3rd Update: MileSplit50 Class of 2020 Top 50 Girls Recruits

Mar 27, 2020

List compiled by MileSplit Recruiting Correspondent Garrett Zatlin

MileSplit has updated its subjective ranking of the top 50 girls recruits in the Class of 2020 following the indoor track and field season. This is the third update of the list.

We ranked our top 50 athletes based on a tiered rating system, current MileSplit50 track and field and cross country rankings, state records, historical results and performances over national competition.

* Note: Oakland Park Northeast's (FL)Briana Williams was omitted from this list. She turned professional in 2020.

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Class of 2020 Top 50 Girls Recruits

Rank	Pr. Rank	Athlete	High School	College	Description
1	1	Athing Mu	Trenton Central	Texas A&M	The World Junior indoor record holder is the queen of the middle distances. Top marks in the 300 and 500 meters this past winter, along with a 53 second 400 meter time and a 2:04 800 meter time only solidifies Mu's place at the top of our rankings. She'll be going to a program that is known for developing some of the best middle distance runners in the country.
2	2	Katelyn Tuohy	North Rockland	North Carolina State	One of the all-time high school greats, Tuohy owns three NXN titles and a plethora of incredible personal bests. She is arguably the most prized distance recruit since Mary Cain and will be an immediate star scorer for NC State as soon as next fall.
3	3	Marlee Starliper	Northern	North Carolina State	Tuohy has gained most of the headlines, but Starliper may be the most underappreciated distance runner in recent memory. Just this past winter, she ran 2:49 (1000), 4:37 (mile), and 10:23 (3200). For someone as good as she is, Starliper is showing that she still has a ton of room to improve.
4	7	Morgan Smalls	Panther Creek	USC	She had the country's top marks in high jump AND the triple jump this past winter. Her long jump was also US No. 2. It's one thing to be a triple threat in the jumps, but to be the best of the best in essentially all three events is incredible. Smalls' addition to the USC roster could eventually win the Trojans a national title one day.
5	5	Jasmine Jones	Greater Atlanta Christian	USC	Jones secured the top time in the nation this winter with a 60 meter hurdles PR of 8.12 while holding her own in a few other events like the long jump and 60 meter dash. She is a naturally gifted athlete whose scoring in the hurdles will balance out the scoring in the jumps and sprints for USC.
6	6	Kimberly Harris	Buford	USC	From the 55 meter dash up to the 300 meters, Harris was exceptional in pretty much any sprint distance this winter. With a 52.62 400 meter PR, Harris will be a lethal scoring weapon for the Trojans over the next few years.
7	14	Zofia Dudek	Ann Arbor Pioneer	Stanford	She came away with the top time nationally in both the 1600 meters and the 3200 meters this winter. She also ran 2:08 for 800 meters. Dudek reminds me a lot of Julia Heymach, Stanford's recent breakout star who dominated the middle distances this past winter. If Dudek is anything like Heymach, then Stanford will continue their distance dominance on the indoor oval for the foreseeable future.
8	4	Katelynne Hart	Glenbard West	Michigan	Hart ran the top time in the 5000 meters this past winter with an incredible 16:09 mark. The top high school girl in the indoor 5k last winter? Ericka VanderLende, Michigan's current star freshman. The Wolverines will get huge low-stick scoring potency when Hart is paired with VanderLende during cross country.
9	8	Leah Phillips	Bullis	LSU	Phillips was listed inside the top 50 nationally for six different events in the winter of 2019. She was the top ranked 55 meter hurdler and US No. 2 in the 60 meter hurdle. Her prowess in the 300 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles is also highly ranked. Simply put, Phillips is a star hurdler who has a ton of potential in other events - a rarity in today's era of event specialists.
10	10	Taylor Ewert	Beavercreek	Arkansas	Her 6th place finish at Foot Locker and runner-up result at NXN (where she nearly upset Tuohy) was remarkable. Add in her abilities in the steeplechase, and it becomes clear that Ewert will be an ideal recruit for Arkansas - a program that has found plenty of success in cross country and the steeplechase.
11	30	Talitha Diggs	Saucon Valley	Florida	Diggs was ranked in the top 10 nationally for six different events (all sprint events) this past winter. That kind of consistency and range is unreal. In fact, she recorded personal bests in three of those events. Within the span of a few months, Diggs became one of the most elite recruits in the country. Florida is lucky to have a recruit with so much upside.
12	11	Jayla Hollis	DeSoto	Arkansas	Hollis was ranked No. 2 in the 200 meter dash and No. 7 in the 60 meter hurdles this past winter which is consistent with the performances that we saw from her last winter. Being that highly ranked in a sprint event and a hurdle event is wildly impressive and makes her extremely valuable from a scoring perspective at the collegiate level.
13	20	Laila Owens	Fort Bend Bush	Texas A&M	Much like Hollis, Owens earned top marks in the 200 meters and the 60 meter dash (not hurdles) this winter. Tack on a US. 1 mark of 54.37 in the 400 meters from last spring, and it's clear that Owens can enter a Texas A&M program and have an instant impact in multiple events.
14	9	Victoria Starcher	Riply	Stanford	There aren't too many high school girls who are so perfectly suited for the mile distance like Starcher is. With a 4:38 mile PR, she'll fit in perfectly with a Stanford group that had a jaw-dropping total of five women run 4:37 or faster this past winter.
15	18	Ziyah Holman	Georgetown Day	Michigan	Much like Leah Phillips, Holman can do a little bit of everything in the sprint events. Her perosnal best of 52 seconds in the 400 meter dash is hard to ignore. She'll bring a spark to a well-rounded Michigan program that was admittedly a little thin in powerhouse sprinters this past winter.
