rbtrackfan said:

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These polls are frequently worth less than what you pay for them. But I think IA St, NM, NAU are pretty close on paper but a notch below NC St and BYU.

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thanks, I thought maybe they had recruited another low-stick overseas.

On your incredible recruiting list, disappointed that the 2 North Carolina girls Potts (who will probably be ranked in the Top 10 next week) and Kasten committed to our rival.

MountainPack said:

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Can anyone shed some light on how New Mexico jumped to No 2 after losing 4 of their top 7 and adding only 1 quality recruit (Faith Jepngetich)?

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They actually return their Top 4 (all Kenyans) plus Jasmine Wood, and add Faith Jepngetich … who is a big unknown (at least to me). Note that Mercy Kirarei was never right during the 2025 XC season and missed NCAAs, before running 15:38, 15:51, 15:55 and 32:36 this Spring. They also picked up a transfer from Kentucky that seems unlikely to contribute, but the Columbia transfer might be one to watch.

I'm not defending the USTFCCCA ranking as 2nd, I have them 4th based on what we know about rosters now, I'm just suggesting how some of the coaches might have gone that far.

Actually, I looked at my rankings AGAIN and I have the Lobos off the podium in 5th, although everything depends on the health of the returning Kenyans and the how the new Kenyan Freshman adapts to XC training/racing.

They have a lot of warm bodies on their roster and some proven XC talent, but the path to the podium on November 21st for UNM appears quite narrow.

Grace posted this yesterday on a story on her IG of her at the track. So maybe she is running solo?

But Alessia Potts is a 10:11 3200m runner in her Jr season. She's trending towards 10:00 for her Sr season. she'll be a top10 recruit. And I agree Madeline Dorsch would be a great class of 2028 recruit.
Let's say we recruit 3 "top tier" recruits this cycle. Are you suggesting we should pursue times much faster than 10:11, say sub 10:00? The pool of runners is currently 3 to draw upon, Avery Lowen, Blair Bartlett, and Ruby Ihmels.

GuerrillaPack said:

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Grace posted this yesterday on a story on her IG of her at the track. So maybe she is running solo?

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With the plantar problem it's probably cross training to relieve the stress on the foot. With the "equator" weather we're having, Would be crazy if this is the week the recruits are visiting!

Sorry, didn't read the caption inside. The sun and humidity are aggravating the skin. So Yes, that's probably why she's not in the pics.

I will be shocked if Bartlett does not go to an Ivy or Stanford. I guess maybe ND.

rbtrackfan said:

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I will be shocked if Bartlett does not go to an Ivy or Stanford. I guess maybe ND.

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And Lowen still has IG pics with her in a Tennessee outfit, no commitment yet but gotta think that's where she goes.

MountainPack said:

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But Alessia Potts is a 10:11 3200m runner in her Jr season. She's trending towards 10:00 for her Sr season. she'll be a top10 recruit. And I agree Madeline Dorsch would be a great class of 2028 recruit.
Let's say we recruit 3 "top tier" recruits this cycle. Are you suggesting we should pursue times much faster than 10:11, say sub 10:00? The pool of runners is currently 3 to draw upon, Avery Lowen, Blair Bartlett, and Ruby Ihmels.

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Don't get me wrong, like I said, both are solid high Div 1 recruits. I'm happy that UNC was the school for them. You know how it is with Carolina kids … >70% grow up dreaming of wearing baby blue. I simply refuse to get disappointed about Carolina kids chasing childhood dreams.

Kasten's footspeed is pretty nice and her 3000/3200 times are honestly not that much slower than Potts, who appears to have truly focused on getting her 3000/3200 times down in a few races over the last 1-2 years. Both are on nice trajectories, putting themselves in a great position to go just about anywhere they want.

On the XC course however, neither have impressed me a whole lot, with Dorsch and Estep blowing their doors off when it mattered. We need women who want to come be a part of our culture and tradition in XC, with XC and their educations being the highest priorities and everything else getting in line after that.

