The leading storyline in the women’s field at the 2022 Rogue Invitational CrossFit competition is obvious: For the first time ever, the champion will (most likely) not be named Tia-Clair Toomey.
After winning the first three versions of this competition — 2019 in Columbus, OH, 2020 in the online format, and 2021 in Round Rock, TX — Toomey is highly likely not to be in the field this year, meaning the door is wide open for a new champion. And by the way, winning the Rogue Invitational comes with a payout of at least $215,000.
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The Rogue women’s field is missing more big names than just Toomey, however. Also absent from the second most prestigious CrossFit event of the year are:
- Mallory O’Brien — 2022 second Fittest Woman on Earth®
- Brooke Wells — 2022 fifth Fittest Woman on Earth
- Haley Adams — 2022 ninth Fittest Woman on Earth
- Kristi Eramo O’Connell — 2022 13th Fittest Woman on Earth
Despite some of the biggest names in the sport being absent, there is still intriguing diversity in the field of women who will be competing. The 20 competitors hail from 10 different countries, ranging from 16 to 33 years old. Some women have competed in as many as 11 CrossFit Games and others who’ve never appeared in a single one.
2022 Rogue Invitational Elite Women’s Roster
Here’s a look at all 20 confirmed women athletes competing at the 2022 Rogue Invitational:
- Laura Horvath
- Danielle Brandon
- Emma Lawson
- Kara Saunders
- Gabriela Migala
- Alexis Raptis
- Annie Thorisdottir
- Arielle Loewen
- Emma McQuaid
- Amanda Barnhart
- Jacqueline Dahlstrom
- Carolyn Prevost
- Matilde Garnes
- Andrea Solberg
- Anikha Greer
- Bailey Rogers
- Dani Speegle
- Manon Angonese
- Olivia Krstetter
- Ellie Turner
Below, we’ll dissect the field of 20 through a variety of metrics — including their past performances, age, experience, and how how they qualified. It’s your primer on the 20 women athletes set to battle it out in Texas.
Podium Finishers
Over the last several years, it’s been hard to come by a podium finish in the women’s field at either the Rogue Invitational or the Games.
Toomey almost always occupies a podium spot, and most of the other women who have managed to stand on the podium do it multiple times. In this field of 20 women, there are only four women who have managed to stand on the podium at either Rogue or the Games; two of them have done both:
Rogue Podium Finishers
- Annie Thorisdottir — 2nd Rogue 2021; 3rd Rogue 2019
- Gabriela Migała — 3rd Rogue 2021
- Kara Saunders — 3rd Rogue 2020
Games Podium Finishers
- Laura Horvath — 3rd 2022, 2nd 2021, 2nd 2018
- Annie Thorisdottir — 3rd in 2021; 3rd in 2017; 2nd in 2014; 1st in 2012; 1st in 2011; 2nd in 2010
- Kara Saunders — 2nd 2017
Youth Movement
There is undoubtedly a youth movement in CrossFit right now, and the Rogue field is no different. Forty percent of the competitors are 25 years old or younger:
- Bailey Rogers — 25 years old
- Laura Horvath — 25 years old
- Ellie Turner — 24 years old
- Alexis Raptis — 23 years old
- Gabriela Migała — 23 years old
- Anikha Greer — 19 years old
- Emma Lawson — 17 years old
- Olivia Kerstetter — 16 years old
Better at Rogue Than at the Games
BarBend previously covered about the potential programming at the 2022 Rogue Invitational and how it can affect some athletes’ performance for the better. These four women have all had a better at the Rogue Invitational than they’ve ever had at the CrossFit Games:
- Gabriela Migała — Best at Rogue, 3rd 2021; Best at the Games, 6th 2021
- Dani Speegle — Best at Rogue, 8th 2019; Best at the Games, 13th 2020
- Emma McQuaid — Best at Rogue, 9th 2021; Best at the Games, 12th 2022 & 2021
- Carolyne Prevost — Best at Rogue, 6th 2020; Best at the Games, 12th 2019
Rouge Rookies
There is quite a bit of overlap here with the youth movement list from above, but with many veterans turning down their invitations, 45% of the field will be rookies. These are the nine Rogue rookies and how they got here:
- Alexis Raptis — 10th, 2022 Games
- Andrea Solberg — 3rd, the “Q”
- Anikha Greer — 4th, the “Q”
- Bailey Rogers — 5th, the “Q”
- Ellie Turner — 18th, 2022 Games (backfill invite)
- Emma Lawson — 6th, 2022 Games
- Manon Angonese — 1st, the “Q”
- Matilde Garnes — 6th, the “Q” (backfill invite)
- Olivia Kerstetter — 2nd, the “Q”
*The “Q” is Rogue’s online qualifier which took place earlier in the fall and awarded a minimum of five (but in the case of the women, six) spots to the main event in Round Rock, TX. The other 15 spots were filled via invitation.
Better at the Games Than at Rogue
The remaining athletes in the field who have thus far not made any of the categories above are all women who have competed at Rogue previously but have found more success at the Games:
- Arielle Loewen — Best at Rogue, 13th 2021; Best at the Games, 11th 2022
- Danielle Brandon — Best at Rogue, 11th 2021; Best at the Games, 4th 2022
- Jacqueline Dahlstrøm — Best at Rogue, 20th 2021; Best at the Games, 15th 2022
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And that leaves only one woman, Amanda Barnhart, whose best finish at Rogue (7th in 2020) and best finishes at the Games (7th in 2019 and 2020) are equivalent. Barnhart is an interesting case because she is known for her strength, and we know Rogue has a strength bias in its programming. Perhaps Barnhart is a little bit more well-rounded than she gets credit for.
Wrapping Up
The theme of the women’s field at Rogue Invitational’s CrossFit competition is new. There will be a new champ for the first time in three years and about half the roster is made up of Rogue Rookies and competitors under 25 years old. A new champ on the podium, and a new wave of athletes.
If this intrigues you, you can catch the action on Rogue’s YouTube channel. The competition is set to occur from Oct. 28-30, 2022.
Featured Image: @rogueinvitational on Instagram
