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NOTE: These rankings are based on how a team fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). KEY (Unranked): Was not ranked in our last update. (#/#): First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings. The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update. 25. Washington State Cougars (-1 / 24) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 24. Washington Huskies (-1 / 23) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 23. Michigan State Spartans (-1 / 22) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 22. Minnesota Golden Gophers (-1 / 21) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 21. Virginia Tech Hokies (-1 / 20) The Virginia Tech men recently toed the line for the Panorama Farms Invitational two weekends ago. There, they would face in-state and conference rival, Virginia. Of course, the Hokies proved to be the better team by a fairly clear margin, a development that was hardly surprising. George Couttie (1st) was brilliant as expected, but it was Samuel Idiens (2nd) who was shockingly effective as a secondary scorer. The rest of the Hokies' lineup, which featured scorers such as Michael Bohlke (6th), Cameron Davis (10th) and Ryan Hagan (12th), generally held their own. Even so, those backend gaps could be an issue in a larger and dramatically more competitive field. It also wasn't ideal to see Kenyan newcomer, Nixon Kosgei (16th), struggle after looking plenty strong at the Fire Tower Project meet earlier this season. That is ultimately why we're pushing the Virginia Tech men back one spot in these rankings. Regardless, this was a small meet with limited competition -- the Hokies were heavily favored to win this race and they did so with relative ease. 20. Villanova Wildcats (+5 / 25) You gotta give the Villanova men some credit, they simply look far stronger and far more complete this fall than they did at any point last year. That was further evidenced at Pre-Nationals two weekends ago where the Wildcats took runner-up honors, just 12 points behind Syracuse. The emergence of Bailey Habler (6th) to low-stick form is huge for a team that needed the firepower. However, we can't say enough good things about the middle portion of this scoring contingent. The trio of Charlie Moore, Thomas McMahon and Jack Fenlon were outstanding in Terre Haute, going 25-26-28, respectively, to offer immense stability. That was especially huge as CJ Sullivan had a clear "off" day and did not score. If Sullivan had been operating at top form, then there is a real world where Villanova would have taken home the team title at Pre-Nationals. And sure, this group is far from perfect. There are still minor questions about their fifth scoring spot and it doesn't seem like there is a legitimate secondary low-stick for this team to rally around. Regardless, you could argue for Villanova to be ranked at a better spot than TSR #20 and we wouldn't necessarily disagree. 19. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (-1 / 18) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 18. Eastern Kentucky Colonels (-1 / 17) Eastern Kentucky didn't field a men's lineup at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. They did, however, enter 2025 All-American Brian Kimutai, a key low-stick for this squad entering this fall. The Colonel low-stick had a fine outing, taking 8th place overall, but the best version of this Kenyan standout was likely capable of battling for the win. Sure, he can still be a valuable scorer for EKU this fall, but he may not be nearly as potent as we thought he could be during the summer months. 17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-3 / 14) Yes, it's true, the Notre Dame men faded to 3rd place at Pre-Nationals, losing not only to Syracuse, but also to Villanova. The Fighting Irish had two men crack the top-15 in Terre Haute, but their next-best scorer settled for 39th place. There is, however, a catch. The Fighting Irish didn't field Ethan Coleman for Pre-Nationals. He is a cross country star who earned All-Americans honors last fall and ran 13:24 for 5000 meters in December of 2025. He has not raced since then, but The Stride Report has learned that Coleman is expected to debut at the ACC XC Championships this Friday. If Coleman is back in top form and actually debuts, then there is a real chance that Notre Dame can (potentially) threaten for the ACC crown. That's especially true if men such as Daelen Ackley and Cameron Todd can be the low-sticks that they were just a couple of weekends ago. Of course, other names such as Drew Griffith and Kevin Sanchez will need to cut-down on backend lineup gaps if the Fighting Irish want to defeat Stanford, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Syracuse. 16. Georgetown Hoyas (0 / 16) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 15. Syracuse Orange (+4 / 19) The Syracuse men won Pre-Nationals two weekends ago, defeating the likes of Villanova, Notre Dame, Wichita State and North Carolina in the process. But truthfully, it feels like the Orange left a heavy chunk of points on the table in Terre Haute -- and that's both good and bad. At Pre-Nationals, the quartet of Connor Ackley, Benne Anderson, Ben Gabelman and Louis Small went 15-16-18-22, respectively. Their fifth man, Connell Alford, took 44th place. That is a strong and stable top-four, but there were multiple areas where Syracuse could have been better. Anderson is a key low-stick at his best, even taking down Alabama's Dismus Lokira at the Princeton Meadows Classic earlier this fall. At his best, he should have been way better than 16th place in Terre Haute. Not only that, but Connell Alford needs to close down on the gap in front of him, something he proved capable of doing when he toed the line at Princeton. But at the same time, let's also recognize that the Orange men secured a team title at a major invitational against multiple nationally ranked squads despite having a C+ performance (relative to their standards). If they were able to produce that result in that kind of scenario, then just how dangerous can they be when they're firing on all cylinders? For that reason, we moved them up to TSR #15 in our rankings. 14. Tennessee Volunteers (+1 / 15) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 13. Harvard Crimson (0 / 13) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 12. Wisconsin Badgers (0 / 12) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 11. Stanford Cardinal (0 / 11) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 10. Florida Gators (0 / 10) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 9. Iowa State Cyclones (0 / 9) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0 / 8) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 7. Arkansas Razorbacks (0 / 7) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 6. BYU Cougars (0 / 6) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 5. Colorado Buffaloes (0 / 5) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 4. Oregon Ducks (0 / 4) The Bill Dellinger Invite is a fine meet, but it didn't really tell us anything new about the Ducks. That said Simeon Birnbaum (1st) and Connor Burns (2nd) look solid, and the same could be said about Connor McCormick (8th). Regardless, we're not going to get a good look at what Oregon's full lineup actually looks like until they reach the BIG 10 XC Championships this Friday. 3. Alabama Crimson Tide (0 / 3) No surprises here as the Alabama men crushed their competition at the Crimson Classic two weekends ago. The Crimson Tide posted a perfect score of 15 points, sweeping the top-six spots in the field. That's an impressive development when you consider that the race was fairly honest based on the final results. Regardless, that race didn't tell us anything new about the Alabama men. Instead, we'll get a better idea of just how good this squad is when they toe the line for the SEC XC Championships where they will be favored for gold. Alabama men competing at the Crimson Classic // Photo via Alabama Athletics 2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (0 / 2) The Weis-Crockett Invitational, a home meet for Oklahoma State, was simply a testing ground for the backend contributors of the Cowboys' lineup. Oral Roberts' ace, Abraham Chelangam, took home the win, but it was a massive contingent of Oklahoma State runners who trailed him, specifically Henry Dover, Noah Strohman and Will Conway, in that order. However, in the grand scheme of things, the Weis-Crockett Invitational didn't tell us anything insightful about Oklahoma State. 1. New Mexico Lobos (0 / 1) Have not competed since our last rankings update. ADDED N/A KICKED OFF N/A JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Wichita State Shockers Georgia Bulldogs Furman Paladins Princeton Tigers Butler Bulldogs Tulsa Golden Hurricane Utah Valley Wolverines Arizona Wildcats North Carolina Tar Heels Cornell Big Red HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Tulane Green Wave California Baptist Lancers Missouri Tigers Montana State Bobcats Louisville Cardinals Duke Blue Devils UCLA Bruins Michigan Wolverines Toledo Rockets Air Force Falcons Notes - N/A

NOTE: These rankings are based on how a team fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). KEY (Unranked): Was not ranked in our last update. (#/#): First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings. The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update. 25. Arkansas Razorbacks (Unranked) The Arturo Barrios Invitational was the first time this season that we have seen the Arkansas women toe the line against a competitive field. And while the meet wasn't necessarily stacked, it did feature an Eastern Kentucky team that was previously listed at TSR #25 in our rankings. On that stage, Isca Chelangat settled for 2nd place. And while we were expecting her to win the individual title, the former Oklahoma State runner still proved to be exceptionally potent. However, more important was seeing the return of ace Paityn Noe (13th). She's clearly not in top form yet, but she's still strong enough to be an impact scorer for an Arkansas team that is limited on top-five options. Pairing her with freshman standout Braelyn Combe (16th), as well as Kenyan newcomer, Emma Chepngetich (21st), gave the Razorbacks a compact and stable top-four that was plenty productive. Yes, it's true, there was a significant drop-off at the fifth scoring spot in this lineup as Arkansas' final scorer took 51st place. That is something that will need to be addressed moving forward. Regardless, Arkansas looks strong, balanced and steady enough through four runners to be a real threat to a number of top teams. And by taking down Eastern Kentucky by 21 points, it felt right to put the Razorbacks at TSR #25 in our rankings. Isca Chelangat competing at the Arturo Barrios Invite // Photo via Arkansas Athletics 24. Washington Huskies (-2 / 22) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 23. Clemson Tigers (Unranked) The Clemson women entered this season with plenty of questions regarding their depth, consistency and the availability of their top low-sticks. All of those aspects have been significant challenges for the Tiger women in recent years. However, Pre-Nationals proved to us that the best version of this squad is plenty dangerous. At that meet, the low-stick trio of Silvia Jelelgo, Nancy Cherop and Judy Kosgei went 4-11-16, respectively, to give their team plenty of (unsurprising) firepower. Of course, it was the return of 2023 All-American Gladys Chepngetich (47th) who gave this group enough stability to take 4th place in Terre Haute. Sure, the Clemson women still have major issues with depth that could hurt them later this season. But with a lethal top-three and a fourth runner who is seemingly good enough, the ladies in orange and purple should be plenty dangerous at the upcoming ACC XC Championships. 