16	24	Kalynn Meyer	Superior	Nebraska	In retrospect, having the top shot put mark and US No. 3 discus mark last spring is pretty outstanding. We haven't seen her compete since last year, but that shouldn't take away from her overall level of talent that she brings to multiple events. Would it be crazy to say she's going to college to play volleyball? It shouldn't. She's the top middle hitter in the state of Nebraska, and one of the very best in the country, too.
17	12	Taryn Parks	Greencastle	North Carolina	Taryn Parks is a star distance runner who shockingly defeated Marlee Starliper last winter en route to the New Balance Indoor national title in the mile. With a 4:39 mile PR, Parks will be the focal point of a UNC revival...but she can't do it alone.
18	21	Jonah Ross	Garner	Undecided	Just like a few others, Ross exhibited excellent range in a handful of sprinting events this past winter. She didn't record the top marks that someone like Diggs did, but Ross showed just how valuable she can be in mulitple events. Her father, Duane, is the head coach of North Carolina A & T, and her brother, Randolph, developed into one of the NCAAs best indoor 400m runners as a freshman. Could that be where she lands?
19	17	Victoria Vanriele	Governor Livingston	Penn State	A middle distance specialist like Vanriele was an ideal fit for Penn State, a middle distance powerhouse. Admittedly, the Nittany Lions have needed to bolster their depth in the middle distances and prepare for life after Danae Rivers. With a 2:05 800 meter PR, Vanriele will receive a warm welcome to Happy Valley
20	25	Claire Bryant	Houston Memorial	Florida	She was the USATF U20 Outdoor champion and Pan-American U20 Champion in the long jump. Bryant also recorded the top long jump mark in the nation this past winter. It's not often that you find a near-automatic point scorer like Bryant, but Florida should be happy they did.
21	16	Alysia Johnson	Durham Hillside	South Carolina	In our last rankings update, we mentioned that Johnson had run under 54 seconds 10 times during the 2019 outdoor season. That kind of consistency is hard to come by, especially when you're running at such a high level. Johnson was a little quieter this winter, but it's clear that she'll be a non-stop problem for her SEC rivals at the collegiate rival.
22	23	Claire Walters	Fayetteville Manilus	North Carolina State	The NC State commit was the 4th place finisher at NXN this past fall, is a steeplechase specialist, and has run 9:38 for 3000 meters. In a loaded Wolfpack recruiting class, it's important to remember just how talented and valuable Walters is as a recruit.
23	15	Sarah Trainor	FDR	North Carolina	A steeplechaser with top-notch middle distance speed is rare. Trainor, when paired with Parks, will bring unique value to a UNC program that is looking to gain an edge with Coach Miltenberg entering year two of his program revamp.
24	NR	Maria Deaviz	Souderton Area	Virginia	Deaviz had a breakout season in the shot-put, posting a jaw-dropping mark of 51-10.75 which ranks PA No. 3 all-time and US No. 15 all-time. Whoever signs Deaviz will be getting one of the better high school shot put throwers that the country has ever seen.
25	26	Emelia Chatfield	St. Thomas Aquinas	Texas	Chatfield has the US No. 5 time in the 300 meter hurdles last spring as well as the US No. 12 time in the 100 meter hurdles. It's a deep year for hurdles, but Chatfield has found a way to standout. She will join Texas coach Edrick Floreal who coached Sydney McLaughlin at Kentucky before she turned pro.
26	19	Dominique Mustin	North Canyon	Texas A&M	Mustin's 2:06 800 meter PR is still wildly impressive, but she had a quiet indoor season where she only ran the 400 meters once. Still, she'll be yet another useful weapon in Texas A&M's arsenal of middle distance elites.
27	29	Alissa Braxton	Commack	Florida	Braxton recorded a new indoor PR in the triple jump to secure the US. No 2 mark. She has also showed more consistency in the long jump, an event that future teammate Claire Bryant currently headlines. Florida will have a dynamic duo in the horizontal jumps come 2021.
28	13	Alicia Burnett	Parkway North	Texas A&M	We haven't seen Burnett since last spring where she recorded a pair of top-25 marks nationally in the 100 meters and 200 meters. Her PR of 11.47 is hard to forget and she has a history of racking up a ton of wins. That is the major reason why she sticks around our Top 30.
29	NR	Leah Pasqualetti	Orchard Park	Undecided	Last winter, Leah Pasqualetti held an impressive personal best of 13-3 in the pole vault. One year later, she has improved her PR by an entire foot (yes, you read that correctly). Pasqualetti was the top-ranked pole vaulter in the nation this past winter by a massive margin of eight inches.
30	28	Aasia Laurencin	Oak Park	Texas	Laurencin was the US No. 3 ranked 60 meter hurdler last winter and replicated that ranking this past indoor season. With her 100 meter hurdle PR of 13:43 (set in the spring of 2019), Laurencin will bring a plethora of firepower to a program headed by Edrick Floreal, one of the most respected hurdles coaches in the country.
31	37	Jenna Rogers	Rutherford	Nebraska	A personal best of 6-0.75 in the high jump makes Rogers hard to ignore. However, it should also be noted that she was the US No. 9 pentathlete in the country this past year. That's an odd (but highly valuable) skillset which makes Rogers a pleasantly surprising pick up for Nebraska.
32	33	Ashley Moore	Centennial	Miami	Moore was set for a monster outdoor season this spring when she jumped a new personal best of 41-9 in the triple jump. Unfortunately, the rest of the spring track season has yet to continue. Still, that recent jump up indicates that she still has a ton of untapped potential, making her a valuable, high-ceiling recruit.
33	32	Markalah Hart	Miami Northwestern	Undecided	Much like Moore, Hart was ready to unleash a huge outdoor season after running a wind aided 13.44 in the 100 meter hurdles which was the top time in the country for the 2020 spring track season. Despite the unprecendeted cancellations and delays, Hart has shown that she can still be a top-ranked threat.