Roster limit rules are creeping closer to truly impacting our roster size. With Grace, Hannah, Brooke, Kaylie et al done after this season and Angelina, Kate, Jojo and Fleur done after next season, we've got to bring in some top dogs if we want to continue chasing championships without recruiting East Africans.

Bartlett would be a huge get. Ihmels too. We are in the mix with others too.

Thanks for clarifying and great info on the rest of the recruits!
the prize in-state recruit for class of 2028 is Estep and Dorsch. In case people are interested, Cardinal Gibbons (Estep) and Pinecrest (Dorsch) will be at the Adidas XC challenge this year on Sat Sep 19th. We'll get our first look at both of them….and maybe some recruiting! …actually too early for that. Usually starts in the outdoor season.

This is old news for us but the following made it into Track & Field News for their Aug edition:

"NC State steepler Angelina Napoleon dealt with Achilles issues all season and is now focusing on cross country"

No 4 BYU opened up their season in the UVU XC Invitational 3M, Orem, UT (elevation 4,758') Fri Sep 4

BYU Runners:
1 Jane Hedengren 15:08.62
3 Jenna Hutchins 15:44.65, +36secs
4 Taylor Lovell 16:04.57, +56secs
5 Lexi Goff 16:10.28, +62secs
6 Nelah Roberts 16:13.16, +65secs
7 Zariel Macchia 16:19.61, +71secs
8 Karrie Baloga 16:20.65, +72secs

Not sure what to make of the results. Any thoughts?

That's a big spread between #2 and 3 sticks but pretty damned good for September rust buster.

MountainPack said:

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No 4 BYU opened up their season in the UVU XC Invitational 3M, Orem, UT (elevation 4,758') Fri Sep 4

BYU Runners:
1 Jane Hedengren 15:08.62
3 Jenna Hutchins 15:44.65, +36secs
4 Taylor Lovell 16:04.57, +56secs
5 Lexi Goff 16:10.28, +62secs
6 Nelah Roberts 16:13.16, +65secs
7 Zariel Macchia 16:19.61, +71secs
8 Karrie Baloga 16:20.65, +72secs

Not sure what to make of the results. Any thoughts?

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The course is ridiculous and might be short by 100m or more.

Hutchins and Baloga appear to be healthy, which is good for them.

Rohatinsky did not race. The status of Rohatinsky's waiver for 2022 remains unknown, since the BYU Women's roster is not posted yet.

It's been suggested that a couple of their talented new Freshman class are injured. Macy Wingard was the only one to line up today, finishing 9th amongst the BYU women expected to be on the roster in 16:38.89.

Most importantly, however, never overanalyze rustbuster meets like this, the Adidas XC Challenge, etc.

Enjoy the ride everyone!

Jenna Hutchins (#2) and Taylor Lovell (#3) both had identical 5K times of 15:15 in the outdoor season Lovell of course is also the 3K SC champion. Hutchins has certainly separated herself as a solid #2.
But that spread is certainly going to hurt. I don't think the pollster saw enough to move them ahead of us.

I'm pretty sure Lily Alder got injured (when it's unclear) came back strong and ran 4:38.71 in the mile and 10:21.51 in the 2 mile.

Macy Wingard about where I expected her at the #8 spot and could move into the starting 7 by nationals.

Lexi Goff leapfrogs over Zariel Macchia which is a surprise. Might have just been a bad race for Macchia.

As for a rust buster certainly a good start for them. If I were a pollster I would move them up to No 2. No 2 New Mexico and No 3 Iowa St ran their "B" teams so can't conclude anything.

On Rohantinsky, I heard waivers had to be filed by July 31st. Still not resolved???
Any word on Chamberlain??

MountainPack said:

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On Rohantinsky, I heard waivers had to be filed by July 31st. Still not resolved???
Any word on Chamberlain??