22. Minnesota Golden Gophers (-1 / 21) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 21. Northwestern Wildcats (-1 / 20) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 20. South Carolina Gamecocks (-1 / 19) We'll admit, the Gamecocks didn't impress us at the Joe Piane Invite earlier this season. And now, they have once again left us wanting more, taking a distant runner-up finish to Alabama at the Crimson Classic. In that race, the Gamecock duo of Salma Elbadra (5th) and Louise Bailly (6th) were defeated by four different Crimson Tide runners. Meanwhile, their latter three scorers went 9-10-12 in the overall results. In fairness to South Carolina, they were beaten by a top-10 team that was racing on their home course. Even so, the firepower of this squad isn't quite as potent as we thought it could be during the summer months. That, of course, could change at the SEC XC Championships where we'll get a better idea of how this team stacks up against their toughest field yet. 19. Virginia Cavaliers (-1 / 18) Losing to an in-state rival and conference rival in Virginia Tech is one thing. Losing to Virginia Tech on your home course is another thing. But to lose to Virginia Tech on your home course by a margin of 16 points when the Hokies didn't have their star ace, Katie Bohlke, is downright shocking. Sure, Gillian Bushee was great as she took the overall win, but she was the lone bright spot at the Panorama Farms Invitational for the Virginia women. The scoring contingent of Stella Kermes (7th), Carly Wilkes (8th), Cate DeSousa (9th) and Tatum David (11th) was fine, but UVA let an entire pack of five Virginia Tech runners finish ahead of them. The version of the Virginia women that we saw race at the Panorama Farms Invitational didn't look anything like the dominant version of the UVA team that we saw win the Loyola Lakefront Invitational. On paper, the Cavaliers were expected to be more potent, more balanced and more proven than a Virginia Tech team that didn't have their 15:18 (5k) runner. Maybe the UVA women were employing a more conservative pack-running approach for certain names. Even so, this was an odd result that took many of us at The Stride Report by surprise. Virginia women jump off the start line at the Panorama Farms Invite // Photo via Virginia Athletics 18. Virginia Tech Hokies (Unranked) One of the biggest surprises from two weekends ago was seeing the Virginia Tech women not only beat their conference rival and in-state rival, Virginia, but doing so by a margin of 16 points on the Cavaliers' home course. Oh, and the Hokies didn't even field their star ace, Katie Bohlke. While Virginia's focal low-stick, Gillian Bushee, did secure the individual title, the Virginia Tech women simply overwhelmed their rivals with compact scoring and depth. The contingent of Brenda Jeptoo, Aniya Mosley, Emma Lindner, Lila Waters and Joan Chepkorir went 2-3-4-5-6, respectively, in the overall results. That, in turn, allowed the Hokies to comfortably surpass a Virginia squad that was seemingly at full strength and had won the Loyola Lakefront Invitational earlier this fall. Not only that, but the Virginia Tech women were also missing 9:44 steeplechaser, Jule Lindner, as well! Put simply, this Virginia Tech team just proved to be a national-caliber squad without two extremely important scoring pieces. If they were this good against a strong Virginia squad, then just how good can the Blacksburg-based ladies be when they have a full lineup? 17. Missouri Tigers (0 / 17) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-6 / 10) The Notre Dame women predictably finished in 3rd place at Pre-Nationals two weekends ago. However, the manner in which they took bronze was admittedly underwhelming...very underwhelming. Mary Bonner Dalton (26th) and Amaya Aramini (48th) are not anywhere near their low-stick form that we saw from them in 2025. And without any legitimate firepower, both at Pre-Nationals and at the Joe Piane Invite, it's been hard for this team to stand out. In Terre Haute, they only defeated a once-unranked Clemson squad by a margin of just 16 points. Sure, other women such as Gretchen Farley (36th), Chloe Huyler (49th) and Isabel Allori (54th) mostly held their own. Even so, the Fighting Irish women haven't been nearly as potent as we thought they would be. Mary Bonner Dalton competing at the Joe Piane Invite // Photo via Notre Dame Athletics 15. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (+1 / 16) There's not much to talk about when it comes to Oklahoma State and their latest effort at the Weis-Crockett Invitational, a home meet for the Cowgirls. There, Gentry Turner and Autumn Michalski went 1-2 in a race that was basically a team time trial with Ossly Murambidzi (Oral Roberts), Joyce Kiptabut (Kansas State) and Payton Fink (Kansas State) also found in the top-10. Ultimately, Turner and Michalski will be pivotal names to monitor in the postseason for Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls have a top-heavy lineup, but it's their latter scoring spots that will make or break this group in championship settings. 14. Utah Utes (+1 / 15) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 13. Washington State Cougars (+1 / 14) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 12. Toledo Rockets (+1 / 13) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 11. Stanford Cardinal (+1 / 12) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 10. Oregon Ducks (+1 / 11) The Bill Dellinger Invite didn't really tell us anything new about the Oregon women. Diana Cherotich (1st) and Juliet Cherubet (2nd) are still elite, while Danish newcomer Sofia Thogersen (6th) looks like a solid backend contributor. The same can be said about Ella Thorsett (7th). However, we still have not seen Dalia Frias toe the line this fall, and that leaves us slightly concerned as we enter the postseason. That said, Oregon clearly likes to stay under the radar until they reach championship season, meaning that it wouldn't surprise us if the Ducks debuted Frias at the BIG 10 XC Championships this Friday. 9. Colorado Buffaloes (0 / 9) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 8. Iowa State Cyclones (-1 / 7) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 7. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1 / 8) Cruising to a win at the Crimson Classic, a meet held on their home course, wasn't necessarily surprising to see for the Alabama women. That said, seeing names such as Mildred Rono (3rd) and Brenda Tuwei (4th) also take down South Carolina's top low-sticks such as Salma Elbadra (5th) and Louise Bailly (6th) was exceptionally encouraging. With Milicent Wafula (7th) not far behind, the Crimson Tide women look fairly complete through each of their scoring spots as they approach the SEC XC Championships. And as long as Tuwei is firing on all cylinders, this team can realistically stay in the podium conversation...we think. Alabama women competing at the Crimson Classic // Photo via Alabama Athletics 6. New Mexico Lobos (0 / 6) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 5. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0 / 5) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 4. Florida Gators (0 / 4) Have not competed since our last rankings update. 3. West Virginia Mountaineers (0 / 3) Have not fielded their top lineup since our last rankings update. 2. BYU Cougars (0 / 2) 1. NC State Wolfpack (0 / 1) Hold on, hold on. Put down your torches and pitchforks just for a moment. Yes, I know that BYU defeated NC State at Pre-Nationals. And yes, I know that the Cougars didn't have Jane Hedengren for that race (she was ill). We should also note that low-stick Jenna Hutchins didn't have her best outing, either. However, the NC State women were without three crucial names on their own, specifically Grace Hartman, Sadie Engelhardt and Rachel Forsyth. Those are three high-impact stars who have either been All-Americans before or are more-than-capable of earning that honor come November. It is admittedly unclear what the current status of those three women is -- there may be a world where one or two of them (or dare I say three) end up not competing at all this season. And if that's the case, then BYU deserves the nod for our TSR #1 spot. However, we're going to give it until after conference meet weekend before we shift those two teams in our rankings. ADDED Arkansas Razorbacks Clemson Tigers Virginia Tech Hokies KICKED OFF Eastern Kentucky Colonels North Carolina Tar Heels Boston College Eagles JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Eastern Kentucky Colonels North Carolina Tar Heels Boston College Eagles Penn State Nittany Lions Princeton Tigers Providence Friars Oklahoma Sooners Tennessee Volunteers Louisville Cardinals Duke Blue Devils HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Wake Forest Demon Deacons Vanderbilt Commodores Furman Paladins Kentucky Wildcats Gonzaga Bulldogs Michigan State Spartans Syracuse Orange Villanova Wildcats Oregon State Beavers Indiana Hoosiers Notes - N/A

The postseason is fast approaching and a handful of major regular season meets have wrapped up in recent weeks. That, in turn, is expected to make this weekend's distance running action a bit quieter (but certainly not silent) by comparison. So...what do we do now? I thought now would be a good time to poll you, our readers, on where your feelings are regarding a variety of different topics, specifically for Division Two. Also, if you haven't already, be sure to go check out our Division One poll and enter your votes there! NOTE: All votes are anonymous. Only one vote allowed per polling question. Be sure to click the "See All Options" button at the bottom of each poll to see a full list of voting options for each question. It may take a minute or two for votes to be reflected in the aggregate total of each poll.

The postseason is fast approaching and a handful of major regular season meets have wrapped up in recent weeks. That, in turn, is expected to make this weekend's distance running action a bit quieter (but certainly not silent) by comparison. So...what do we do now? I thought now would be a good time to poll you, our readers, on where your feelings are regarding a variety of different topics, specifically for Division Three. Also, if you haven't already, be sure to go check out our Division One poll, as well as our Division Two poll, and enter your votes there! NOTE: All votes are anonymous. Only one vote allowed per polling question. Be sure to click the "See All Options" button at the bottom of each poll to see a full list of voting options for each question. It may take a minute or two for votes to be reflected in the aggregate total of each poll.

The postseason is fast approaching and a handful of major regular season meets have wrapped up in recent weeks. That, in turn, is expected to make this weekend's distance running action a bit quieter (but certainly not silent) by comparison, at least for Division One. So...what do we do now? I thought now would be a good time to poll you, our readers, on where your feelings are regarding a variety of different topics. NOTE: All votes are anonymous. Only one vote allowed per polling question. Be sure to click the "See All Options" button at the bottom of each poll to see a full list of voting options for each question. It may take a minute or two for votes to be reflected in the aggregate total of each poll.

Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Garrett goes solo to recap an action-packed weekend at D1 Pre-Nationals, headlined by BYU’s thrilling victory over top-ranked NC State and what the result means for the women’s national title picture. He breaks down the rest of the women’s team results as well as Hannah Gapes’ record-setting individual victory before shifting his attention to the men’s race. There, Syracuse put four runners in the top-22 to secure an impressive team win. Garrett also analyzes Silas Kiptanui’s breakthrough performance and what his biggest career victory means for his standing among the nation’s best. To close out the episode, he touches on the biggest results and takeaways from the Panorama Farms Invitational and Arturo Barrios Invitational, rounding out another revealing weekend of NCAA cross country action. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (2:04) BYU Women Hold Off NC State to Win Pre-Nationals & Rest of Women’s Team Results (22:57) Hannah Gapes Sets Course Record for Individual Title at Pre-Nationals (29:10) Syracuse Men Put Four in the Top-22 on Way to Pre-Nationals Win & Rest of Men’s Team Results (50:09) Silas Kiptanui Captures Biggest Win of His Career at Pre-Nationals (52:26) Quick Hits You can listen to that episode (and others) on our PODCASTS page! You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you like it, be sure to leave us a rating and a review! Note: If you're having issues loading the episode on the site via mobile, try refreshing the episode page. We will look into this issue for future episodes.

Written by Kevin Fischer & Conor Daly Additional edits and commentary via Gavin Struve and 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 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). 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. 25. Breanna Schmitt, Senior, George Fox (-6 / 19) On a weekend that was packed with Division Three interregional competition, George Fox and Breanna Schmitt were a bit away from the fray. Other than the Bruins, Carleton was the only national-caliber Division Three team competing at Linfield’s George Oja Invite, so it was hard to gauge Schmitt’s runner-up finish against what others achieved elsewhere. With that said, she was 2nd in a reasonably competitive field across multiple divisions. We didn’t learn that much about where she stacks up in comparison to other Division Three talents, so we were a bit conservative in her ranking. With that said, it wouldn't necessarily be a shock to see her threaten names like Charlie Flint and Elena Stanciu when the West Regional XC Championships roll around. 24. Joley Berger, Junior, Ripon (-6 / 18) Once again, Joley Berger solidified herself as someone who's comfortably an All-American-level talent with a 6th place finish at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. She lost a few spots in our rankings after finishing behind three previously unranked athletes in Elena Stanciu (2nd), Keelee Leitzen (4th), and Alexandra Lohse (5th). Regardless, this is a result that she can absolutely be pleased with. After also placing 6th at the Running of the Cows, Berger is putting together a complete season with plenty of consistency in her performances. She is knocking on the door of being among the upper-tier women in Division Three, and it’s hard to imagine her dropping outside of the top-40 come November. 23. Stella Kuttner, Junior, NYU (-7 / 16) In her first all-out effort of the fall, Stella Kuttner was solid with a 4th place finish at the Mike Woods Invitational. There was still a bit of sharpness missing, but that can absolutely come with a couple more races. Ultimately, this was a low-stakes outing for the Violets, who beat runner-up Carnegie Mellon (TSR #9), 20 points to 60 points. The important thing from a team perspective was to have athletes like Kuttner racing and looking reasonably close to their top form. Kuttner absolutely passed that preliminary test, and we have the opportunity at a loaded UAA XC Championships to get more clarity on where she is at. For now, she drops a few spots but stays within our top-25. 22. Alexandra Lohse, Sophomore, U. of Chicago (Unranked) We saw some great outings from Alexandra Lohse early on this season. But with the U. of Chicago not running against any strong Division Three fields, there was still a bit of a question as to what those results meant. Lohse's performance at the Augustana Interregional Invitational demonstrated that all of the positive signs regarding her start were legitimate. She was part of a breakaway group of seven women with under a mile to go, and held on well for a 5th place finish. As a team, we seem to have underestimated the Maroons a bit in the preseason, and Lohse's development is a big part of the change in our evaluation. 21. Ashlyn Pallotta, Sophomore, NYU (-8 / 13) A lot of what we said about Stella Kuttner (TSR #23) also applies to Ashlyn Pallotta. A notable difference between the two is that Pallotta probably has a bit of a higher ceiling on the grass. Last fall she was the UAA cross country champion and the 4th place finisher in the Paul Short Run “White” race, so her 29th place national meet finish could have been considered a bit underwhelming. It's nice to see her running at a high level after a track campaign with limited availability, even if you ideally would have liked to see her a bit closer to teammate Josephine Dziedzic. There's nothing to panic about regarding Pallotta, and her potential this fall is still well within reach. 20. Madison Hedglin, Sophomore, Misericordia (-8 / 12) Through no fault of her own, the meets Madison Hedglin has competed at haven't exactly been a gauntlet. With that said, she did face Kathryn Arbegast at the Houghton Highlander Invitational. While she finished 2nd behind Arbegast at that meet, the gap between them was sizable enough to generate a bit of concern about Hedglin's current fitness. Even so, we have to give her some benefit of the doubt as she has only lost to one Division Three competitor all fall. Her pedigree on the grass, including a 19th place finish at last year’s cross country national meet, is also a factor that keeps her within our top-20. 19. Keelee Leitzen, Junior, Loras (Unranked) This middle distance star looks better aerobically with each race. After a strong 16th place showing at the Running of the Cows, Keelee Leitzen was 4th at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. We knew that Leitzen had some range, but her prior cross country history didn't necessarily indicate that she was quite this versatile. It's possible that a TSR #19 ranking may still be a cautious estimate of her potential, and it's a bit difficult to pinpoint where her ceiling is after a breakthrough effort like this. All we can say now is that she's an exceptionally dynamic talent across all three seasons of competition. 18. Kiera Tallas, Senior, Connecticut College (+4 / 22) A top-10 finish on her home course at the Connecticut College Invitational gave Kiera Tallas another strong result. When you compete in the NESCAC and the Mideast region, the postseason as a whole looks pretty unforgiving. With that said, we aren't worried about somebody like Tallas. Not only is she in great form, but she is also highly battle-tested over the course of this season as well as her career. She's passed every test so far this fall, and we are high on her heading into the next few weeks. 17. Kathryn Arbegast, Senior, RIT (Unranked) The schedule has been pretty packed for Kathryn Arbegast this fall. She has raced in each of the last three weeks, and twice since our last rankings update. After running away from our then-TSR #12 runner, Madison Hedglin, at the Houghton Highlander Invitational, Arbegast was a distant 2nd place at SUNY Geneseo's Mike Woods Invitational behind Josephine Dziedzic. She took pretty significant head-to-head victories there over the NYU duo of Ashlyn Pallotta and Stella Kuttner. Even without having run at meets like the Running of the Cows, the Connecticut College Invitational or the Augustana Interregional Invitational, Arbegast has still managed to face a pretty decent schedule and beat three of our current top-25 runners. It will be interesting to see how she fares in a larger field, but she has given us plenty of evidence already that she is incredibly competitive. 16. Olivia Warr, Senior, Washington and Lee (-13 / 3) It was far from a dream day for Olivia Warr in her first big test against Division Three competition this season. After spending most of the Connecticut College Invitational within the top-five, Warr fell back to 10th place in the final 1200 meters. The body of work throughout her career merits some benefit of the doubt, but it is a concern that this is our only real data point when comparing her to other Division Three talents this fall. Either way, her ceiling is much higher than most others ranked in the same range as her. Olivia Warr competing at the NCAA XC Championships // Photo via Ryanne Sutton 15. April Schilling, Senior, Connecticut College (0 / 15) Following a massive breakthrough in the first month of the season, April Schilling continues to churn out big performances. At the Connecticut College Invitational, she lost to a couple of women whom she had beaten at the Running of the Cows, but her 9th place finish was not a bad outing by any means. Schilling's meteoric rise has yielded a level of expectations that she has not had to deal with to this point. Ultimately, that means that you can have solid results like she did this past weekend and still feel like there was something to be desired. With that being said, our assessment of Schilling is not all that different than it was two weeks ago. 14. Lucinda Laughlin, Junior, Washington U. (-7 / 7) We saw a decent performance from Lucinda Laughlin at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, but it wasn't quite up to par with our previous assessment of her. Laughlin moved up from 13th place to 7th place in the final 1100 meters at the Running of the Cows, and from 12th place to 7th place in the final 1500 meters at Augustana. For somebody of her talent level, there is a question as to whether a bit more assertiveness could put her more in the mix at the top of fields. We're of course picking nits, as Laughlin certainly hasn't run poorly this year. We do believe, though, that in the right race she is a top-10 talent in the country. She will get another chance to demonstrate that soon, with an individual matchup against the likes of Josephine Dziedzic and Katja Dunayevich on deck at the UAA XC Championships. 13. Tamar Byl, Senior, Williams (-3 / 10) One of the Ephs’ key stabilizing scorers has been excellent each time out this season, most recently delivering at the Connecticut College Invitational. Against a stacked field, Tamar Byl clocked an encouraging 7th place finish that suggests she will once again be a top-half All-American. That thought is validated by the fact that her two races on courses that she also competed on last fall have been roughly 10 seconds faster this year. She only moves down because a few other women exceeded expectations in a major way. 12. Annelise Jensen, Sophomore, Middlebury (Unranked) After running 2:12 (800) as a freshman, Annelise Jensen had rising star written all over her. However, there were no signs that her middle distance speed would effectively carry over to the cross country course. Regardless, Jensen has broken through in a huge way this fall, getting a spot in our rankings thanks to her monstrous 5th place finish at the Connecticut College Invitational. And now, looking back on it, there were hints that she could be close to doing something like this. Take, for example, beating teammate Claire Palmer at the Aldrich Invitational, or finishing closely behind Palmer at the Division One-loaded Maribel Sanchez Souther Invitational. With newfound aerobic talent, Jensen is amidst a breakout season that just happened to truly reveal itself this past weekend. 