TSR's "If Everything Was Normal" D2 Top 25 XC Rankings: #10-6 (Women)

As mentioned in our rankings rubric article, we are aware that certain conferences and universities will not be competing this fall due to ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19. However, for the sake of content, we have constructed these rankings as if a regular cross country season will happen.

10. Morgan Molesworth, Redshirt Junior, Colorado Mines

9. Zoe Baker, Junior, Colorado Mines

The women of Colorado Mines were a top team in the country last year, producing a handful of top finishes and stay competitive in the always loaded Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.Two big reasons behind their season success? Morgan Molesworth and Zoe Baker.

Molesworth was someone who made a significant amount of improvement throughout last fall. She didn't have many jaw-dropping performances, but you could see that she was consistently progressing as the season went on. She was 14th at the Capital Cross Challenge and later finished 13th at the RMAC Championships. At the deeper South Central regional meet, she finished 11th overall before having the race of her life at the National Championships to finish 16th.

Baker, on the other hand, was already at the top of her game from the moment the 2019 cross country season began. She won the UCCS Rust-Buster and later finished 8th at the Capital Cross Challenge. Her 9th place finish at the RMAC Championships and 5th place finish at the South Central regional meet indicated that she could have been a top-15 contender at the national meet.

That didn't quite happen as Baker ended up finishing 19th overall in Sacramento. Still, the Colorado Mines ace proved to be a lethal low-stick alongside Molesworth throughout the entirety of last year.

What we like about both of these women is that their progression and improvement didn't stop after the 2019 cross country season. Baker ended up running a (heavily converted) 9:38 for 3000 meters this past winter while Molesworth ran a pair of personal bests in the 3k and 5k on the indoor track.

Both of these women have shown tremendous upside as well as the capability to to compete against some of the best women in the nation. For that reason, they each secured a top-10 spot in our preseason rankings.

8. Celine Ritter, Senior, Lee (Tenn.)

What Ritter has done since joining the Lee Flames has been simply incredible. She has emerged as a true low-stick capable of giving her team legitimate scoring potency while also battling some of the top individual talents in the NCAA.

The Trevecca Nazarene Showcase was Ritter's first true challenge of the 2019 season, but she handled the quietly competitive field with ease, taking home the win in what some may argue was a statement performance.

She would later finish 4th at the top-heavy Royals XC Challenge, falling behind the likes of Hannah Steelman and Leah Hanle -- two distance standouts were among the best in Division I and Division II, respectively.

After cruising through the Gulf South Conference Championships as well as the South Regional Championships (two races where she took home two titles), Ritter ended her season with a very respectable 22nd place finish at NCAA's.

Overall, it's hard to dislike what Ritter brings to the table. She a consistent top finisher at some of the most competitive meets in the country and hasn't been afraid to run with some of the best women in the nation. Admittedly, her conference and region aren't super competitive, but Ritter hasn't given us any reason to believe that she's not a top-10 talent, especially after running 4:46 (mile, flat-track converted) and 9:31 (3k) this past winter...

7. Alden Gruidel, Senior, MSU-Denver

I would argue that Guidel is one of the most underrated distance runners at the Division II level. What she accomplished last year -- in what was a huge breakout season for her -- was outstanding, although her performances may have been overlooked by the elite talent she was facing in the RMAC and South Central region.

Last fall, Gruidel shook off the summer rust with a 3rd place finish at the UCCS Rust-Buster before going on to take the win at the Colorado College Invitational and placing 2nd at the Road Runners Invitational.

However, when the MSU-Denver veteran began to face larger fields with better competition, she thrived. She finished runner-up at the Lewis Crossover meet, losing only to Allie Ludge and pulling ahead of numerous top distance talents such as Hanna Groeber, Lauren Bailey, Jennifer Comastri, etc.

A 6th place finish at the RMAC Championships validated her excellent performance at Lewis Crossover, as did her 8th place finish at the South Central regional meet. She would later end her season with a 20th place finish at Nationals.

We haven't seen her compete on the track lately, but that doesn't make her any less talented or accomplished. She took down some top-tier distance runners last year and we didn't/don't expect that to change in 2020.

6. Nancy Jeptoo, Senior, Alaska Anchorage

When Jeptoo is at the top of her game, she is awfully difficult to take down. She has a ton of raw talent and has proven on multiple occasions that she can compete with the best in Division II.

The Alaska Anchorage veteran started last second was a runner-up finish at the Blugold Invite before venturing to the Capital Cross Challenge where she would face top-tier competition. However, Jeptoo struggled at that meet, dropping all the way to 21st in the final results.

Her performance in Sacramento was far from encouraging, but she came back with vengeance throughout the rest of the season. Jeptoo secured the win at the Western Washington Invite, placed 3rd at the GNAC Championships, finished 4th in the West region and capped off her season with an excellent 10th place finish at the national meet.

Overall, Jeptoo has the talent of an elite distance ace capable of taking down anyone when she's at her best. That, however, is not always a given and her consistency could improve just a little bit.

Regardless, a personal best of 9:48 for 3000 meters this past winter indicates that Jeptoo's fitness is still trending in the right direction.