USTFCCCA News & Notes
Recap: 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Regional Championships
Welcome to Regional Championships Friday!
We’re about to find out which teams earn automatic bids – and those who must rely on at-large berths – to the upcoming 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 22, at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard
We’ll keep track of which teams earned automatic bids to the Show Me State.
NCAA DI Cross Country Automatic Team Qualifiers |
||
|
Region
|
Men’s AQs
|
Women’s AQs
|
|
Great Lakes
|
No. 16 Notre Dame
No. 14 Butler |
No. 5 Notre Dame
No. 25 Wisconsin |
|
Mid-Atlantic
|
No. 11 Princeton
RV Georgetown |
No. 7 West Virginia
No. 12 Georgetown |
|
Midwest
|
No. 1 Oklahoma State
No. 2 Iowa State |
No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 11 Northwestern |
|
Mountain
|
No. 3 New Mexico
No. 10 BYU |
No. 8 New Mexico
No. 1 BYU |
|
Northeast
|
No. 5 Syracuse
Iona |
RV Boston College
Providence |
|
South
|
No. 9 Alabama
Ole Miss |
No. 3 Florida
RV Tennessee |
|
South Central
|
No. 23 Tulane
No. 25 Arkansas |
RV Texas A&M
No. 26 LSU |
|
Southeast
|
No. 12 Wake Forest
No. 30 Eastern Kentucky |
No. 2 NC State
No. 20 South Carolina |
|
West
|
No. 7 Oregon
No. 17 California Baptist |
No. 14 Stanford
No. 4 Oregon |
Mid-Atlantic Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
The West Virginia women and the Princeton men earned victories at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Championships on Friday morning.
West Virginia scored 56 points, barely eking out a win against Georgetown. With less than a mile left to go, the Hoyas led the Mountaineers by a point, but they couldn’t hang on to that lead, and they finished with 62 points.
Sophomores Joy Naukot and Mercy Kinyanjui led the way with a 1-2 overall finish for West Virginia. Naukot broke the finishing tape in 19:11.8, while Kinyanjui ran 19:22.5. Junior Alexis Lamb wasn’t far behind, taking sixth with a time of 19:44.3.
Georgetown showed exceptional depth, putting all of their top five in the top 20 — something West Virginia did not do — but they didn’t have enough top-end performances to seal the victory. Senior Melissa Riggins was the top performer for Georgetown, taking third overall, but none of their next four finished in the top 10.
Senior Charlotte Tomkinson finished 10th, followed by junior Barrett Justema in 13th, senior Almi Nerukar in 16th and freshman Charlotte Bell in 20th.
The top four individuals not from West Virginia or Georgetown, who await their fate as individual auto-bids to the NCAA Championships, were Penn State’s Florence Caron, Villanova’s Tilly O’Connor, Maryland’s Rose Coats and Princeton’s Meg Madison. If Penn State secures an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships (the Nittany Lions took third in the team race), the next in line is Villanova’s Nicole Vanasse.
On the men’s side, Princeton took care of business, putting three men in the top five and scoring just 45 points. Senior Myles Hogan took second overall with a time of 29:21.2, followed by sophomore Jacob Nenow in fourth (29:35.8) and senior Jackson Shorten in fifth (29:36.9).
Sophomore Sebastian Martinez and freshman Hayden Boaz finished well back in 15th and 19th, respectively, but the Tigers’ top performers were dominant enough to secure the win regardless.
Paralleling the women’s race, Georgetown took second in the men’s race, led by individual champion Birhanu Harriman, who crossed the line just six tenths of a second ahead of Hogan with a time of 29:20.6.
The Hoyas put four in the top 15, but their fifth man, Alazar Teffra, lagged behind in 28th.
The top four individuals outside of Princeton and Georgetown were Navy’s Justin Mumford, Penn State’s Nick Sloff, Villanova’s Charlie Moore and Pitt’s Thomas McMahon. If Villanova (third overall) and Penn State (fourth overall) qualify as at-large bids, the next in line is Navy’s Jackson Nguyen.
• Oliver Hinson, DyeStat.com
Midwest Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
Men’s 10k Recap
The race for the team title between No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 2 Iowa State came down to the fifth runner – almost as if had been scripted that way.
In the end, it was Brian Musau who sealed the Cowboys’ fourth regional crown in the past five years. His 17th-place finish put him five spots clear of the Cyclones’ Devan Kipyego, providing the decisive edge Oklahoma State needed. The Cowboys totaled 38 points, three fewer than Iowa State’s 41. The Cyclones led by two points through four runners, but that’s why they scored five.