11. Elena Stanciu, Senior, UC Santa Cruz (Unranked) Despite a scarce racing schedule, Elena Stanciu has been excellent both times out. At the UCR Invitational, the senior ran a red-hot 20:25 (6k) on an inherently quick course. More importantly, she was the top Division Three woman of the day. Even though they were in separate races, running 10 seconds faster than Isla Duncan, who went on to place 13th at Running of the Cows (and was the first woman out of our rankings this week), is no joke. At the Augustana Interregional Invitational, Stanciu’s talents became more apparent thanks to the stiff Division Three competition she could be compared against. In a silver-medal-worthy performance, she finished ahead of five women who reside in our top-25, and she was just seconds away from taking the win. Prior to this season, Stanciu was recognized as an excellent miler with a blistering 4:50 personal best, but now it's becoming clear that she has reached a similar level over the 6k. Elena Stanciu (center) competing at the NCAA XC Championships // Photo via Ryanne Sutton 10. Kate Tuttle, Junior, Williams (-1 / 9) After a bit of a tougher season last fall, Kate Tuttle looks to have rebounded to be much closer to her best. Following a solid outing at Running of the Cows, the multi-time All-American was a crucial low-stick for her team with a 6th place finish at the Connecticut College Invitational. While we wish we could offer more thoughts on that performance, that's pretty in line with an athlete of her caliber, although that should not mitigate just how solid of a performance it is. 9. Bayleigh Armstrong, Senior, Southern Virginia (Unranked) Welcome to our rankings, Bayleigh Armstrong! Starting from outside our top-25, a 4th place finish at the Connecticut College Invitational is too legit of a performance to not give serious props to. That run was not necessarily out of nowhere. After all, Armstrong ran under 16:40 (5k) last spring to make a notable leap in fitness. In the early stages of this season, she was running well but not against any familiar Division Three competition. But once we saw her measure up to the other women in our rankings, the narrative became clearer that she's reached a new level on the cross country course. 8. Katja Dunayevich, Sophomore, U. of Chicago (+3 / 11) One of the top freshmen last year, Katja Dunayevich, remains one of the top runners in her class this fall. In her fourth race of the season, Dunayevich finally took on her first competitive Division Three field of the season at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. There, she logged the best cross country finish in her career with a 3rd place result. It’s important to note that Dunayevich did not peak well last fall, "only" finishing 64th at the NCAA XC Championships last fall. However, a year of experience can make a big difference, and we are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt considering her excellent resume that includes a top-10 finish at the indoor national meet. 7. Claire Palmer, Sophomore, Middlebury (+10 / 17) What’s better than having a great freshman year? Having a great freshman year and a great sophomore year! That is exactly the reality that Claire Palmer is living in as she excelled at the Connecticut College Invitational, taking home an above-expectations 3rd place finish. In that run, she only finished behind our two top-ranked athletes, suggesting that there could be more upside left for the sophomore who can seemingly do no wrong. 6. Carter Brotherton, Junior, Johns Hopkins (0 / 6) Following a top-five finish at the Running of the Cows in her main test before the national meet, Carter Brotherton faced a way less intimidating field at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational. As expected, the Blue Jay ace broke the tape in a low-cortisol win by over 15 seconds. Truthfully, there were no major takeaways about Brotherton’s form; rather, this was a simple encouraging sign that she continues to stay healthy. Carter Brotherton (center) competing over 5k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships // Photo via Nico Klementzos 5. Josephine Dziedzic, Senior, NYU (0 / 5) The cancellation of the Paul Short Run was a bummer to miss out on the opportunity to see Josephine Dziedzic and her fellow NYU teammates in action, considering their somewhat less competitive schedule. That’s why it was a relief to see Dziedzic in good form at the Mike Woods Invitational, where she took home the win by over 25 seconds. No, she wasn't challenged much by anyone outside of her own team, but to see her so far ahead of her teammates who are cross country All-Americans in their own right (and comfortably defeat three top-25 runners) was scary impressive. 4. Sophie Capozzi, Freshman, Williams (-1 / 3) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 3. Charlie Flint, Senior, Colorado College (+5 / 8) It’s so hard to make a jump when your starting point is already a cross country All-American, but Charlie Flint has managed to do just that. Her 3rd place finish at the Running of the Cows was excellent, and now her win at the Augustana Interregional Invitational is validating at the very least and resume-enhancing at best. In doing so, she took down many other top-25 names, All-Americans, and Midwest talents on the rise. Sure, she is yet to slay a true Goliath of Division Three running, but she is getting increasingly close to doing so. 2. Haley Schoenegge, Senior, Vassar (0 / 2) 1. Audrey MacLean, Senior, Middlebury (0 / 1) By far the biggest matchup of the weekend came at the Connecticut College Invitational, where the top-two women in Division Three went head-to-head. And as our rankings suggest, Audrey MacLean came out victorious, 13 seconds ahead of runner-up Haley Schoenegge. Truthfully, Schoenegge did not pursue MacLean as seriously as we would have expected, letting a gap open by the halfway point. Nonetheless, these were fitness-validating performances from both these women that put both solidly in contention for the individual national title. For Schoenegge, this snapped her five-race win streak, but of course losing to MacLean is forgivable. Ultimately, her win at the Running of the Cows stands as the most impressive win of the season outside of MacLean's win in this race. For MacLean, this is exactly the confidence-boosting performance that we needed to see to affirm her status as the national title favorite. Let’s not forget that she was beaten by a duo from Williams back in early September, a performance that looks way more forgivable now. No, Schoenegge and MacLean are not necessarily clear of the field, but they have each won against loaded fields that make them the class of Division Three based on what they have accomplished so far this fall. ADDED Bayleigh Armstrong (Southern Virginia) Elena Stanciu (UC Santa Cruz) Annelise Jensen (Middlebury) Kathryn Arbegast (RIT) Keelee Leitzen (Loras) Alexandra Lohse (U. of Chicago) KICKED OFF Grace Rowley (NYU) Ellie Kozich (DeSales) Ingrid Norquist (Macalester) Morgan Eigel (Williams) Isla Duncan (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) Sydney Shock (Johns Hopkins) JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Grace Rowley (NYU) Ingrid Norquist (Macalester) Morgan Eigel (Williams) Isla Duncan (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) Sydney Shock (Johns Hopkins) Faith Wehrman (UW-Stevens Point) Sofia Moukaddem (Suffolk) Zoe Ward (Ohio Wesleyan) Claudia Lasiowski (UW-Stout) Marah Benedict (UW-La Crosse) Jordan Liss-Riordan (Williams) Charlotte Crum (Bates) Ester Zar (Batten) HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Ellie Kozich (DeSales) Madison Twarling (UW-La Crosse) Liv Girand (MIT) Jocelyn Onstot (Rose-Hulman) Lily Simmonds (Tufts) Maya Ducker (Carnegie Mellon) Elise Kempf (Carnegie Mellon) Ananya Devpura (Carnegie Mellon) Julia Zalewski (UW-La Crosse) Lydia Maas (Wartburg) Cameron Gupta (Emory) Molly Novotny (UW-La Crosse) Lidia Dahlman (Cornell College) Zui Chinchalkar (Tufts) Amanda Intrieri (Johnson & Wales) Katya Henisz (Tufts) Notes - N/A

Written by Katie Hirsche & Gavin Struve Additional edits and commentary via Gavin Struve and 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 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). 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. 25. Colin Goldschmidt, Senior, RPI (-1 / 24) We thought that Colin Goldschmidt's 17th place finish at the Running of the Cows was a bit modest relative to his high preseason ranking, but after another solid race, we must admit that he's far ahead of where he was at this point last season. Considering that he concluded last fall with a comfortable All-American finish, Goldschmidt likely feels strong about where he is. Most recently, he placed 6th at the Mike Woods Invitational. He didn't exceed expectations, but he still beat some solid runners and continues to look like a quality lead scoring option for RPI. 24. Sam Su, Junior, John Carroll (Unranked) After a quietly solid 2025 cross country season, Sam Su really broke onto our radar with a mile All-American honor and an outdoor national meet 1500-meter runner-up performance earlier this year. Now, it appears that he is translating some of that elite fitness to the cross country course. Su placed 18th at the MSU-Auto Owners Spartan Invitational against D1 competition and then more recently finished 8th at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. That's a statement result in a loaded regular season field. This John Carroll veteran has already shown impressive postseason poise. That's why, paired with an ability to hold his own over the eight-kilometer distance, he is set up well to succeed over the coming month. 23. Tyler Bolaske, Senior, Keene State (Unranked) A 7th place finish at the Cardinal Invitational was in line with expectations for Tyler Bolaske, as was his runner-up result on his home course at the KSC Invitational. Then, he beat everyone who you could have reasonably asked him to at the Connecticut College Invitational, where he finished 4th. Bolaske improved upon his placement from last year at all three of those meets and now has far more national meet experience than he did a year ago (from placing top-100 at the NCAA XC Championships and 10th in the NCAA Indoor Championship mile finals). He's establishing a high floor befitting of a consistent veteran. 