2023 NCAA DII Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 9

NEW ORLEANS – Here is the Pre-Championships Edition of the NCAA Division II Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National TFRI, as released on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). This edition only uses marks from athletes who qualified and declared for next week’s championships, which gives us a clear picture of which teams and athletes are in contention for national titles.

NCAA Division II — Women's Outdoor Track & Field

This Week's National Top Five

1
West Texas A&M

2
Azusa Pacific

3
Minnesota State

4
Grand Valley State

5
Adams State

All TFRI Reports

NATIONAL TFRI
PDFs: Team Detail | Event Detail

West Texas A&M holds onto their No. 1 spot, remaining the top contender for the national title based on the newest TFRI. The Buffs have won two titles outdoors in the past five years, and head into this year’s meet as the reigning national champion. WTAMU is led by a pair of excellent relays, including a No. 1 4×100 relay squad (44.27) and a No. 3 4×400 squad (3:39.96). Taylor Nelloms is entered in an audacious triple: high jump, long jump, and triple jump, standing as the No. 2 seed for triple jump entering next week (13.29m/43-7¼). A powerful distance duo of Eleonora Curtabbi and Florance Uwajeneda induces four top-5 performances, one in each distance event. Curtabbi holds national leads in both the 1500 meters (4:18.72) and steeplechase (9:57.76), while Uwajeneza holds the No. 3 in the 5000 meters (16:07.13) and 10,000 meters (32:49.06). The team is rounded out by a national lead from Brooke Urban in high jump (1.81m/5-11¼) and a No. 2 400-meter performance by Corrissa Perry (52.82).

Azusa Pacific stands at No. 2 heading into this week’s meet. APU last won a national title outdoors in 2021, when they narrowly defeated Grand Valley State. They are led by No. 1 efforts in the 400-meter hurdles by Jaylah Walker (57.37) and in the heptathlon by Nicole Warwick (5640). Both Warwick and Walker additionally entered in the 100-meter hurdles, while Warwick adds long jump to her already busy slate this weekend. Interestingly, heptathlon national leader (and the only woman over 6000 points this year) Esther Conde-Turpin opted not to compete in that event at nationals, opting instead to contest the 100-meter hurdles, where she’s seeded second (13.22), the high jump, where she’s seeded ninth (1.73m/5-8), the long jump, where she’s seeded fifth (6.21m/20-4½), and javelin, where she’s seeded 20th (44.07m/144-7). Other leaders for the Cougars include 1500-meter No. 5 Philppine De La Bigne (4:21.45), javelin No. 4 Molly Olson (47.13m/154-8), and high jump No. 5 Eliana Saunders (1.75m/5-8¾).

Minnesota State wraps up the regular season slate in the No. 3 position on the TFRI. The Mavs have had success indoors in the last few years, placing second this past indoor season and winning the title in 2022, but they have not met the same levels of success outdoors, a trend they’re looking to reverse. Minnesota State holds two nation-leading performances, with Denisha Cartwright’s 13.00w 100H mark and Makayla Jackson’s 6.62m (21-8¾) in long jump. Cartwright alone is entered in four events next week, all of which she ranks in the top-5, including that No. 1 rank in the 100 hurdles, a No. 3 in the 100 meters (11.30), a No. 4 in the 200 meters (23.18). She is additionally entered in the No. 4 4×100 meter squad rolled out by the Mavericks (44.91). A No. 5 4×400 relay team (3:41.01), Flore Gracia’s No. 3 mark in the triple jump (12.92m/42-4¾), Amanda Montplaisir’s No. 4 steeplechase effort (10:14.05) and Lexie Hurst’s No. 2 mark in shotput (15.88m/52-1¼) round out the top marks for Minnesota State.

Grand Valley State slots in at No. 4 in this TFRI. The Lakers have been outdoor runners up back-to-back years, and three out of the last five championships. They look this year to end a title drought that dates back over a decade to 2012. Erika Beistle in discus (53.02m/174-0) and Judith Essemiah (63.57m/208-7) in hammer both control the top seed for their events. The Lakers showcase unparalleled strength in discus, with Beistle’s national lead, Emma Richards in second (51.74m/169-9), and Margaret Stevenson rounding out the top-3 (50.48m/165-8). The Lakers have five other marks in the top-5 of their event: Klaudia O’Malley, No. 3 in the 1500 meters (4:19.43) and No. 4 in the 5000 meters (16:07.63); Natalie Graber, No. 3 in the steeplechase (10:13.41); Emma Richards, No. 3 in shotput (15.67m/51-5); and Taryn Chapko, No. 5 in the 800 meters (2:07.64).

Adams State rounds out the top-5 in this final edition. They are led by a pair of No. 2 marks: Ava O’Connor in the steeplechase (10:07.96) and Stephanie Cotter in the 5000 meters (15:53.62). Cotter also owns the No. 4 mark over 1500 meters (4:20.15). The Grizzlies have depth over longer distance running events, featuring three top-5 marks in the 10,000 meters, and three top-10 marks in the 5000 meters. Brianna Robles leads those groups, scheduled to compete in the 10k/5k double, and sitting at third in the 10,000 meters (33:11.64) and seventh in the 5000 meters (16:09.51). Precious Robinson (33:54.15) and Reina Paredes (34:00.79) are seeded at fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 10,000 meters, rounding out the top-5 marks for Adams State.

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams: No. 6 Lincoln (Mo.), No 7. Pittsburg State, No. 8 Angelo State, No. 9 Winona State, No. 10 Northwest Missouri.

The 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships are upon us, as teams start to descend on the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado, and the festivities kick off in the coming days.