Meet Recap: 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships

Champions were crowned on Saturday at the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships!

The meet was held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard
Related: National Championships Central | Rankings & Polls Central

Men’s 10k Race

Oklahoma State returned to the podium in top-step fashion, winning its sixth title in program history, and second in three years. The Cowboys won with 57 points, which was 25 fewer than runner-up New Mexico (82) had with their program-first podium finish. Iowa State was third with 158 points and Syracuse (212) and Oregon (239) completed the top five.

Four teams had the lead throughout the race – Oregon at the first two kilometer splits, Iowa State at 3k, New Mexico at 4k and OSU at 5k through the finish. OSU’s move between 4k and 5k was decisive, going from 10 points down to the Lobos to 29 points up. Their largest lead during the race was at 8k at 49 points.

The Cowboys were led by the 4-5-6 barrage of Brian Musau, Fouad Messaoudi and Denis Kipngetich and followed in scoring places 12-30 by Adisu Guadia and Ryan Schoppe as their 1-5 time gap was impressively tight at 20.5 seconds. Their total of 57 points has been bettered just once since 2005 – by its own 49 in 2023.

Habtom Samuel pulled away effortlessly in the last kilometer to win in 28:33.9. Runner-up honors went to fast-closing Rocky Hansen of Wake Forest (28:38.0) as Samuel cruised the final strides to win by 4.2 seconds. Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge (28:40.1) was third ahead of the Cowboy brigade’s 4-5-6.

Samuel’s title was his first after finishing runner-up to Graham Blanks of Harvard the last two years.

Women’s 6k Race

NC State got back into title form, winning its fourth title in five years in holding off BYU, 114-130. Third place went to fast-starting Oregon with 153 points as New Mexico (216) and Florida (225) rounded out the top-5.

The Wolfpack took the lead for the first time at the 3k split with a score of 114 to overtake Oregon (144), which had led at the first two split points. BYU was then in third with 161 points. By 5k, BYU had moved into second place behind NC State, which led 92-140 at that point. The Cougars closed the gap from 48 to the final 16 points in the final kilometer.

NC State was led by the 5-6 finish of Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman and followed in team scoring places 24-35-44 by Bethany Michalak, Angelina Napoleon and Sadie Engelhardt.

Doris Lemngole of Alabama defended her individual title, pulling away from BYU frosh sensation Jane Hedengren in the final kilometer to win by 13.5 seconds in a meet and course record 18:25.4. Hedengren (18:38.9), who had the previous course best of 18:42.3 from earlier in the year, was also under the meet best time of 18:55.2 set by Parker Valby of Florida in 2023. In all, the first six bettered the meet record.

Lemngole is the meet’s first back-to-back winner since Villanova’s Sheila Reid won in 2010 and 2011.