22. Harrison Dow, Senior, Amherst (-6 / 16) Even though he's dropping a bit in our rankings, Harrison Dow continues to impress. His 4th place finish at the Mike Woods Invitational complemented a 3rd place finish at the Cardinal Invitational, both relatively deep meets featuring a handful of All-American candidates. He's slightly ahead of where he was at this time last year, but Dow still has a challenge coming up next in matching or improving upon a bronze medal finish at the NESCAC XC Championships, which was his best showing of last fall. 21. Evan Lacey, Senior, RPI (-2 / 19) We were admittedly a bit underwhelmed by Evan Lacey's bronze medal finish at the RPI Fairgrounds Showdown. The same can be said for his 20th place result at the Running of the Cows. Sure, both efforts were solid but less so for someone who placed 22nd at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships. Thankfully, a recent 3rd place finish at the Mike Woods Invitational was an improvement and a clear step in the right direction. In Geneseo, New York, Lacey defeated Harrison Dow, Colin Goldschmidt and a couple of rising stars. Given that he's shown a propensity for peaking in the postseason, Lacey may well continue to improve over the coming weeks. Evan Lacey (left) competing at the NCAA XC Championships // Photo via Ryanne Sutton 20. Stan Craig, Senior, Amherst (Unranked) As we suggested above, the Mike Woods Invitational was sneaky-deep. That was, in part, because of Stan Craig, who finished runner-up ahead of a few men with bigger profiles. Aside from a modest start to this season at the Little Three XC Championships, Craig has spent the past year looking like a top-20 runner. He placed 12th over 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet, 15th over the same distance at the indoor national meet and nearly earned All-American honors at the 2025 cross country national meet. The upcoming NESCAC XC Championships will be a very interesting test for Craig against a handful of comparable talents, including the aforementioned Harrison Dow. 19. Renne Cooper, Junior, MIT (+3 / 22) Like the RPI duo listed above, Renne Cooper could have been better at the Running of the Cows (24th), but he too bounced back. Cooper placed 3rd, ahead of our TSR #23 runner, Tyler Bolaske, at the Connecticut College Invitational this past weekend. That was a clear momentum boost for the Engineer distance star in our eyes. Cooper is one of a number of big-name men now rounding into form ahead of the postseason. His next test will be winning his first NEWMAC individual cross country title, as he'll be a slight favorite. 18. Owen Clark, Junior, UW-La Crosse (-3 / 15) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 17. Stian Asper, Senior, Redlands (Unranked) It was hard to gauge Stian Asper's start to the season against D1 competition, aside from the fact that he was placing higher in those meets than he did a year ago en route to his 65th place finish at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships. We got a much better idea of Asper's ability when he outran Jerry Xu (TSR #14) at the Highlander Invitational this past weekend. The SCIAC XC Championships, where he earned bronze last year, will be an interesting upcoming test against the Pomona-Pitzer men. 16. Ayden Buchanan, Junior, Wartburg (+2 / 18) Following a breakout 8th place finish at the Running of the Cows in which he was even higher up in the field for much of the race, Ayden Buchanan backed that result up with a 7th place run at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. It's been a great week and month for Buchanan, who has now pieced together top-10 finishes in the two most competitive regular season meets to date and is the second scorer on the newly minted TSR #1 team. He helped Wartburg win the team titles at both of those meets while redefining his individual upside. 15. James Johnson, Junior, Simpson (IA) (Unranked) James Johnson was one of the few D3 men who likely had an even more enjoyable weekend than the aforementioned Ayden Buchanan. The rising Simpson (IA) star placed 4th at the Augustana Interregional Invitational behind three men ranked at TSR #11 or higher and defeated our TSR #5 and TSR #6 runners as well. Coupled with his 11th place finish at the Running of the Cows, and Johnson is on a heater entering the postseason. He'll get to go up against the Wartburg men once again at the ARC XC Championships before what's set to be his first cross country national meet. 14. Jerry Xu, Junior, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0 / 14) A 6th place finish at the Running of the Cows keeps Jerry Xu placed highly in our rankings despite him finishing five seconds behind Asper at the Highlander Invitational. We may well be underrating Asper, but we can't vault him up further until he faces other top-end D3 competition. Xu has already done that, defeating the likes of Johnson, Buchanan and several other men in our rankings. 13. Caleb Tenney, Sophomore, Johns Hopkins (0 / 13) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 12. Jefferson Wright, Junior, Pomona-Pitzer (0 / 12) We didn’t learn anything new about Jefferson Wright at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. There, the Sagehens had a perfect score, and Wright placed 5th in a low-stakes meet. As such, there’s just not much to analyze. 11. Daniel Kasperan, Sophomore, North Central (Unranked) Wow, we knew that Daniel Kasperan was good, but not that good! If any North Central runner was going to get close to Isaiah Hammerand at the Augustana Interregional, it was expected to be BJ Sorg -- and he did. But so did Kasperan, who finished as the runner-up behind Hammerand, just five seconds away from the NCAA title favorite. Kasperan showed All-American form, at worst, and top-10 upside at best. He bided his time in a strong pack before managing to break away by a few seconds with Sorg, and we learned a lot about Kasperan in the process. Earlier this season, he had mostly only raced non-D3 competition at bigger meets. The upcoming postseason will be another valuable gauge of his upside. Daniel Kasperan competing at the 2025 North Central College XC Invitational // Photo via North Central Athletics 10. Everett Mosher, Senior, WPI (+1 / 11) The Connecticut College Invitational was a great showing for Everett Mosher, who ran aggressively (never falling out of the top-three) and took 2nd place behind a top-five runner in the end. Although Mosher couldn’t quite keep up with the race winner's finishing kick, he led for a portion of the race and held off a strong group of competitors, including our TSR #19 runner, Renne Cooper and our TSR #23 runner, Tyler Bolaske. Consistency is something that we value in terms of keeping someone high in the rankings, and Mosher has been quite consistent so far this fall. 9. Emerson Comer, Senior, SUNY Geneseo (+1 / 10) Despite the Mike Woods Invitational featuring teams such as NYU, Amherst and RPI, Emerson Comer took a 10-second victory to defend his home course. Comer made his move after the midway mark and didn’t look back, recording the fastest final split in the field and helping to bring home a team title for the Knights. We’d expect that type of result from Comer based on past success, but after a less-than-extraordinary finish at the RPI Fairgrounds Showdown a month ago, we’re relieved to see Comer back in top form. 8. Jonah Reisner, Senior, Tufts (-2 / 6) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 7. Brady Ott, Junior, Johns Hopkins (-2 / 5) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 6. Logan Murphy, Senior, UW-Stevens Point (-2 / 4) 5. Mateo Alvarado-Venegas, Junior, UW-Stevens Point (-2 / 3) Seeing these two men fade a bit to 5th place (Mateo Alvarado-Venegas) and 6th place (Logan Murphy) at the Augustana Interregional Invitational was a bit of a surprise to us. However, they were close in a tight pack and maybe just need to work on their speed. Plus, that same tactic of moving together as a pair was a bit more effective at the Running of the Cows, where they placed 2nd (Alvarado-Venegas) and 3rd (Murphy). The latest result is not a huge deal, as Murphy and Alvarado-Venegas have a few more weeks to work on their closing skills. Even so, that's enough to drop them two spots, each. Don’t get us wrong, though, that Running of the Cows effort was a massive statement and one that we won’t soon forget. Logan Murphy (center) competing over 10k at the Nico Klementzos // Photo via Nico Klementzos 4. Dylan Cote, Junior, Wesleyan (+4 / 8) After he took nearly a month off of competition due to the Paul Short Run cancelation, the Connecticut College Invitational brought an eight-second victory for Dylan Cote, who led his team to a 3rd place finish. Cote bided his time through the race, sitting in the top-five through the halfway point, then taking the lead and pulling away over the last kilometer. It was his third victory in as many tries this season (all in relatively robust fields) and one that shows his readiness to compete at an upper-tier level, something that he doesn’t have much experience with, but clearly has the fitness for. 3. BJ Sorg, Senior, North Central (+4 / 7) It’s been a fantastic season so far for BJ Sorg, a long-time star who's seemingly redefining his ceiling late in his career. He placed 3rd at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, just six seconds behind NCAA title favorite Isaiah Hammerand and less than one second behind Kasperan. Before that, we’d only seen Sorg take on non-D3 competition this fall, but that clearly primed him for the interregional stage. There, he worked with Kasperan to get close to Hammerand at the end of the race. Sorg has been great before, don’t get us wrong, but the one-time All-American looks to have reached a new level after breaking 24 minutes (8k XC) in consecutive races. 2. Anthony Clark, Sophomore, Johns Hopkins (0 / 2) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 1. Isaiah Hammerand, Senior, Wartburg (0 / 1) As if his emphatic victory at Running of the Cows wasn’t enough, Isaiah Hammerand took a big win at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, beating Kasperan, Sorg and everyone else by five seconds. Hammerand led from the gun, always ahead of the pack, and was able to hold off a group of high-level men to win his second consecutive race, establishing himself as an NCAA title favorite. He’s not unbeatable, of course, but it would take a lot to get past him. Having such a potent low-stick is key for a Knights team that wants to take the national team title in November, and Hammerand is living up to expectations so far. ADDED Daniel Kasperan (North Central) James Johnson (Simpson (IA)) Stian Asper (Redlands) Stan Craig (Amherst) Tyler Bolaske (Keene State) Sam Su (John Carroll) KICKED OFF Theo Udelson-Nee (NYU) Liam Hagerty (NYU) Harris Gulbransen (Tufts) Pierce Young (SUNY Geneseo) Sanju Patel (U. of Chicago) Chuck Vater (UW-La Crosse) JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Harris Gulbransen (Tufts) Sanju Patel (U. of Chicago) Simon Lane (Haverford) Sam Daunt (Washington and Lee) Dylan Fiegener (MIT) Jack Brown (Central College) Solomon Zaugg (Wartburg) Andrew Smith (Wartburg) Edomias Mulugeta (NYU) Rory Lieberman (Lebanon Valley College) HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Liam Hagerty (NYU) Chuck Vater (UW-La Crosse) Cedar Nicholas-Barnhart (Johns Hopkins) Will Aurit (UW-La Crosse) Matt Kelly (Washington and Lee) Robert Cooper (Washington and Lee) Evan Parker (U. of Chicago) Carter Bengtson (Amherst) James Tette (SUNY Geneseo) Malcolm Oakes (Williams) Ben Hughes (Middlebury) Nick Yacoub (Babson) Samuel McPeak (MSOE) Max Sudrzynski (Washington U.) Ryan van de Berghe (Emory) Eli Welch (Williams) Notes - Theo Udelson-Nee (previously TSR #9) has yet to compete this season. As such, he's been removed from our rankings.