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Both Chamberlin and Rohatinsky are 2022-2023 college enrollees. Chamberlin ran full XC seasons in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Rohatinsky ran at 3 XC meets in 2022 and full seasons in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Chamberlin and Rohatinsky (if her waiver was finally denied) both need relief from a court of competent jurisdiction preventing the NCAA from enforcing their eligibility rules against them. The case in Colorado, a class action styled as Wisne v. NCAA, was the relief they needed.

Unfortunately for them, the preliminary injunction granted in Wisne v. NCAA was stayed last month by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. It is unclear whether they will join a new suit, but I can find no evidence that they have done so to date.

FYI … The UVU course is called ~3 miles or 172m short of a 5K.

COrockclimber said:

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FYI … The UVU course is called ~3 miles or 172m short of a 5K.

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COrockclimber- glad you are posting over here so I can keep up with CC without having to go to another board to find the details.

COrockclimber said:

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FYI … The UVU course is called ~3 miles or 172m short of a 5K.

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Ah that somewhat explains the great times! Jane is super fast but 15:03 fast on an XC course at high altitude is insane.

Thanks for the info!
Brooke Rainer's waiver is not impacted by this is it? Her's was a medical waiver for 2023 season so not impacted, is that correct?

MountainPack said:

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Thanks for the info!
Brooke Rainer's waiver is not impacted by this is it? Her's was a medical waiver for 2023 season so not impacted, is that correct?

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That's correct. Brooke Rauber and Kaylie Armitage are 2021-2022 school year enrollees. Brooke missed the entire 2023 XC season with a foot injury and Kaylie had an illness causing her to miss the entire 2025 XC season. Their return for their 6th XC seasons in 2026 entirely depended on granted waivers.

The good news is eligibility for everyone on our XC rosters should be super-easy for essentially everyone to follow in the seasons to come using the 5-for-5 eligibility framework. Here is our women's remaining eligibility going into this season. Note that Jojo might get a 6th year too, but only if she has already received a granted waiver for the 2024 XC season. Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward now:

2021 CLASS
Brooke Rauber (1*)
Kaylie Armitage (1*)

2022 CLASS
Grace Hartman (1)
Hannah Gapes (1)
Briley Bickerstaff (1)
Caroline Murrell (1)

2023 CLASS
Angelina Napoleon (2)
Kate Putman (2)
Jojo Quarzo (2)
Fleur Templier (2)

2024 CLASS
Bethany Michalak (3)
TRANSFER Rachel Forsyth (3)
Ellie Shea (3)
Justine Preisano (3)
Chandler Welsh (3)

2025 CLASS
Sadie Engelhardt (4)
Daniela Scheffler (4)
Emily Wisniewski (4)
Jessica Jazwinski (4)
Alexa Dow (4)

2026 CLASS
Brooke Chapman (5)
Mallory Weller (5)
Maddie Gullickson (5)
Morgan Miller (5)
Ella Anderson (5)

In contrast, BYU will continue to play the waiver game with the NCAA due to their religious missions, particularly over on the men's side.

MountainPack said:

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Thanks for the info!
Brooke Rainer's waiver is not impacted by this is it? Her's was a medical waiver for 2023 season so not impacted, is that correct?

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Oops. Brooke Rainer sb Brooke Rauber. My bad.

COrockclimber said:

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MountainPack said:

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Thanks for the info!
Brooke Rainer's waiver is not impacted by this is it? Her's was a medical waiver for 2023 season so not impacted, is that correct?

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That's correct. Brooke Rauber and Kaylie Armitage are 2021-2022 school year enrollees. Brooke missed the entire 2023 XC season with a foot injury and Kaylie had an illness causing her to miss the entire 2025 XC season. Their return for their 6th XC seasons in 2026 entirely depended on granted waivers.

