been plenty consistent and she rarely has poor races. What's not to like?
49. Taylor Rohatinsky, Rs. Senior, BYU*
The reason why you are seeing an asterisk next to Taylor Rohatinsky's name is because we don't actually know if she will be eligible to compete this season. BYU has applied for a waiver so that the Cougar veteran will be able to compete this fall.
And as of right now, there is no word on the status of that waiver.
Of course, if Rohatinsky is able to compete this fall, then she'll hold an extremely high ceiling, tons of experience and an ability to significantly impact the national team title conversation.
At her best, Rohatinsky is incredibly dangerous. She was 43rd at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships and took a similarly impressive 47th place finish at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships. When it comes to the season finale in cross country, this BYU runner seems to have a high floor.
Not only that, but Rohatinsky further elevated her fitness this past spring, clocking an outstanding 5000-meter time of 15:24! Based on that result, this Provo-based ace has the ceiling of a cross country All-American.
The challenge, however, is that Rohatinsky has also been a bit inconsistent. In the fall of 2024, she was 25th at the Joe Piane Invite and 40th at Pre-Nationals before placing 7th at the BIG 12 XC Championships and 43rd on the national stage. The next year, she was 6th at Pre-Nationals before fading to 27th place at the BIG 12 XC Championships and later rebounding for 47th place at the national meet.
Even on the track, Rohatinsky has been a bit hit-or-miss. Despite running 15:24 (5k) on the outdoor oval, the BYU ace was unable to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Our rankings evaluate the entirety of someone's skillset and their fall campaigns as a whole. While Rohatinsky has been very reliable on the national stage, some of her results are clearly better than others. Regardless, this BYU talent is too proven to be ignored when it came to the crafting of our top-50 lists.
48. Ava Mitchell, Junior, Northern Arizona
We'll admit, trying to rank Ava Mitchell was fairly difficult.
Make no mistake, this Northern Arizona runner was very steady on the grass last fall. However, it was also clear that some of her performances were better than others -- she didn't always look like the All-American that she ended up being.
Placing 23rd at the Gans Creek Classic and 31st at the Nuttycombe Invite, for instance, were strong results. And yet, at the same time, those performances didn't guarantee that Mitchell would be a top-40 finisher on the national stage. And with respect to the BIG Sky XC Championships (2nd) and the Mountain Regional XC Championships (6th), it's hard to put much emphasis into those kinds of meets.
Of course, a 37th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships (en route to All-American honors) showed us just how high Ava Mitchell's ceiling could go. It also showed us that she could peak for the postseason.
And if you're someone who viewed that result as more of a fluke, then I would ask that you turn your attention to Mitchell's 5000-meter success on the indoor oval from this past winter. There, she clocked an outstanding personal best of 15:22 for that distance, more-than-validating her All-American run from November.
Mitchell is plenty deserving of being in these rankings. However, running at her absolute peak on a more consistent basis will be the defining trait that allows her to move up our list throughout this season.
47. Ali Weimer, Rs. Senior, Minnesota
After a highly successful 2024 cross country season, the Minnesota women regressed a bit in 2025 -- but that was understandable. After all, their star ace (Ali Weimer) was redshirting.
What makes Weimer a relatively easy name to place in our rankings isn't based on what she accomplished over the last year. Instead, it's based on what she did in the fall of 2024.
That season, the Minnesota veteran was flat-out awesome. She won the individual title at the Roy Griak Invite, took 9th place in a sneaky-good field at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, was 11th in a loaded Pre-Nationals race and took bronze at the BIG 10 XC Championships. In fact, one could argue that Weimer's "worst" race from the fall of 2024 was her 48th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
And if that's someone's "worst" race of a season, then that's a good problem to have.
Generally speaking, Weimer is incredibly consistent. She has thrived in a variety of competitive cross country fields and she has defeated a handful of top names before. She has also continued to have success on the track, running a 15:31 (5k) PR this past spring.
There is an argument that, at her best, Weimer is a top-40 cross country runner in the NCAA -- and maybe even closer to the top-30. However, her absence from last fall (she did occasionally race unattached against lesser competition), and her not-as-good national meet showing in 2024, forced us to put her just outside of the top-40.
Even so, we fully recognize that Weimer could blow this ranking out of the water.