Written by Sarah Turner & Garrett Zatlin Additional edits and commentary via Gavin Struve and 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 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). 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. 25. Tyler Nord, Rs. Senior, Western Colorado (-6 / 19) Nord may have raced sparingly this season, but his track record on the national stage speaks for itself. After all, there's a reason why he remains in our rankings. Following a win at his home meet, Nord delivered another strong performance at D2 Pre-Nationals in Kansas last weekend, finishing 5th overall as the second Mountaineer across the line. His performance helped Western Colorado secure a runner-up team finish, proving that he can still hold his own against elite competition. With the RMAC XC Championships up next, Nord has positioned himself as a legitimate threat to contend for a top-five finish. 24. Yilan Jacquin, Freshman, Wingate (Unranked) Has not competed since our last rankings update. Yilan Jacquin moves into our rankings on the strength of his Paul Short Run "Gold" race performance (9th place) and because several men were removed from our rankings. 23. Nate Mueller, Rs. Senior, Wingate (Unranked) Nate Mueller’s season didn’t exactly get off to a headline-worthy start, but the new Bulldog has made steady progress as the fall has unfolded. At the Paul Short Run "Gold" race, Mueller finished 49th overall as Wingate’s ninth runner across the line. However, he bounced back in a big way at the Panorama Farms Invitational, stepping up to lead the Bulldogs in a race where several of their top runners were absent. His 7th place finish showed he could compete with runners from strong Division One programs like Virginia Tech and Virginia. With Wingate still fine-tuning their varsity lineup ahead of the postseason, Mueller has made a compelling case for a spot. The former Iowa State and Northwest Missouri runner is an experienced D2 cross country All-American who now seemingly has momentum to carry into the championship portion of the season. 22. Sfiso Makolomakwa, Junior, Adams State (Unranked) Betting on a former JUCO runner to make an immediate impact at the NCAA level can be a gamble, but Adams State’s investment in Sfiso Makolomakwa is already paying dividends. A former JUCO All-American at Butler Community College, Makolomakwa has raced three times this season and improved with each outing. He started to turn heads at the Cowboy Jamboree, finishing 25th overall as the third Grizzly across the line. That performance helped Adams State secure a 3rd place team finish against a deep field of Division One competition. But Makolomakwa wasn't done there. At the Arturo Barrios Invitational, he took another step forward, finishing 6th overall and second among the Grizzlies in another strong Division One field. With his trajectory pointing firmly upward, Makolomakwa is quickly becoming a valuable piece of Adams State’s lineup. The next step is proving he can maintain that momentum when the stakes rise in the postseason. 21. Jack Gumm, Senior, Adams State (+4 / 25) This Adams State senior has been a model of consistency this season, opening with a strong 19th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree before producing a comparable 12th place result at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, Texas. There, Gumm was the third scorer for a deep Grizzlies squad. His ability to deliver solid results against strong competition gives Adams State another reliable option in the middle of the lineup. Because he's been as good as Makolomakwa this season and is more proven, he remains ahead of his new teammate in our rankings. As the Grizzlies set their sights on a national team title in December, Gumm’s consistency could prove crucial. He may not always lead the charge, but his ability to limit the damage behind Adams State’s top runners could make all the difference when the championship is on the line. 20. Benson Lingokal, Rs. Freshman, Harding (-4 / 16) The Arturo Barrios Invitational continued to deliver big results for the nation’s top runners, and Benson Lingokal was no exception. Competing against a deep field of D1 talent and elite D2 competition in College Station, Lingokal finished 10th overall as the third Division Two runner across the line. It was another strong showing that reinforces his place among the nation’s top contenders. Even more encouraging, Lingokal dropped 36 seconds from his previous 8k effort in Louisville just two weeks earlier. While cross country times can be difficult to compare from course to course, that kind of improvement adds another positive sign to an already strong season. With the postseason approaching, Lingokal is building momentum at the right time. 19. Braden Struhs, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+1 / 20) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 18. Ian Rono, Sophomore, Texas A&M International (-9 / 9) Despite what his rankings trajectory suggests, Ian Rono's stock may be rebounding after a strong showing in his first real test of the season. After serving as Texas A&M International’s low-stick star for an entire season, Rono appears to have been bumped from that role. But a change in team hierarchy doesn’t mean he’s lost his ability to deliver on the big stage. At the DBU Old Glory Gallop, Rono finished 6th against a deep West Texas A&M squad, showing he can still compete with some of the region’s best. Now, the question is whether he can translate that early-season promise into another All-American campaign this fall. 17. Brett Davis, Senior, UC-Colorado Springs (Unranked) This UC-Colorado Springs veteran makes his debut in our rankings after a jaw-dropping performance at the Lewis XC Crossover! Last fall, Brett Davis ended his 2025 cross country season with a 54th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, a performance he now looks primed to improve on. But coming into October, it was difficult to analyze where Davis stood after his only race was a rust-buster victory. Of course, any uncertainty quickly disappeared at the Lewis XC Crossover, where he proved he could compete with the best in Division Two. Davis finished runner-up at one of the premier regular season meets in the country, trailing only Saginaw Valley State star Jacob Walker by seven seconds. It was a statement performance that puts the veteran firmly on our radar for the RMAC XC Championships and the NCAA XC Championships. 16. Ewen Guilmois, Freshman, Wingate (-1 / 15) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 15. Flynn Pumpa, Rs. Sophomore, Grand Valley State (+6 / 21) While we already knew that Flynn Pumpa was a top-tier track talent with some cross country strength heading into this season, the Grand Valley State sophomore appears to be finding another gear. After finishing 17th at the Joe Piane Invitational, Pumpa took another step forward at the Bradley Pink Classic, claiming 4th place overall and leading all Division Two runners across the line. His performance helped propel the Lakers to a runner-up team finish against a strong field of D1 competition. Pumpa has quickly established himself as a true low-stick star for Grand Valley State, giving the Lakers a needed front-runner to build around. As the calendar turns toward December, they'll be counting on him to continue delivering against the nation's best. 14. Shamil Kiprono, Freshman, Texas A&M International (+9 / 23) Shamil Kiprono has taken over low-stick duties for Texas A&M International, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. His most recent outing at the DBU Old Glory Gallop marked his "worst" placement of the season, but that’s hardly a knock when 3rd place is the floor. Against a strong field featuring top athletes from West Texas A&M, Kiprono once again proved he can compete with the best in the region. In his first season at the NCAA level, Kiprono has quickly established himself as a front-end threat for the Dust Devils. If he can maintain this level of consistency through championship season, a top-half All-American finish is well within reach. 13. Ricardo Vargas, Senior, Cal Poly Pomona (-10 / 3) Perhaps we bought into Ricardo Vargas as a national title contender a little too early. Heading into D2 Pre-Nationals, Vargas looked like a legitimate threat to challenge for the meet win, but he ultimately finished 3rd. In our last rankings update, we wrote that Vargas had, "taken advantage of the departure of many of last year’s top D2 men and the volatility among the projected top individuals entering this season, rising up our rankings." That seemed to be the case, as he finished behind two previously unranked runners at Pre-Nationals, his first true test. That was still a strong result, but it was more in line with someone who placed 21st at last year's NCAA XC Championships than someone who was recently ranked at TSR #3. Vargas surely still has his sights set on a much bigger result this December. With the postseason quickly approaching, he'll need to find another gear if he plans to exceed this still-high ranking placement. 