34	22	Lexy Halladay	Mountain View	BYU	She didn't have a great end to her cross country season and was absent from indoor track, but BYU should be relieved to grab someone like Halladay. With a heavy portion of the Cougar's top distance runners graduating, the BYU women were going to need reinforcements starting next year. With a 4:41 mile PR, Halladay will certainly help Coach Taylor transition to the next era of BYU distance running excellence.
35	31	Hannah Waller	South Lakes	Undecided	Waller has a handful of respectable marks in everything from the 55 meter dash, the triple jump, the long jump and the 300 meters. A resume that is loaded with wins helps her resume stand out in a list that is loaded with talented women.
36	27	Rachel Glenn	Wilson Long Beach	South Carolina	A hurdles specialist who also boasts a quietly respectable high jump mark of 5-11, Glenn has a unique range of talents between a few different events. She is yet another top-notch recruit in what has become a loaded recruiting class for South Carolina.
37	NR	Isabella Whittaker	Mount De Sales Academy	Penn	This past winter, Whittaker was ranked US No. 6 (200 meters), US No. 4 (300 meters), US No. 8 (400 meters), US No. 5 (500 meters). She has elevated her fitness to become a Swiss Army Knife in the sprint events which should make her Penn's prized recruit given that she can score for the Quakers in multiple events at the Ivy League Championships.
38	36	Serena Clark	Lakota East	Clemson	The Ohio native can do a little bit of everything in the sprinting events. She has a 200 meter PR of 24.09, but that is about where she maxes out in terms of effective distances. Still, Clark's range all the way down to the 55 meter dash makes her a valuable recruit for whoever signs her.
39	NR	Carlie Dorostkar	Canyon Crest Academy	UCLA	UCLA has a promising, up-and-coming cross country squad that will add two key scorers to their lineup in 2020. By also adding Dorostkar, the 6th place finisher at NXN this past fall, the Bruins are looking like more than just a national qualifying team. Seven to eight months from now, they may be one of the top squads in the PAC-12.
40	43	Monique Hardy	Webster Thomas	LSU	Hardy had the top weight throw mark in the nation last winter and replicated that this past indoor season. The LSU commit improved her personal best to 66-11.25 and has continued to chip away at the shot put, an event she was ranked US No. 30 in this past winter. On a roster that is loaded with sprint and hurdle specialists, Hardy will balance out this LSU recruiting class by adding a high-caliber thrower to the field events.
41	NR	Lucy Jenks	Newtown South	Stanford	It's hard to appreciate a personal best of 2:48 for 1000 meters since it is rarely run at the high school level. However, a time like that is difficult for even the best collegiate middle distance runners to touch. With a mile PR of 4:45 and an indoor two mile PR of 10:17, Jenks offers a lot of exciting versatility which is what typically defines the best distance runners on Stanford's roster.
42	40	Corie Smith	Buchanan	Arkansas	The 12th place finisher from NXN this past fall was absent during the winter months, but with a 3200 PR of 10:17 and the eighth fastest high school three mile time (15:58) of all-time, Smith brings tons of firepower to an Arkansas team that will be losing a few distance veterans in the near future.
43	39	Fiona Max	Summit	Princeton	The 10th place finisher at NXN will give a much needed boost to a Princeton team that had respectable depth and a few decent scoring options last fall, but clearly needed another low-stick (like Max) to give them a boost. The Bend, Oregon native will give them exactly that.
44	41	Riley Hunt	Greenville	Arkansas	Last winter, she was ranked No. 9 nationally in the pole vault. This past winter, she was ranked No. 7 nationally. Hunt is an extremely consistent pole vaulter with a personal best of 13-7 who will enter a program that was responsible for developing the 2018 indoor national title winner in the pole vault (Lexi Jacobus).
45	NR	Jadin O'Brien	Divine Savior Holy Angels	Notre Dame	One of the best high school heptathletes in the country, O'Brien has also been nationally ranked inside the top 100 in the long jump, 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, and 55 meter hurdles. It's rare to see a multi-event specialst so highly ranked in a handful of other events. Notre Dame has one of the most high-potential recruits in the country.
46	47	Cheyenne Figueroa	Classical	Mass-Amherst	Much like Monique Hardy, Cheyenne Figueroa had the US No. 2 time in the weight throw last winter and she replicated that same ranking this indoor season. Her hamer throw PR of 169-4 is another impressive aspect of her resume which boosts her value as a recruit.
47	NR	Lydia Russell	Friends' Central	Oregon	Russell's value for Oregon is massive. The Ducks have been losing a handful of top veteran scorers over the past year or two. Adding Russell, a top distance runner with a 16:18 5k personal best, will ease the scoring gaps left behind by the graduating seniors.
48	46	Leena Morant	Union Catholic	Penn State	An injury kept Morant out of much of the indoor season, though she did feature in her team's US No. 7 4x400 team, which isn't surprising. Morant has traditional 400m-800m versatility, with outdoor PRs of 56.55 in the 400m and 2:08.91 in the 800m. At Penn State, a program with a track record of developing mid-distance athletes, Morant should succeed.
49	35	Sydney Holiday	Broomfield	Undecided	Holiday was plenty active this past winter, running a US No. 8 mark of 7.46 in the 60 meter dash. That's a new personal best for her which pairs well with her plethora of championship experience.
50	NR	Angellica Street	Columbia Falls	Texas A&M	Street was the top-ranked senior javelin thrower in the nation last spring with a strong mark of 158-8. She'll be going to Texas A&M where she can offer the team some diverse scoring opportunities outside of the Aggies' few main areas.

