
Lemngole breaks 14-year USA College Sports jinx in cross country title defense
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 25.11.25. | 16:35
She is the first student-athlete in NCAA history to clock a sub-9:00 time in the women's 3,000m steeplechase
Alabama cross country ace Doris Lemngole defended her individual title at the NCAA Championships this past weekend.
Lemngole is the first female runner to win back-to-back national titles, in the women's 6k race, in 14 years, since Sheila Reid (Villanova) in 2010 and 2011.
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The Kenyan made a huge move in the final kilometre to drop Brigham Young University (BYU's) Jane Hedengren, a pre-race favourite, to take the crown in Ganz Creek in a course-record 18:25.4.
Lemngole’s 2025 has now included three NCAA titles, a collegiate record in the steeplechase, a Diamond League victory, and a fifth-place finish at the World Championships.
The performance adds to her spectacular year that has seen her named as a finalist for The Bowerman, an award that only considers performances from collegiate indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. Cross-country results are not included. The winner will be named on Thursday, 18 December.
Joining Lemngole as the women's finalists are countryman Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico and Savannah Sutherland of Michigan. For the first time since 2010, all honorees are first-ever finalists for their respective institutions
This season, the Alabama ace has defended her steeplechase national title by setting an NCAA meet record and collegiate record, and delivering what was the world's fastest time of the year by breaking the nine-minute barrier (8:58.15)
She is the first student-athlete in NCAA history to clock a sub-9:00 time in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, and is a two-time Southeastern Conference outdoor champion in the steeplechase and 5,000m and went undefeated in all outdoor events this season.













