TSR's "If Everything Was Normal" D3 Top 20 XC Rankings: #15-11 (Women)

Additional contributions from Hannah Thorn

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.

15. Lila Cardillo, Junior, Pomona-Pitzer

Another runner trying to go for their third All-American honor in cross country was Lila Cardillo from Pomona-Pitzer. While runners from the West region often get overlooked, Cardillo made a significant impact at last year's national meet, finishing 12th overall in Louisville. She was also the 2019 SIAC conference champion and went on to finish 12th in the West region.

Unfortunately, the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehen had a bit of an underwhelming track season. She only raced three times this past winter with her best result being a time of 10:13 in the 3000 meters which was ranked at NCAA #52 in Division III.

Cardillo fares better in the longer distances with personal bests of 17:43 in the 5k and 36:30 in the 10k. Those PRs aren’t as strong as the women in front of her, but Cardillo has always thrived in cross country and has consistently peaked at the national meet. She's not exactly unbeatable, and her race at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational made her seem a bit more human, but she is someone who thrives when racing on the grass and dirt.

She has the clutch gene when it comes to cross country and that is something that cannot be ignored when talking about the country's top distance runners.

14. Amanda Mosborg, Senior, Carleton

One of two strong returners for Carleton is senior Amanda Mosborg. Coming into this year, she was expected to team up with star low-stick Clara Mayfield in the hopes of improving Carleton’s 5th place team finish the 2019 National Championships. Unfortunately, that goal will have to be delayed with the national meet now cancelled.

Mosborg had a breakout season last fall, especially in the last month of competition. At the Connecticut College Invitational, she ran a PR of 21:27 for 6000 meters which resulted in a 6th place finish over a handful of respectable distance talents. She later won the MIAC conference title before finishing 3rd at the Central Regional Championships, and finally capped the season off by earning her first All-American honor at the national meet by finishing 13th place overall.

Mosborg did not run track this past indoor season, but she has personal bests of 5:12 (mile), 10:13 (3k) and 17:35 (5k). If she had competed this past winter, it wouldn't have been surprising to see her finish as an All-American had the NCAA Championships not been cancelled.

13. Clara Mayfield, Sophomore, Carleton

Winning the first two college races you've ever competed in is a pretty solid way to start your career, and Mayfield did just that to kick-off her 2019 cross country season.

The Carleton ace continued to hold her own against experienced competition throughout the rest of the year, finishing 7th at the Connecticut College Invitational, 3rd at the MIAC Championships and 5th at the Central Regional Championships. Mayfield capped off her season with a 30th place result at NCAA’s.

Although her performance at the national meet was a little underwhelming, her overall season was incredibly strong, especially for someone who was so young and had such little experience.

As she transitioned into the winter months, Mayfield recorded times of 9:55 (3k) and 17:16 (5k) which came on the double at the MIAC Indoor Championships, proving that her success during the fall months wasn't a fluke. Both of those times ranked inside the top 11 on the D3 national leaderboard this past winter.

Having a top-tier teammate like Mosborg to train with will be a huge boost for Mayfield moving forward as they both had very good shots at potentially finishing inside the top 10 at NCAA's if the meet hadn't been cancelled.

As one of the best freshmen in D3 last year, she will be one of the best up-and-coming names to watch out for in the coming years.

12. Sophie Elgamal, Senior, U. of Chicago

Heading a strong U. of Chicago team, Sophie Elgamal is an all-around talent who could have found herself placing inside the top 10 at Nationals this fall had the meet not been cancelled.

Admittedly, Elgamal had a very quiet and somewhat unexciting regular season last year. However, she really rounded into form with her 3rd place finish at the Midwest Regional Championships, followed by her 16th place finish at the National Championships.

But it's what Elgamal has done on the track that really helped her stock in our rankings. She finished 3rd at the 2019 Indoor National Championships in the 3000 meters and also owns a personal best of 9:45 in the event.

The next time we see her could very well be on the track, but we still believe that she would have been a major threat on the grass and dirt this fall had the season gone on as normal.

11. Sophia Gorman, Senior, Colby

Sophia Gorman has always been a consistently strong performer on the grass for Colby. She rarely has bad races and always produces top finishes regardless of the stage that she is racing on.

Gorman has only finished outside of the top 10 once over the last two cross country seasons, making her no stranger to front-running or top-tier competition. She’s won the last two NESCAC titles and has finished 3rd at the New England Regional Championships over the last two years. Talk about consistency...

Her 11th place (2018) and 9th place (2019) finishes at NCAA’s have been evidence of her prowess on the D3 level and ability to peak at the right time. However, her times on the track were a bit underwhelming and the women ahead of her were much faster in most of the main distance events.

Regardless, Gorman was set up to likely earn another top 10 finish this fall had things been normal.