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Class of 2020 Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention	38	Lily Williams	Aurora Grandview	Baylor
Honorable Mention	34	Sasha Neglia	Dobyns-Bennett	North Carolina
Honorable Mention	42	Synclair Savage	North Cobb Christian	South Carolina
Honorable Mention	44	Sydney Horn	Lancaster Manheim Township	High Point
Honorable Mention	45	Tori Gaitan	Great Oak	Northern Arizona
Honorable Mention	48	Amari Brown	Milwaukee Rufus King	Undecided
Honorable Mention	49	Niya Benton-Andrews	Atlanta Maynard Jackson	Auburn
Honorable Mention	50	Zatoria Thompson	St. Thomas Aquinas	Auburn
Honorable Mention	NR	Jazmine Hobson	Shiloh	Arizona State
Honorable Mention	NR	Ashton Lindley	Campbell	South Carolina
Honorable Mention	NR	Sarah Connelly	Mt. Sinai	Syracuse
Honorable Mention	NR	Isabelle Goldstein	Germantown Academy	Undecided
Honorable Mention	NR	Shaniya Hall	Bullis	Undecided
Honorable Mention	NR	Keayla Dove	Cyprus Lakes	Sam Houston State
Honorable Mention	NR	Kate Jendrezak	Eastside Catholic	Undecided
Honorable Mention	NR	Nicole Anderson	Billerica Memorial	Vanderbilt
Honorable Mention	NR	Maxana Grubb	Amherst	Virginia Tech
Honorable Mention	NR	Madison Schmidt	Blaine	Notre Dame
Honorable Mention	NR	Diamonasia Taylor	Urbana	Undecided
Honorable Mention	NR	Shelby Frank	Red River	Minnesota
Honorable Mention	NR	Mia Manson	Monarch	Michigan
Honorable Mention	NR	Lenea Browder	Troy	Undecided
Honorable Mention	NR	Parker Valby	East Lake	Florida