12. Henry Born, Senior, Missouri S&T (Unranked) We've always known that Henry Born was a talented distance runner, but the current version of this Missouri S&T ace is undoubtedly the strongest he's ever been. After earning a promising runner-up finish at the Southern Stampede meet, we got a better look at Born's true potential when he toed the line for D2 Pre-Nationals two weeks ago. There, the Miner star ripped off a season-altering runner-up performance, losing only to Pittsburg State standout Dylan Sprecker and defeating numerous All-Americans in the process. Born showcased great upside and talent on the track earlier this year. That said, his latest performance not only shows us that his fitness has risen since then, but it also proves that he can hold his own in large, national-caliber fields. 11. Evan Horgan, Senior, Lewis (-10 / 1) Yes, we will fully admit that a 15th place finish at the Lewis XC Crossover, a meet held on Evan Horgan's home course, is far from great, especially for someone who we listed at TSR #1 in our preseason rankings. Horgan never looked like himself in one the biggest and best fields that he'll see all year, failing to ever put himself near the lead group. Of course, this is the same guy who took 19th place at last year's Lewis XC Crossover before earning 7th place All-American honors at the NCAA XC Championships. That's why suggesting that he's not a ranked name would be too reactionary, at least for now. As such, we thought that a TSR #11 ranking was a proper spot for the Flyer veteran. 10. Samuel Gilson, Senior, Wingate (+2 / 12) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 9. Fikadu Gonzalez, Sophomore, Wingate (+2 / 11) Another race, another impressive outing for the former Texas Tech runner! Fikadu Gonzalez faced a slew of talented Division One runners, specifically from Virginia and Virginia Tech, at the Panorama Farms Invitational this past weekend. There, the Wingate sophomore snagged an excellent 8th place finish, putting himself ahead of multiple Hokies who will be pivotal scorers for Virginia Tech later in the postseason. And, maybe more importantly, that result largely validates the excellent 7th place run that we saw from Gonzalez at the Paul Short Run "Gold" race earlier this fall. 8. Thibault Tauziede, Rs. Freshman, Adams State (+5 / 13) One of the fastest rising names in Division Two this season has been Thibault Tauziede, a Frenchman who is looking more and more dangerous as the fall months unfold. Sure, a 13th place finish in a VERY top-heavy Cowboy Jamboree field was extremely impressive. However, seeing the Adams State star later take 3rd place in a massive Arturo Barrios Invite field, finishing behind a ranked D1 runner in Titus Kimaru and a talented 10k specialist in Michael Moiben, is incredibly impressive. The firepower, the upside, the raw talent, the room for improvement -- it's all there for Thibault Tauziede. And frankly, you could convince us that we're still underrating this Adams State standout who is closer to being a "superstar" rather than a "star." 7. Dylan Sprecker, Senior, Pittsburg State (Unranked) What a MASSIVE statement win for Dylan Sprecker! The Pittsburg State star was simply fantastic at D2 Pre-Nationals, securing a marquee win over a field that featured not just multiple All-Americans, but multiple top-half All-Americans! Sprecker established a five-second gap en route to gold, and suddenly, we need to consider this Gorilla distance star as one of the single-best cross country runners in the country. Sure, we already knew that he was a star on the track, but seeing him so efficiently translate this talent to the grass took us by surprise. 6. Jacob Walker, Rs. Senior, Saginaw Valley State (+16 / 22) Going into the Lewis XC Crossover, we believed that Jacob Walker had a somewhat realistic shot of upsetting Lewis' Evan Horgan on his home course. Of course, with the latter name simply struggling, the individual title was Walker's for the taking. However, even if Horgan was in top form two weeks ago, it's still fair to wonder if he would have been able to even touch Walker. The Saginaw Valley State athlete was insanely dominant in Romeoville, Illinois, putting forth an aggressive front-running approach to easily distance himself from the field. After essentially going wire-to-wire in one of the biggest and best regular season meets of the year, it's impossible not to think of Walker as one of the D2 elites at this point. He'll still need to prove himself further in the postseason, but there's a chance that we haven't even seen the best version of this Cardinal ace this season. 5. Mario Giannini, Senior, Chico State (+5 / 10) Despite earning a "just okay" 57th place finish at last year's NCAA XC Championships, Mario Giannini's 2025 lead-up to that national meet suggested that he was one of the better distance runners in Division Two. And so far this fall, that theory continues to hold up. Giannini kicked-off his season with a big win at the St. Mary's Invite, although that field didn't necessarily tell us anything about him that we didn't already know. That said, Giannini went on to take a brilliant 3rd place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invite, losing only to the Oregon duo of Simeon Birnbaum and Connor Burns. The aerobic strength of this Chico State veteran looks extremely dangerous. He just took 3rd place in a field that featured multiple highly respected Division One runners, and his only loss was to a pair of standout Ducks. If he can translate that momentum to the postseason, then he will be hard to stop. 4. Matthew Meli, Rs. Freshman, (Charleston (WV)) (Unranked) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 3. Ethan Grolnic, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+2 / 5) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 2. Meshack Keter, Sophomore, West Texas A&M (+2 / 4) Right now, Meshack Keter is on absolute fire. In his three races this season, the newest West Texas A&M star has secured two statement wins, with his only loss coming to a top-ranked Division One talent in Titus Kimaru. Keter's most recent victory came at the DBU Old Glory Gallup, a massive meet that featured just under 500 runners. And yet, despite that intimidating field size, Keter erupted for a monster performance, securing the overall win by just over a second. Sure, it's important to note that he took down a ranked name in Shamil Kiprono from Texas A&M-International (who placed 3rd), but that wasn't the result that caught our attention. Instead, it was the fact that Keter defeated a true star in Mohamed Guled, a Division One-turned-NAIA star who holds incredible personal bests of 13:38 (5k) and 27:58 (10k). In terms of raw talent and upside, Keter is quite possibly the most dangerous runner in all of Division Two. And if the nuanced nature of championship racing doesn't faze him, then there is absolutely a world where he dominates at the NCAA D2 XC Championships in early December. 1. Dawson Gunn, Rs. Senior, Colorado Mines (+1 / 2) Has not competed since our last rankings update. ADDED Dylan Sprecker (Pittsburg State) Henry Born (Missouri S&T) Brett Davis (UC-Colorado Springs) Sfiso Makolomakwa (Adams State) Nate Mueller (Wingate) Yilan Jacquin (Wingate) KICKED OFF Joaquin Campos (Adams State) Oliver Diaz (Western Colorado) Arthur Faroux (Wingate) Weldon Chebon (New Mexico Highlands) Danyom Yosief (Adams State) Franklin Kipchirchir (Fayetteville State) JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Joaquin Campos (Adams State) Franklin Kipchirchir (Fayetteville State) Conor Somers (Grand Valley State) Krzysztof Zielinski (Wingate) Elijah Smith (Fort Lewis) Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani (Adams State) Daniel Appleford (Colorado Mines) Báhozhóni Church (Grand Valley State) Owen Westerkamp (Grand Valley State) Elijah Rivera (Tampa) Noah Selvaraj (Grand Valley State) Pierre Chauveau (Lee (Tenn.)) Jared Alderfer (Western Washington) Gable Rial (Western Colorado) HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Grayson Gibbons (Anderson (SC)) Tobias Ritter (West Texas A&M) Zach Elam (Biola) Sebastian Ramirez (Grand Valley State) Kelvin Kipchumba (Charleston (WV)) Soufyane Laaziz (Adams State) Cody Wyman (Colorado Mines) Tucker Wright (Lee (Tenn.)) Mateo Luna (Colorado Christian) Stephen Clark (Lee (Tenn.)) Merlijn Van Der Velden (West Texas A&M) Pau Valderrama (Missouri Western) Jessiel Paez (Adams State) Caden Schweer (CSU-Pueblo) Matthew Resnik (Western Oregon) Enzo Knapp (UC-Colorado Springs) Zachariah Vance (Colorado Christian) William Cronin (Anderson (SC)) George Fernandez (Western Washington) Clayton Wilson (Colorado Mesa) Diego Uribe Troncoso (West Texas A&M) Luca Minale (West Texas A&M) Notes - Joaquin Campos (previously TSR #7), Oliver Diaz (TSR #8), Arthur Faroux (TSR #14) and Danyom Yosief (TSR #18) have all yet to compete this season. As such, they've been removed from the top-25 portion of our rankings.