46. Rachel Forsyth, Junior, NC State
One of the biggest offseason developments from earlier this summer was the news that Michigan State's Rachel Forsyth was transferring to NC State. And frankly, this preseason ranking undersells how important she'll be for the Wolfpack women this fall.
Forsyth proved to be a monstrous aerobic talent in high school. Her front-running tendencies were hyper-aggressive and her raw fitness was borderline immeasurable. Sure, she had a somewhat slow start to her rookie year in 2024, but the former Spartan eventually produced huge results of 4th at the BIG 10 XC Championships and 16th at the NCAA XC Championships that season.
Put simply, the ceiling for this NC State newcomer is insanely high.
The fall of 2025, however, wasn't quite as fruitful. Make no mistake, Forsyth was actually more consistent throughout the entirety of last fall than she was the year before. But at the same time, placing 28th at Gans Creek Classic, 20th at the Nuttycombe Invite and 6th at the BIG 10 XC Championships didn't necessarily reflect the super high peak that Forsyth ended her 2024 fall campaign at.
A 48th place finish at last year's NCAA XC Championships was a clear step back for someone who had already proven to be so much better than that. And yet, if a top-50 result on the national stage was Forsyth's floor, then greater results could be on the horizon for her in 2026...right?
We haven't seen Forsyth compete since last fall, but that's not necessarily a concern given that she was expected to enter the transfer portal near/at the beginning of 2026. Instead, we are left to wonder which version of this rising junior we will get now that she is donning red and white.
Either way, Forsyth is too talented, too proven and has too much potential to be omitted from our top-50. As such, she enters our preseason individual rankings listed at TSR #46.
45. Domtila Cheruto, Freshman, Oklahoma
Funny enough, we have never seen Domtila Cheruto compete in collegiate cross country. Instead, we're basing this ranking off of the immense level of raw aerobic talent that this Oklahoma freshman very clearly holds.
Prior to joining the Sooners, Cheruto had run 32:39 for 10,000 meters at the 2025 Kenyan Championships. She also took 40th place at the Kenyan XC Championships in February of that same year.
However, it wasn't until she reached the NCAA that we realized the full potential of this international newcomer. That's because Cheruto has since run personal bests of 9:04 (3k), 15:30 (5k) and 32:18 (10k) on the track, advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the latter two events this past spring (placing 15th and 10th, respectively).
Yes, it's true, Cheruto is still unproven in cross country. We have no idea how strong she'll be in that setting this fall and, just as importantly, we don't know how consistent she'll be. Inexperienced international youngsters such as herself aren't always the most consistent athletes for their first year or two in the NCAA.
Even so, Cheruto's raw talent is overwhelmingly obvious. Not only that, but she already advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two different distance events. That's a promising sign as we approach this fall, especially as Cheruto becomes more and more comfortable with collegiate competition.
44. Maureen Rutoh, Sophomore, Oklahoma State
When talking about underrated distance runners in the NCAA, it's important to highlight Maureen Rutoh (who is also listed as Maureen Cherotich in certain results). Sure, she hasn't always been perfect, but she has done way more good than bad in her first year-and-a-half in the NCAA.
Last fall, Rutoh was consistently great and incredibly reliable despite being an international rookie with little known experience. A 5th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree over a handful of talented BYU and New Mexico runners demanded respect, as did a win at another home meet, the Weis-Crockett Invitational (where she basically just raced her own teammates).
However, it was until the postseason that Rutoh began to thrive in a major way. A 9th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships showcased a level of firepower and talent that demanded great respect. After all, the BIG 12 was loaded with upper-tier distance stars.
Then, on the national stage, Rutoh was once again fantastic, posting a 42nd place finish to miss out on All-American honors by just two spots. And as a whole, Rutoh put together a very complete season that was void of any true "off" days.
The Oklahoma State product didn't make as much noise on the track, but a 15:32 (5k) PR did validate the idea that she holds national-caliber talent.
Truthfully, there isn't much more to say about Rutoh. She's incredibly reliable and showed up in the postseason when it mattered the most. It is fair to wonder how much higher her ceiling can reasonably go, but greater familiarity with NCAA competition can only help her development...right?
43. Dalia Frias, Rs. Senior, Oregon
As a high school distance star, it was clear that Dalia Frias held tons of talent and pedigree. Unfortunately, we didn't really get to see that from her during her time at Duke (she never actually raced for UCLA).