Athletes from Oklahoma State and Iowa State filled eight of the top ten spots. The Cowboys set the tone with Denis Kipngetich claiming the individual title in 29:42.8, while the Cyclones answered with a 2-3-4 finish from Joash Ruto, Robin Kwemoi Bera, and Sanele Masondo. Oklahoma State kept the pressure on with Laban Kipkemboi and Fouad Messauodi finishing fifth and sixth, and the final spots in the top ten went to the Cowboys’ Adisu Guadia in ninth and the Cyclones’ Rodgers Kiplimo in tenth.
No. 21 Oklahoma (109), No. 20 Tulsa (117) and RV Loyola-Chicago (187) rounded out the top five teams.
Women’s 6k Recap
Make it four in a row for Oklahoma State.
The ninth-ranked Cowgirls seized control from the gun on Friday morning and never let it go. Led by a dominant 1-2 punch from Isca Chelangat and Maureen Rutoh, Oklahoma State rolled to a 55-86 victory over No. 11 Northwestern and outpaced two other top 30 programs in No. 6 Iowa State and No. 27 Missouri. The Cowgirls briefly ticked above 60 points at the 1.1k split, but otherwise stayed well within their rhythm, running composed and placing four athletes inside the top 11 on their home course.
Ever consistent, the Wildcats delivered a masterclass in pack running. Northwestern’s gap from its first to fifth runner never drifted far – just 10.3 seconds at 4k and otherwise under six seconds until the finish stretch, where it was still only eight. With five scorers landing inside the top 20, the Wildcats secured just the second automatic bid in program history.
Both the Cyclones and Tigers must wait to see if they earn at-large bids.
Northeast Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
Men’s Recap
It wasn’t even close.
No. 5 Syracuse dominated the Northeast Region, crusing to a 32-95 win over Iona. The Orange stacked its entire scoring five inside the top ten, unleashing a steady stream of finishers from sixth through ninth – Benne Anderson, Matthew Meill, Assaf Harari, and Sam Lawler – while Peter Walsdorf led the charge as the runner-up behind Hofstra’s Fredrick Kipkosgei.
Unranked Iona delivered the upset of the morning, snagging the region’s second automatic bid with a 95-105 decision over No. 22 Harvard. The Crimson had the edge through four runners, but Baptiste Cartieaux swung it in the Gaels’ favor, finishing 32 scoring places ahead of Ethan Aidam to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships. Iona had not appeared in the National Coaches’ Poll at any point this season.
Harvard settled into a comfortable third, followed by Providence (169) and Yale (170).
Women’s Recap
They’re going crazy in Chestnut Hill.
Boston College earned its first regional title in program history on Friday. The Eagles, who received votes in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll, were led by Imogen Gardiner and Ella Fadil, who finished second and fifth, guiding BC past Providence, 60-71.
The Friars, ranked as high as seventh this year, had three athletes in the top ten – Anna Gardiner in sixth, Cara Laverty in seventh, and Gabby Schmidt in ninth – but it wasn’t enough to ground the Eagles.
Army West Point (91), Syracuse (126), and Yale (153) rounded out the top five teams.
South Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
Men’s 10k Recap
No. 9 Alabama easily defended its team title as four top-10 runners led the Crimson Tide to a score of 37 points to win by 38 points. Bama had all five scorers in the top-14, led by defending champ Dismus Lokira, who was runner-up this year. He was followed by Dennis Kipruto (fourth), Nelson Pariken (ninth), Ezekiel Pitireng (11th) and Carson Burian (15th) as the Tide had a 1-5 gap of 46.2 seconds.
In a tight battle for the second automatic berth to the nationals, Ole Miss repeated its runner-up finish from last year, scoring 75 points to best No. 19 Georgia, which had 77 to match its highest finish since being third in 2016.
The Rebels – just tenth in the SEC Championships two weeks ago – were led by the 5-6 finish of Kidus Misgina and Toby Gillen, while Georgia countered with Will Aitken and Conner Rutherford in eighth and 10th. In team scoring, Ole Miss was 4-5-12-21-33 and Georgia was 7-9-15-17-29. Tennessee edged Lipscomb for fourth place on a tiebreaker as both scored 145 points, with Middle Tennessee next at 146.
Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot sprinted away in the final stage to win the individual title in 29:09.1, beating Lokira by 2.8 seconds. Auburn’s Nickson Chebii was third but didn’t figure in the team scoring.
Women’s 6k Recap
No. 3 Florida was an easy winner in claiming its first regional title since 2009. The Gators scored 52 points to win by 49 points over Tennessee (101), earning an automatic nationals berth for the first time since 2023. The Vols – unranked but receiving votes in the latest national coaches poll – edged out No. 15 and defending regional champ Alabama (125) for the final automatic berth.
Florida was led by the 4-5-6 finish of defending individual champ Hilda Olemomoi, Judy Chepkoech and Tia Wilson and followed with Claire Stegall (15th) and Bethan Morley (22nd).
The Vols had just one top-10 finisher – Mary Ogwoka in eighth – but followed with scorers in positions 18, 24, 25 and 26 to offset the Crimson Tide’s 1-2-3 finish of Doris Lemngole, Caren Kiplagat and Cynthia Jemutai as Bama next scorers were 59th and 60th. It was Tennessee’s first AQ since winning the 2023 title.
Mississippi State was fourth with the same 125-point total as Alabama for its highest showing since winning the 2016 title, and Vanderbilt (152) rounded out the top-5 teams.
Reigning NCAA champ Lemngole took control of the individual race after the 2.5k split and cruised to victory in 18:43.8. It was her first-ever regional title after finishing runner-up the last two years. Kiplagat (18:49.7) was 5.9 seconds behind as the only other runner going sub-19.
South Central Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
It’s a rare day at the NCAA South Central Regional when Arkansas doensn’t win.
Friday was one of them. Texas A&M, which placed sixth at the SEC Championships, scored 71 points to win the regional title at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Aggies along with LSU, second with 86 points, are the two automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 Columbia, Mo.
Arkansas had won the previous 13 years in a row and finished fourth. It was to be expected after the Razorbacks took 14th at the SEC Championships.
Elizabeth Khatevi from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the 6-kilometer women’s race in 19:33.6 and was nine seconds clear of Sydney Thorvaldson of Arkansas. Those two, plus Blezzin Kimutai of Tulane (third) and Rose Mburu of SMU (sixth) are all assured of advancing to nationals as the top four from non-qualifying teams.
Texas A&M’s Joyce Kemboi led the Aggies with a fourth-place finish and Debora Cherono was seventh.
LSU, which finished two spots ahead of A&M at the SEC Championships, was led by the fifth place finish of Yuya Sawada.
Arkansas’ Timothy Chesondin won the men’s 10-kilometer race a year after finishing second behind a teammate. In the first 10k of the year, Chesondin ran 28:44.4 and won by seven seconds.
Tulane duo Bernard Cheruiyot and Silas Kiptanui finished second and third to lead the Green Wave, which pulled off a small upset, 44 to 46 over the Razorbacks. Tulane was ranked 25th heading into the meet, Arkansas 23rd.
Tulane qualified for its first NCAA meet since 1998 last year and will return again as a regional champion.
Arkansas went 1-4-5-6 but then waited a minute and 42 seconds for its fifth scorer.
Tulane and Arkansas accounted for the top six finishers in the race. Individual qualifying spots went to seventh-place finisher Johnson Lagat from TCU, Paul Kiprotich of Stephen F. Austin (eighth), Jack Johnston of Texas A&M (ninth) and Kgaogelo Moloisi of Louisiana-Monroe.
• Doug Binder, DyeStat.com
Southeast Region Championships
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE MEET
Men’s Recap
Wake Forest won the men’s race with 55 points as junior Rocky Hansen continued his dominant season with an individual victory.
Hansen led a tight lead pack for most of the race —- at 7 kilometers, the top 20 athletes were separated by just five seconds —- and made a strong move in the last kilometer, pulling away from Louisville’s Elsingi Kipruto and crossing the line in 29:10.4. Kipruto finished nine seconds back and claimed the first individual auto-qualifying spot.
Hansen and his Demon Deacon teammates were especially motivated after finishing third at the ACC Championships two weeks ago.
“As a team, we were like, ‘Dudes, come on, we’re better than this,’” Hansen said. “We knew we could put it together in two weeks. We just had to re-orient, and I’m really proud of how we did it today.”
Hansen said he knows the priority is the national championships next Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, but unlike many of the top teams and individuals across the country, he wasn’t content to coast through regionals. He wanted to send a message.