Written by Gavin Struve Additional edits and 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 2026 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023). 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. 25. Lauren Willson, Rs. Senior, Western Colorado (-13 / 12) Even though she slid back quite a bit in our rankings, Lauren Willson's 7th place finish at D2 Pre-Nationals was in line with expectations. The redshirt senior has traditionally been at her best at the NCAA XC Championships, so it's auspicious that she's showing strong form in the regular season, even if she hasn't reached her full potential yet this season. But maybe most importantly, she was the lead scorer for a team that came one point shy of upsetting Colorado Mines for the Pre-Nationals team title. 24. Abigail Abugire, Junior, West Texas A&M (0 / 24) Twin 4th place finishes between the Louisville Classic and then the DBU Old Glory Gallup mark Abigail Abugire's best-ever regular season. Most recently, at the Old Glory Gallup, she defeated star teammate Naomi Addo and Dallas Baptist stud Lesli Salas on her home course. West Texas A&M's lineup structure, and who it's comprised of, is different than we expected. But Abugire remains a key middle-lineup presence and All-American favorite for a podium-contending program. 23. Kylah Ricks, Junior, UC-Colorado Springs (Unranked) A 4th place finish at D2 Pre-Nationals makes Kylah Ricks one of the breakout stars of the past couple of weeks. She defeated proven talents like Lauren Willson, Sierra Wall, Peyton Weiss and Carrington Hessen, among other All-American contenders. The UCCS legacy and Colorado Springs native has seemingly been waiting in the wings for the Mountain Lions, and she had her coming-out party earlier this month. Her emergence is crucial for a team that entered the season with podium potential, but has an uncertain scoring hierarchy. We're eager to see how Ricks backs up her latest result once she arrives at the RMAC XC Championships and beyond. 22. Ainara Sainz de Rozas, Senior, Regis (Colo.) (-1 / 21) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 21. Abigail Bester, Sophomore, Wingate (-1 / 20) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 20. Karlijn Mesman, Sophomore, Wingate (-1 / 19) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 19. Kelsey Young, Sophomore, Winona State (Unranked) Kelsey Young's rise shouldn't come as a shock, but it's still notable, nonetheless. She's a prime example of someone enjoying a freshman-to-sophomore leap. After a promising 85th place debut at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships, she was impressive at the start of this season against D1 competition at the Augustana Twilight and the Roy Griak Invitational. Of course, Young's most notable result is her runner-up finish at the Lewis XC Crossover a week and a half ago. She made up the second-half of a Winona State 1-2 and has announced herself as not only a threat to break into the All-American ranks but a threat to obtain top-half All-American status. 18. Jacqueline Sanchez, Senior, Wingate (0 / 18) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 17. Cara Eckenroth, Junior, Drury (Unranked) Cara Eckenroth's win at the Queen City After Dark meet opened our eyes to her potential. After all, she won that race by 31 seconds over runner-up Carrington Hessen, a fellow rising star who won the Gans Creek Classic "Black" race and placed 9th at D2 Pre-Nationals. Eckenroth backed up her win at the DBU Old Glory Gallup, where she placed 3rd. The two women who defeated her are ranked TSR #3 and TSR #13, and she defeated Abugire, Addo and Salas. Eckenroth is clearly a top-20 runner to this point in the season. Can the NAIA transfer overcome her relative lack of NCAA experience and carry this form into higher-pressure fields? Her success against other stars so far is a positive sign. 16. Evie Brooks, Senior, Wingate (0 / 16) In placing 13th at the Panorama Farms Invitational, Evie Brooks assumed a role that she seems increasingly likely to maintain: the Bulldogs' lead scorer. It admittedly helps to have Jacqueline Sanchez as a reliable running mate, and the Bester twins have the highest upside on the roster. Even so, Brooks is the most proven woman in Wingate, North Carolina right now, and perhaps the most valuable member of this title-contending team. 15. Michelle Jemutai, Freshman, West Texas A&M (0 / 15) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 14. Sierra Wall, Sophomore, Colorado Mines (-8 / 6) We expected a bit more than a 10th place finish from Sierra Wall at D2 Pre-Nationals, but that also feels unfair. She produced a nice result and is ahead of schedule, considering that she didn't make her 2025 season debut until the postseason. Wall still has one of the highest ceilings in the country, as attested to by a top-20 finish at her first cross country national meet and a national meet runner-up result in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The way she started this season also suggests that she has a high floor. 13. Lola Sarthou, Junior, West Texas A&M (+1 / 14) In taking on three quite competitive fields this season, Lola Sarthou hasn't finished any lower than 3rd place. She's been runner-up in each of her past two races. And, most recently, at the DBU Old Glory Gallup, Sarthou outran the likes of Eckenroth, Abugire, Addo and Salas! In her first season as an NCAA athlete, Sarthou may be the top runner on a loaded podium contender. That shouldn't be a shock given the success West Texas A&M has had developing international athletes, specifically those from France like Sarthou. Even so, it's impressive how well she's competing in her first go-around on the NCAA circuit. 12. Stella Rusch, Junior, Winona State (Unranked) We thought that Stella Rusch would finish toward the front of the field at the Lewis XC Crossover, but winning the individual title by 17 seconds was another thing, altogether. No, the field wasn't as loaded as it's been in years past, but Rusch still won by a large margin over several star-caliber women. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference individual title favorite won't face another field of the Lewis XC Crossover's caliber until the national meet. However, she's relatively battle-tested thus far by having faced D1 competition before her big win. At any rate, after going from 193rd at the 2024 cross country national meet to 108th at the 2025 national meet, Rusch looks to be in line for an even greater improvement to end this season. 11. Ruth Chemutai, Freshman, Missouri Southern (+2 / 13) Has not competed since our last rankings update. 10. Emily Jobes, Senior, Adams State (-5 / 5) A 27th place finish at the D1-laden Arturo Barrios Invitational was in line with Emily Jobes' 29th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree. She was Adams State's second scorer, close behind Mary Ngige, at both meets. We know how high Jobes' upside is, considering that she holds a 15:59 (5k) PR, but we still haven't seen her race in a high-leverage Division Two field. That will change, however, when she competes at the RMAC XC Championships in a couple of weeks. If reigning NCAA individual title winner Tristian Spence returns for the Grizzlies, then they'll need Jobes in order to make good on their NCAA team title hopes. If Spence doesn't compete this season, then Jobes will need to live up to her potential even more. 9. Della Molina, Rs. Senior, Chico State (+1 / 10) In finishing runner-up at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational, Della Molina led a line of teammates that finished in close succession en route to winning the meet's team title. Her twin sister (Iresh Molina) placing 3rd behind her while running unattached had to have added to the fun for Della. And given how comfortably she and the Wildcats dispatched rival Stanislaus State, the CCAA title almost feels like a fait accompli. 8. Allie Arnsman, Senior, Grand Valley State (+1 / 9) Allie Arnsman's 31st place finish at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational was a minuscule regression from how she fared at the same meet last year (she finished one spot higher and three seconds faster in 2025). With that in mind, it was encouraging to see her run a 6k PR at the Bradley Pink Classic, where she placed 3rd this past weekend. Considering that her former teammates, Lauren Kiley and Abby VanderKooi, have graduated, Arnsman will enter her next race as the GLIAC individual title favorite. 7. Mary Ngige, Freshman, Adams State (0 / 7) In Tristian Spence's absence, Mary Ngige has served as Adams State's lead scorer in all three meets thus far this season. She's been pursued closely by Jobes, but Ngige has yet to lose to any fellow D2 women this season. If that fact doesn't change at the RMAC XC Championships early next month, then this placement in our rankings will look conservative. 6. Emily LaMena, Rs. Junior, Colorado Mines (-3 / 3) For most, a 3rd place finish at D2 Pre-Nationals behind two top-five runners would be an excellent start to the season. For Emily LaMena, it's slightly worse than we expected. After all, she placed 7th at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships and won the NCAA steeplechase title in the spring. At any rate, LaMena has re-established that she has one of the highest floors in Division Two. Any improvement from the level she's already at will have her among the very best women in the country, which is where we expected her to be. In fact, she may well be the best runner in the RMAC. 5. Paige Mullen, Senior, Pittsburg State (+3 / 8) A runner-up result at D2 Pre-Nationals was more impressive than Paige Mullen's runner-up result at the Southern Stampede. She was hardly bad in the first meet, but defeating LaMena and a slew of other All-American contenders on the course that will hold the national meet has to give her ample confidence as she pursues her second top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships in a row. Considering that Mullen didn't race last spring, it's nice to see her fully back at her best this fall before the postseason has even begun. 4. Katie Hughes, Senior, Newman (Unranked) In recording a top-15 finish at the RMAC XC Championships, a top-60 finish at the NCAA XC Championships and qualifying for both the indoor national meet and the outdoor national meet as an individual, Katie Hughes had a successful first year as an NCAA athlete. But against all odds, she has improved drastically since transferring from Adams State to Newman. Hughes was impressive in opening her season at the Wichita State JK Gold Classic, where she was runner-up, but she didn't race against any top D2 women in that setting. That opportunity came at D2 Pre-Nationals, a race she won over Mullen and LaMena. However, Hughes didn't just win; she did so by nearly 14 seconds! At the very least, Hughes is highly likely to end this season with her first All-American honor. But based on that last result alone, how close could she get to former teammate Tristian Spence and our TSR #1 runner? 3. Joyce Kemboi, Junior, East Central (+1 / 4) If the Chile Pepper XC Festival was an indication of Joyce Kemboi's potential upon joining East Central via Texas A&M, then the DBU Old Glory Gallup was an announcement of her arrival. This time, she got to race against fellow D2 stars, winning the race by 10 seconds over three other ranked runners. It feels like there's clear separation between our top-four runners and the rest. Kemboi is the only D2 newcomer in that mix, but she's also the only one with D1 experience. Could that perspective work to her advantage? 2. Tristian Spence, Rs. Senior, Adams State (0 / 2) Has not raced yet this season. 1. Allison Kuzma, Junior, Hillsdale (0 / 1) Has not competed since our last rankings update. ADDED Katie Hughes (Newman) Stella Rusch (Winona State) Cera Eckenroth (Drury) Kelsey Young (Winona State) Kylah Ricks (UC-Colorado Springs) KICKED OFF Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado) Naomi Addo (West Texas A&M) Elizabeth McQuitty (UC-Colorado Springs) Kseniya Nikanorov (UC-Colorado Springs) Kiara Bester (Wingate) JUST MISSED (in no particular order) Peyton Weiss (Western Colorado) Naomi Addo (West Texas A&M) Kiara Bester (Wingate) Lorna Rae Pierce (Pittsburg State) Jordan Staniszewski (Colorado Mesa) Paulina Martins (Chico State) Megan Malloy (Chico State) Annie Wild (Stanislaus State) Mary Edwards (Lewis) Keira Damron (Adams State) Natalie Mello (Grand Valley State) Ella Edens (Western Washington) Natalie Gerdes (Southwest Baptist) Sophie Baker (Minnesota State) Carrington Hessen (Rockhurst) HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Elizabeth McQuitty (UC-Colorado Springs) Kseniya Nikanorov (UC-Colorado Springs) Kassidy Stuckey (Nebraska-Kearney) Lesli Salas (Dallas Baptist) Olivia Magagna (Bloomsburg) Lorelei Daugherty (Colorado Christian) Ava Sparks (Lee (Tenn.)) Madeline Harrison (Central Washington) Jaina Kang (Biola) Payton Conover (Central Washington) Annika Von Ahnen (Edinboro) Kennedy Roush (Anderson (SC)) Brighton Mooney (Western Colorado) Abigail Burger (Nebraska-Kearney) Olivia Bakker (NW Missouri) Kate Henderson (UC-Colorado Springs) Firdaouss Hriche (Wingate) Brooke Latham (Oklahoma Christian) Notes - N/A