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The 2025 NCAA DI cross country championships are this Saturday, Nov. 22. Before the action on the course begins, let’s take a look at some of the top individual contenders.
Women’s individual contenders
- Alabama’s Doris Lemngole
- BYU’s Jane Hedengren
- NC State’s Grace Hartman
- NC State’s Angelina Napoleon
- New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei
The women’s individual cross country favorite is none other than Alabama’s defending champion Doris Lemngole. Lemngole has hit the ground running, winning SECs and the South regional after a long offseason. Until someone beats her, the trophy is hers to lose.
The top challenger to Lemngole is BYU’s Jane Hedengren. Hedengren is inexperienced as a freshman, but it hasn’t shown as she’s undefeated with wins at Pre-Nats, Big 12s and the Mountain Regional. It’ll be a classic tale of the rookie vs. the vet at nationals this year.
We can’t forget about New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei either. Kosgei finished as the women’s runner-up during her freshman campaign last year and won the Mountain West title this year. She’s another athlete that wouldn’t surprise anyone with a win on Saturday.
FOLLOW LIVE: CLICK OR TAP HERE TO FOLLOW THE 2025 XC CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM START TO FINISH
Closing the group are a pair of NC State runners: Grace Hartman and Angelina Napoleon. Hartman didn’t run at regionals, but as long as she takes the course in Missouri, she’ll 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.
Darkhorse: Florida’s Hilda Olemomoi
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.
QUALIFIERS: See all DI men’s and women’s qualifiers for the 2025 championships
Men’s individual contenders
- New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel
- Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau
- Oklahoma State’s Denis Kipngetich
- Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen
- Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge
The top favorite entering national championships on the men’s side is New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel. He’s undefeated on the 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.
REGIONALS: 2025 DI cross country regional championships recap
Darkhorse: Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot
Cheruiyot is only a freshman but he’s been on a tear, winning Pre-Nats, SECs and the South regional. Could his momentum continue in Columbia?
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
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