Lemngole faces Kosgei in NCAA cross country title defense
Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 22.11.25. | 13:18
Habtom Samuel headlines the men's field with Denis Kipngetich and Brian Musau giving chase
The 2025 NCAA Division One cross country championships set for Saturday, 22 November will see Kenyan duo of Alabama's Doris Lemngole take on New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei, the former hoping to defend her title.
Lemngole has hit the ground running, winning Southeastern Conference and the South regional after a long offseason. Until someone beats her, the trophy is hers to lose.
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Kosgei, on her part, finished as the women’s runner-up during her freshman campaign last year and won the Mountain West title this year and should lose a tough challenge for Lemngole.
The duo will, however, expect tough challenge from fast-rising Brigham Young University's (BYU) Jane Hedengren. Hedengren is inexperienced as a freshman, but it has not shown as she is undefeated with wins at Pre-Nats, Big 12s and the Mountain Regional. It will be a classic tale of the rookie versus the vet at nationals this year.
The only woman to beat Lemngole in a cross country race in the last two years is Florida’s Hilda Olemomoi. Olemomoi beat Lemngole in last year’s South regional, and she used to be a former teammate of hers at Alabama in 2023. Olemomoi finished third at nationals in 2024, fourth in 2023 and sixth in 2022. 2025 could be the year she finishes on top.
Closing the group are a pair of North Carolina State runners, Grace Hartman and Angelina Napoleon. Hartman did not run at regionals, but as long as she takes the course in Missouri, she will be a top contender. Napoleon did run at regionals and finished sixth, but she showed her championship prowess at ACC championships where she took home first place.
Meanwhile, the top favorite entering the national championships on the men’s side is New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel. He is undefeated this year, including a win at the Nuttycombe, and has finished as the runner-up at the last two national championships.
Oklahoma State has a pair of runners that could contend for the individual title in Denis Kipngetich and Brian Musau. Kipngetich just won his third straight Midwest regional title while Musau won his third straight Big 12 title this fall. Both are 1a and 1b for a Cowboys team that is a national title contender. They could push each other to the top.
Closing out the group are Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen and Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge. Hansen is undefeated this year, most recently winning ACCs and the Southeast regional. Kipchoge won the West regional and could be the top runner with a shot to beat Samuel.
Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot is only a freshman but he’s been on a tear, winning Pre-Nationals, Southeastern Conference and the South regional and the momentum is expected to be put to the test in Columbia.
The women's race will be the first to get underway from 6:20 pm EAT (10:20 a.m. ET), closely followed by the men's race.
Women’s individual contenders
Doris Lemngole-Alabama
Jane Hedengren- Brigham Young University
Grace Hartman-North Carolina State
Angelina Napoleon- North Carolina State
Pamela Kosgei- New Mexico
Men’s individual contenders
Habtom Samuel- New Mexico
Brian Musau- Oklahoma State
Denis Kipngetich- Oklahoma State
Rocky Hansen- Wake Forest
Solomon Kipchoge- Washington State
