10 takeaways from cross country conference championship weekend

Division I cross country conference championships are in the books and we had some great performances. With regionals up next, here are some takeaways from the conference meets.

Allow them to reintroduce themselves — Doris Lemngole and Pamela Kosgei are back

Alabama’s Doris Lemngole is back on the cross country course and she proved she hasn’t missed a beat, winning the SEC individual title by almost 15 seconds. Lemngole is the defending outdoor cross country women’s individual champion and the 2023 runner-up.

New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei also made her season debut, winning the Mountain West title by over 21 seconds. Kosgei was the 2024 women’s individual runner-up as a freshman.

Lemngole and Kosgei showed that even though they had a long offseason with World Championships, they remain title favorites.

Not too bad for a season debut. 🏆

— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack)

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO: Everything to know for the 2025 NCAA cross country national championships

Habtom Samuel. That’s it. That’s the takeaway

The New Mexico men's distance running star Habtom Samuel made history as the first Mountain West athlete to win three straight individual cross country titles. He also broke his own Mountain West Championship meet record with a 22:32.0 finish. 

Every time Samuel steps on the course, he shows why he’s one of the best in the sport.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗘‼️ 's Habtom Samuel is the first runner (men's or women's) to win THREE STRAIGHT MW Cross Country individual titles + the junior broke his own meet record with a time of 22:32.0! 🥇

— Mountain West (@MountainWest)

BYU's Jane Hedengren is here to stay

Anyone who thought Jane Hedengren’s performance at the Nuttycombe in her collegiate debut was a fluke was proven wrong at Big 12 Championships. Hedengen won the women’s individual Big 12 title by almost 45 seconds, finishing in 18:29.6. Another elite performance keeps Hedengren as one of the favorites for the individual women’s title as a freshman, and BYU in contention to repeat as women’s team title winners.

JANE HEDENGREN BREAKS THE BIG 12 6K RECORD

Freshman Jane Hedengren takes first at the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas and breaks the Big 12 6K Record with a time of 18:29.6 🤯

— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC)

THE NUTTY: Cross country team and individual favorites after the Nuttycombe Invitational

The NC State women have the low sticks to win it all

We already knew NC State was a legitimate title threat, but the performance of Brooke Rauber at ACC Championships should give the Wolfpack a renewed confidence entering regionals and the championships. 

After finishing 64th at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Rauber finished 12th at ACC Championships. That gave NC State’s top six runners a 1-4-5-8-10-12 finish. That’s an impressive spread. With Rauber’s improvement, the Wolfpack have the depth of support that top runners Angelina Napoleon and Grace Hartman need.

Don't take your eyes off this team 🔥 |

— NC State Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC)

Oklahoma State isn’t a home course merchant

You’d have to go back to 2010 to see a winning team score as low as Oklahoma State did when it scored 20 points to win this year’s Big 12 Championship. Moreover, Brian Musau won his third straight Big 12 individual title. The Cowboys had their top five finishers all finish in the top seven. 

The Big 12 championships is the only invitational that the Cowboys will run outside of their home course until national championships. With the win, Oklahoma State showed that even though it hadn’t left the comfort of its home course all season, it can put together an elite performance regardless of the setting.

3X‼️3X‼️3X‼️

🏆Oklahoma State's Brian Musau claims his 3rd Big 12 Title at the 2025 Big 12 Men's Cross Country Championship presented by Allstate with a 22:53.7 time in the 8K🏆 |

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios)

REGIONAL SITES: Here are the future regional sites for the DI cross country championships through 2027

Iowa State has lost its lead as the title favorite

Iowa State hasn’t won an invitational since September, losing luster from a No. 1 ranking that had the Cyclones on top of the cross country world. The Cyclones are not at full strength with the postseason rapidly approaching. After finishing 27th at the Nuttycombe and losing by 23 points in the Big 12 Championship with some student-athletes suspended for a "violation of team rules," things are trending downward in Ames. Iowa State is still talented enough to earn an auto bid out of the midwest region, but this is a team with national title, not regional aspirations.

The men from the ACC will shake up the championship picture

Virginia won the ACC men’s team title, followed by Syracuse and Wake Forest. Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen won the individual title, followed by Virginia’s Gary Martin. The ACC men have talented teams filled with runners that can finish at the top of the national leaderboard. That means a runner from the ACC could be the difference in total points for team scoring when its all said and done.

Rocky ran away with it 💨

— Wake TF/XC (@WakeTrack)

The Oregon women can’t be ignored

Oregon won the Big Ten title with 18 points, finishing with its top six runners in the top nine. That’s a level of top-end depth that can keep Oregon in team title contention down to the final 1000 meters when we see them run in Columbia in a few weeks.

Women's 2025 Champion: Diana Cherotich 🤩

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork)

SEPTEMBER RECAP: September's top 10 cross country performances

Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot is the top freshman in the country

Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot can now claim the title of the nation’s top men’s runner. He’s been on a tear in October, winning the SEC individual crown after winning Pre-Nats. Cheruiyot has a great chance to finish as the fastest freshman once championships come in November.

KELVIN CHERUIYOT! THE FRESHMAN! SEC CHAMPION!

— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF)

Georgetown might be a sleeper women’s podium pick

The Georgetown women entered conference championships ranked No. 10 nationally, and then had its top five runners all finish in the top 10 of the Big East Championships to win the title. Led by star Melissa Riggins, the Hoyas could find themselves near the top of the podium if they can build off of this performance.