The good news is eligibility for everyone on our XC rosters should be super-easy for essentially everyone to follow in the seasons to come using the 5-for-5 eligibility framework. Here is our women's remaining eligibility going into this season. Note that Jojo might get a 6th year too, but only if she has already received a granted waiver for the 2024 XC season. Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward now:

2021 CLASS
Brooke Rauber (1*)
Kaylie Armitage (1*)

2022 CLASS
Grace Hartman (1)
Hannah Gapes (1)
Briley Bickerstaff (1)
Caroline Murrell (1)

2023 CLASS
Angelina Napoleon (2)
Kate Putman (2)
Jojo Quarzo (2)
Fleur Templier (2)

2024 CLASS
Bethany Michalak (3)
TRANSFER Rachel Forsyth (3)
Ellie Shea (3)
Justine Preisano (3)
Chandler Welsh (3)

2025 CLASS
Sadie Engelhardt (4)
Daniela Scheffler (4)
Emily Wisniewski (4)
Jessica Jazwinski (4)
Alexa Dow (4)

2026 CLASS
Brooke Chapman (5)
Mallory Weller (5)
Maddie Gullickson (5)
Morgan Miller (5)
Ella Anderson (5)

In contrast, BYU will continue to play the waiver game with the NCAA due to their religious missions, particularly over on the men's side.

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I could look at that list for a long time. Thanks for compiling.

Both of my kids went to the NAU XC camp in July and were really impressed.....seems like a great program and perfect place to train. It is crazy to me that we can attract elite runners to Raleigh over places like that.

WP said:

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Both of my kids went to the NAU XC camp in July and were really impressed.....seems like a great program and perfect place to train. It is crazy to me that we can attract elite runners to Raleigh over places like that.

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A few words from a Wolfpack alum who has lived at altitude out West since the 90s. Flagstaff is a lovely, quirky and strange little college town sitting in the high desert. They have a decent track and field program, although the heart and soul of the program is most certainly the trail system at altitude and the XC season.

Training at altitude in college is overrated. There is plenty of time for that and sleeping in hyperbaric chambers (the legal ways of manipulating our body's ability to carry oxygen) for the 0.1% that become professional runners. Eighteen to twenty-three year olds should be more concerned with remaining injury free as their body stops growing, their growth plates close and their metabolic systems mature with their bodies into adults.

College rankings aside (not even close), the college experience can be fantastic anywhere. IMHO, it's a matter of individual preference, but I would put up any degree at NC State against a similar degree from NAU, so there's that.

Factor in Laurie Henes who demands excellence from her athletes in the classroom and expects dedication to the XC team's goals from her distance and mid-distance athletes, with everything else (including individual track goals) getting in line behind those two points of the spear. Again, there will be time enough for BIG individual goals on the track and roads once their time in college is over.

Raleigh and NC State are not for everyone, just like (1) Flagstaff and NAU, (2) Palo Alto and Stanford, (3) Provo and BYU, (4) Eugene and Oregon, (5) Boulder and Colorado and (6) Cambridge and Harvard are obviously not for everyone … for a litany of reasons. Out of curiosity, do you know how far it is to the beach from NAU?

Good luck to your kids as they navigate high school athletics and maybe even college recruiting.

WP said:

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Both of my kids went to the NAU XC camp in July and were really impressed.....seems like a great program and perfect place to train. It is crazy to me that we can attract elite runners to Raleigh over places like that.

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Yes the Flagstaff, Park City, Mammoth Mtn, and the Rockies (can't remember if CO has an official hi-altitude training camp) are incredible. Weather-wise, In one month our weather literally turns perfect for training.

WP said:

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Both of my kids went to the NAU XC camp in July and were really impressed.....seems like a great program and perfect place to train. It is crazy to me that we can attract elite runners to Raleigh over places like that.

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Genuinely asking…what are the aspects of NAU that are more appealing for an elite female XC athlete over NC State? I'll concede that it has a better landscape with mountain views, compared to Raleigh. However, the aesthetics of the landscape of an area seems to be a very minor factor for a recruit. From the interviews I've seen with our current elite female XC athletes, the top two factors, far and away, that you hear over and over for deciding to commit to NC State are 1) the Coach (Henes) and 2) the other top female athletes already in the program that an incoming recruit can train with and potentially win team championship with and the positive "culture" and atmosphere created by that core of elite athletes already in the program.