The NC State women’s cross country team captured the NCAA Division I championship on Saturday at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri. The top-ranked Wolfpack scored their fourth team title in five years under coach Laurie Henes.
NC State, which finished with 114 points, edged defending champions BYU (130pts) by 16 points to claim the victory. The win marks a strong comeback for the Wolfpack after finishing eighth at last year’s championships.
The 88th men’s championship and 46th women’s championship took place on a thick grass course made wet and muddy by recent weather. Approximately 8,000 spectators attended the event. A total of 520 athletes finished the races, with 261 women completing the 6-kilometer course and 259 men finishing the 10-kilometer distance.
Alabama’s Doris Lemngole successfully defended her individual title in the women’s race. The Kenyan runner, who placed fifth in the steeplechase at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, won comfortably after pulling away from BYU freshman sensation, Jane Hedengren in the latter stages of the contest to win with a time of 18:25.
“After the long season, which included the World Championships this year, it’s time for a rest,” Lemngole said after sealing her victory on Saturday.
Hedengren, who dominated her rivals and ran undefeated until this weekend, finished second to Lemngole with a time of 18:38. Hannah Gapes of NC State clocked 18:51 for third place, followed by Hilda Olemomoi of Florida in 18:46 and Riley Chamberlain of BYU, at 18:47, to round out the top five finishers.
NC State’s victory came despite a 40th-place finish from star steeplechaser Angelina Napoleon, who was the 35th scoring runner for her team. The Wolfpack’s depth proved decisive in securing the championship.
On the men’s side, Oklahoma State won the team title as expected. The Cowboys dominated with just 57 points. BYU, the defending men’s champions, dropped to 11th place.
Read More: Men’s Results: 2025 NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships
New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel claimed the individual men’s title. The winner celebrated with airplane arms before crossing the finish line. Wake Forest junior Rocky Hansen took second place, a significant improvement from his 100th-place finish at the 2024 championships.
Kenyan athletes showed strong performances throughout both races. Ten of the top 20 women’s finishers were from Kenya, including two of the top three. In the men’s race, 12 of the top 29 finishers were Kenyan, with four placing in the top eight.
Added information from Gary Smith
NCAA Women’s Cross Country Results and Team Scores
WOMEN (6 km) – Team Standings:
1. NC State, 114
2. BYU, 130
3. Oregon, 153
4. New Mexico, 216
5. Florida, 225
6. Stanford, 268
7. Notre Dame, 278
8. Northern Arizona, 279
9. West Virginia, 280
10. Penn State, 406
11. North Carolina, 413
12. Oklahoma State, 432
13. Colorado, 434
14. Georgetown, 454
15. South Carolina, 456
16. Alabama, 460
17. Utah, 465
18. Northwestern, 469
19. Washington, 472
20. Iowa State, 491
21. Wake Forest, 514
22. Boise State, 527
23. LSU, 530
24. Virginia, 558
25. Villanova, 574
26. Wisconsin, 600
27. Washington St., 602
28. Missouri, 632
29. Boston College, 647
30. Tennessee, 650
31. Texas A&M, 654
32. Providence, 793
Individual Finishers:
1. Doris Lemngole, JR, Alabama, 18:25.4
2. Jane Hedengren, FR, BYU, 18:38.9
3. Hilda Olemomoi, SR, Florida, 18:46.4
4. Riley Chamberlain, JR, BYU, 18:47.0
5. Hannah Gapes, JR, NC State, 18:51.3
6. Grace Hartman, JR, NC State, 18:52.6
7. Isca Chelangat, FR, Oklahoma State, 18:56.1
8. Vera Sjoberg, SR, North Carolina, 18:56.5
9. Silan Ayyildiz, SR, Oregon, 18:57.9
10. Mary Bonner Dalton, SO, Notre Dame, 18:58.0
11. Caren Kiplagat (KEN), FR, Alabama, 18:58.8
12. Joy Naukot, SO, West Virginia, 18:59.6
13. Sydney (Thorvaldson) Vaught, SR, Arkansas, 18:59.6
14. Florence Caron, SR, Penn State, 19:00.6
15. Betty Kipkore, FR, Iowa State, 19:01.4
16. Judy Chepkoech, SO, Florida, 19:01.8
17. Pamela Kosgei, SO, New Mexico, 19:02.8
18. Silvia Jelego, SO, Clemson, 19:03.7
19. Cynthia Jemutai, FR, Alabama, 19:05.6
20. Mercy Kibet, FR, Iowa State, 19:05.7
21. Allie Zealand, SO, Liberty, 19:06.8
22. Tia Wilson, SR, Florida, 19:07.2
23. Morgan Nokes, SR, Utah Valley, 19:10.4
24. Mary Ogwoka, FR, Tennessee, 19:11.8
25. Amaya Aramini, FR, Notre Dame, 19:12.8
26. Jadyn Keeler, SR, North Dakota, 19:13.5
27. Rosemary Longisa, FR, Washington St., 19:14.6
28. Salma Elbadra, FR, South Carolina, 19:14.7
29. Bethany Michalak, SO, NC State, 19:14.9
30. Amy Bunnage, JR, Stanford, 19:15.0
31. Diana Cherotich, FR, Oregon, 19:15.2
32. Hayley Burns, JR, Northern Arizona, 19:15.4
33. Angelina Perez, JR, Wake Forest, 19:16.1
34. Sophia Kennedy, JR, Stanford, 19:16.7
35. Monica Wanjiku, FR, Missouri, 19:17.4
36. Dalia Frias, JR, Oregon, 19:18.8
37. Ava Mitchell, SO, Northern Arizona, 19:18.8
38. Agnes McTighe, SR, Northern Arizona, 19:19.8
39. Juliet Cherubet, JR, Oregon, 19:22.2
40. Angelina Napoleon, SO, NC State, 19:22.7
41. Nelah Roberts, SO, BYU, 19:22.9
42. Maureen Rutoh, FR, Oklahoma State, 19:26.7
43. Marion Jepngetich, FR, New Mexico, 19:27.6
44. Mena Scatchard, SR, Stanford, 19:28.2
45. Mercy Kinyanjui, SO, West Virginia, 19:29.1
46. Elizabeth Khatevi, SO, Texas A&M-CC, 19:29.4
47. Taylor Rohatinsky, SR, BYU, 19:29.8
48. Rachel Forsyth, SO, Michigan State, 19:30.5
49. Judy Rono, FR, New Mexico, 19:31.5
50. Melissa Riggins, SR, Georgetown, 19:32.0