“It would be a lack of respect for me to come out here and to not treat this meet with respect,” Hansen said.
The junior hasn’t had an unbothered season so far in his collegiate career. Last fall, a heat stroke prevented him from training for two weeks before the national championships, and a stress fracture took him out in his freshman year. He’s looking forward to his chance to prove himself next Saturday.
“I’m uber-confident after these last couple races,” Hansen said. “It’s been a fun season, but we’ll see what happens in eight days.”
The Eastern Kentucky men finished second with 68 points, led by junior Taha Er Raouy in third place and freshman Brian Kimutai in sixth place.
Meanwhile, Virginia, the top-ranked team in the region on heading into the meet, finished third with 95 points, falling outside of the auto-qualifiers. Three Cavaliers — seniors Gary Martin, Brett Gardner and Justin Wachtel — finished in the top 15 overall, but their fourth and fifth men lagged behind.
In order to claim a spot on the starting line in Columbia next Saturday, the Cavs will have to secure one of 14 at-large bids, something Martin is confident will happen. Their resume includes a win at the ACC Cross Country Championships two weeks ago and a runner-up finish at the Gans Creek Classic in September.
“Our team is gonna be at nationals,” Martin said. “The big goal (today) was to kind of practice how we’re gonna run at NCAA’s, treat it like a workout and get ready for the big stage.”
Martin, Gardner and Wachtel all said that their effort was far from all-out. By their account, they have plenty left in the tank for next weekend.
Determining individual auto-qualifiers is trickier. The first four men not belonging to Wake Forest or Eastern Kentucky were Kipruto, George Couttie from Virginia Tech, Martin and Gardner. If Virginia makes it as an at-large team, the next two men in line are North Carolina’s Colton Sands and Tomer Tarragano.
Women’s Recap
North Carolina State stormed to a dominant victory at the NCAA Southeast Regional at Panorama Farms, scoring just 55 points with three athletes in the top 10.
Junior Hannah Gapes took second overall, followed by sophomores Angelina Napoleon and Bethany Michalak in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Head coach Laurie Henes said she wanted her team to put out a controlled effort — enough to qualify for the national meet, but certainly not an all-out effort.
“We rested a few people, which we really feel fortunate to be able to do,” Henes said. “We made what we think are the right decisions… we’re really happy with where we are going into (next) Saturday.”
Gapes, Napoleon and Michalak made a point of working together. At the 2-kilometer mark, they were side-by-side in seventh, eighth and ninth, separated by less than a tenth of a second. Over the last 4 kilometers, they moved up through the pack and only slightly separated, bringing their team score down by nearly 20 points along the way.
Henes said that’s the same strategy she wants to see from her athletes next weekend.
“I think that’s always kind of the best way to run at an NCAA championship,” Henes said. “We’re not afraid to be aggressive on the front side, either, but I think for this race, what we wanted to do was move up… for the most part, I think we did that pretty well.”
South Carolina, meanwhile, took second in the team race, led by freshman Salma Elbadra, who took the overall win with a time of 19:03.1. The Gamecocks were ranked fourth in the region heading into the meet, and they had never qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships before this year.
Coach Brock Moreaux was taken aback by the moment.
“It means everything,” Moreaux said. “This group has been so special, and it’s been so awesome to see them be able to reap these benefits.”
Moreaux said his team got “beat up” a lot last year; they finished 14th at the SEC Championships and 11th at the Southeast Regional. He knew they had potential, though, and seeing them trust in that potential and make it come to fruition made for a special moment.
Moreaux sees his team as somewhat of an antithesis to the current model of success in the collegiate ranks. The Gamecocks have a few international runners, one of which is Elbadra, but most of Moreaux’s roster is homegrown talent.
“We’ve got a few South Carolina girls that just really grinded,” Moreaux said. “Just girls that wanted to do it their own way at South Carolina and be a part of the growth.”
Moreaux’s women secured second place by eight points, barely nudging North Carolina out of the auto-qualifying ranks. However, based on their regular-season resume, the Tar Heels will likely secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.
In that case, the four individual auto-qualifying spots will go to Clemson’s Silvia Jelego (fourth overall), Liberty’s Allie Zealand (fifth overall), Wake Forest’s Angelina Perez (seventh overall) and Duke’s Stephanie Moss (ninth overall). If any of those teams qualify at-large, the next in line is Virginia’s Gillian Bushee (11th overall).
• Oliver Hinson, DyeStat.com