by Deji Ogeyingbo
Samuel Breaks Through, Lemngole Repeats in a Wild Morning at Gans Creek
The NCAA Cross Country Championships returned to Columbia with a kind of tension that only cold air and wet grass can sharpen. The Gans Creek Course had been softened by overnight rain, which left the athletes stepping into a race that demanded patience, sensible pacing, and the courage to make bold moves at the right moment. Nothing about the day unfolded cleanly. The footing was uneven, surges were mistimed, and the front packs in both races tightened and loosened like a rubber band being stretched by nerves.
The women set the tone early. Doris Lemngole, who has made a habit of running from the front without appearing in a hurry, took her place near the leaders as if picking up the thread of a story she began long before this season. Jane Hedengren stayed close. The freshman from BYU has glided through the fall with a kind of confidence that’s rare in a newcomer, and every stride she took suggested she felt capable of another runaway performance. Their opening kilometers played out with a steady rhythm that fooled no one. It was clear the race would crack open at some point near the back half.
By 3K the two had separated themselves from a pack that was beginning to wear out. Lemngole’s stride looked relaxed, almost loose, while Hedengren carried a sharper edge in the way she chased. They reached 5K in a blistering 15:24. From there, Lemngole shifted from managing the pace to bending the race around her. She surged in the final half mile with the confidence of an athlete who has lived through enough championship pressure to know when to attack. Hedengren responded, although her legs no longer carried the same snap that defined her earlier races. Lemngole hit the long straightaway and pulled clear to win in 18:25, securing her fifth NCAA title.
The team race behind them unfolded with the kind of methodical execution NC State has made familiar. Laurie Henes’ group carried the memory of last year’s eighth-place finish and turned it into something sharper. Their scoring five crossed the line inside the top 44, with Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman anchoring them in fifth and sixth. They beat BYU by sixteen points, with Oregon and New Mexico filling the podium. The gap between NC State’s fourth runner and BYU’s third shaped the final margin and revealed the Wolfpack’s stability across their roster.
Congrats to all who competed at the NCAA XC this year, and all the fans and coaches as well, who make the DI Cross Country National Championships one of the most popular events in our sport! @NCAATrackField https://t.co/evXVALKKed
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) November 26, 2025
The men’s race came next and carried a different kind of drama. The early kilometers looked like a scene every coach fears, a pack so large that any sudden shift could send bodies slipping and losing rhythm. Oklahoma State stayed patient. They did not swarm the lead. They let Oregon, New Mexico, and Iowa State press the early pace, all while keeping their five athletes inside striking distance.
The defending individual runner-up, Habtom Samuel of New Mexico, stayed tucked into the pack with the calm of someone who has lived through the agony of finishing second twice. His running always looks controlled, but on this morning, it had a kind of purpose that traveled through every move he made. The race drifted past 5K in 14:25. Through 7K and 8K, the Cowboys began to take shape at the front of the scoring table.
Then the quiet patience that defined Samuel’s first eight kilometers gave way to a different gear. With a mile remaining, he took the lead, holding it firmly while the pack behind him stretched thin. Rocky Hansen of Wake Forest tried to respond, but Samuel pulled away across the grass and into the final curve. He crossed in 28:33 and lifted his first national title with a sense of completion. The celebration looked reserved, almost reflective, which fit the long wait that came before it.
Oklahoma State’s team effort was the day’s most decisive performance. Brian Musau, Fouad Messaoudi, and Denis Kipngetich finished fourth, fifth, and sixth. Their climb through the field began after 6K and gathered more strength with each split. Kipngetich moved up twenty-six spots between 6K and 7K, a turn in momentum that tilted the entire meet. By 8K, the Cowboys held a lead New Mexico could not touch. They won with 57 points and felt in control for most of the second half of the race.
New Mexico finished with 82 points, and Iowa State landed on the podium with 148. Syracuse claimed fourth with 212. Much like the women’s race, the final standings were shaped by depth. Oklahoma State’s five scorers sat inside the top 30, which is the sort of distribution coaches dream about months before championships arrive.