To make matters even more challenging, Frias sustained significant injuries in 2024 and was held out from racing for an entire year. That's why her highly productive 2025 fall campaign was so unbelievably impressive!
Sure, a 27th place finish at last year's Gans Creek Classic was fine, but it didn't necessarily indicate that Frias would be an All-American. Meanwhile, the Bill Dellinger Invite (where she placed 3rd) wasn't a meet that left us with much to analyze.
But when the postseason arrived, Frias rose the occasion, beautifully. A 5th place result behind a slew of her teammates elevated the profile of the Duck ace. That performance clearly sparked momentum en route to Frias earning a 36th place All-American finish at the NCAA XC Championships!
Frias showed us last fall just how dangerous she can be when she gets on a hot streak. Sure, she's not as proven on a consistent basis as a few others, but she never struggled last fall and beat expectations. It also doesn't hurt that she ran 8:55 (3k) and 15:48 (5k) on the track before winning the outdoor 5000-meter title at the BIG 10 Championships back in May.
Admittedly, Frias' resume is a bit spotty both in terms of availability and consistency. It's also hard to get a gauge of her 2025 cross country season given that she didn't beat many focal stars until she reached the national stage. That is ultimately why she is ranked a bit further back from her All-American honor.
Even so, the best version of Frias isn't someone who should be discounted.
42. Nelah Roberts, Junior, BYU
One of the single-most underrated cross country runners in the NCAA last fall is no longer an overlooked youngster with limited experience.
After a promising 2024 season, Roberts attacked the 2025 cross country season with remarkable consistency. The BYU talent had a "just okay" race at the Cowboy Jamboree where she placed 11th overall, but began to establish highly promising momentum with a strong 10th place finish at Pre-Nationals!
That latter performance was massive in terms of sparking Roberts to a string of excellent postseason results. A 10th place finish at the increasingly-competitive BIG 12 XC Championships was followed by a tremendous 41st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, just one spot out from All-American honors.
Of course, if you thought her fall campaign was a fluke, then track times of 15:43 (5k) and 32:47 (10k) from this past winter and spring would tell you otherwise.
Roberts really didn't have a flaw on her resume from her last year of racing. Plus, her BIG 12 XC Championship performance should not be overlooked when talking about her potential as it was arguably just as good as what she produced at the national meet.
We can fully admit that we may be robbing her of a better ranking -- she could very easily be listed five spots higher. Even so, other women were simply better in other seasons or showcased peaks that signaled greater upside.
Regardless, if the BYU women end up winning the NCAA team title this fall, then it will likely be thanks to Roberts evolving into a top-30 All-American low-stick. And in our eyes, that is a very realistic possibility.
41. Katie Bohlke, Junior, Virginia Tech
Trying to rank Katie Bohlke is far from easy.
We already saw this rising Virginia Tech junior compete on the grass during the last two cross country seasons. And while she did produce a handful of decent results last year -- placing 21st at the ACC XC Championships and 16th at the Southeast Regional XC Championships last fall -- nothing that we saw from the Bohlke suggested that she would be a top-50 cross country runner this fall.
Of course, progression and development isn't always linear. And on the track, the newest Hokie star thrived, elevating her fitness to an entirely new level.
On the indoor oval, Bohlke looked capable of competing with top ACC stars, running 8:55 for 3000 meters before earning bronze in that same event at the ACC Indoor Championships.
Then, on the outdoor oval, Bohlke took down those same conference-level stars to win the outdoor 5000-meter title at the ACC Championships. The Virginia Tech standout would go on to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships where she ran a monster 15:18 (5k) PR en route to 8th place All-American honors.
Yes, we can fully admit that Bohlke's current cross country resume isn't all that exciting or flashy. Even so, running a 15:18 (5k) PR and earning All-American honors in that event (even if it was the result of Doris Lemngole being DQ'd) is simply too good to ignore when crafting rankings for this fall.
After all, it's not like that performance was a fluke -- there have been other results on Bohlke's resume that validate her fitness.
We still need to see this Virginia Tech star translate her track success to the grass -- that is far easier said than done. Regardless, everything that we've seen from her as of late suggests that she's in the running to be an All-American by the time we reach November.
