In less than 48 hours, the culmination of the 2025 NCAA cross country season will be upon us, as hundreds of the best distance runners in the country get one chance at bragging rights and championship hardware.

From the impending duel between an unstoppable rookie and the defending champion to a showdown between a pair of dynasties, there's something for everyone in this year's women's championship field.

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An Unstoppable Force v. An Immovable Object 

There's really no other way to describe the heavyweight bout we're going to watch unfold this Saturday at Gans Creek.

BYU's superstar freshman Jane Hedengren is set to take on the defending NCAA cross country champion, Alabama's Doris Lemngole.

Hedengren has had arguably the best freshman season we've seen in decades, and after her trio of dominant wins this fall, it's extremely hard to bet against her.

Her season debut on this very course was one for the record books, as she shattered the previous record by 25 seconds, winning her first collegiate 6k in 18:42.3. Two weeks later, she made light work of the grueling hills at Rim Rock Farm en route to her first Big 12 title, running 18:29.6 and winning by 45 seconds over West Virginia's Joy Naukot, last year's 10,000m third-place finisher.

Last Friday, she continued the trend out in Utah, winning the Mountain Region title by 42 seconds over New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei, the defending NCAA 5,000m and 10,000m national champion.

Averaging 37 seconds between her and the field through all three races, it would be unthinkable to even remotely bet against her, right?

That depends.

Last year's champion and the 2023 runner-up might have something to say about the matter. Lemngole, who has only raced twice this season, made her 2025 debut on Halloween as she cruised to a 15-second victory over Florida's Judy Chepkoech at SECs and followed that up last weekend with a six-second win at the South Region Championship, leading the Crimson Tide to a 1-2-3 finish.

While Lemngole has the experience and know-how and is just a few months removed from a World Championship fifth-place finish in the steeplechase, Hedengren has looked cool, calm, and collected, as well as the best runner in the nation.

If Lemngole comes through the line first, she'll make history as the first woman to go back-to-back since Villanova's Sheila Reid did it in 2011 and 2012. If the defending champ accomplishes the feat, she will join Reid, Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego (2006-2008), North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan (2002-2003), and Villanova's Carole Zajac (1992-1993) and Sonia O'Sullivan (1990-1991) as the only back-to-back winners in the championship's 44-year history.

For Hedengren, a national title would make her the first freshman national champion since North Carolina State's Suzie Tuffey in 1985 and the first to ever do it at the 6k distance.

Battle of the Dynasties: BYU & NC State Both Chasing Greatness

Since 2020, only two programs have won an NCAA title.

In 2020 and most recently last November, Diljeet Taylor and the BYU Cougars hoisted the trophy, while Laurie Henes’ NC State Wolfpack squad notched a three-peat from 2021 to 2023.

After what was considered a down year by NC State’s standards (they still finished eighth) a year ago, the perennial power has fully reloaded and has seemingly picked up right where they left off in 2023.

It's a battle of the giants, but Columbia’s only got room for one.

If it’s not glaringly obvious, the Cougars have their low-stick freshman Jane Hedengren leading the national title defense, and she’s supported by a handful of athletes who were on last year's championship-winning team.

Upperclassmen Riley Chamberlain and Carmen Alder have been as reliable as can be this fall, both finishing in the top 25 at all three meets they raced in this year, most recently finishing third and 16th at the Mountain Region a week ago.

Senior Taylor Rohatinsky has also played a pivotal role in BYU’s 2025 campaign, finishing sixth, 27th, and ninth at Pre-Nats, Big 12s, and last week's regional meet.

Throw in junior Lexi Goff, freshman Zariel Macchia, and junior Jacey Farmer, and you’ve got arguably the deepest top seven in the country.

Let’s not forget about All-American and national champion Jenna Hutchins, who is entered as one of Taylor’s 10 entrants in Saturday’s race.

In case you didn’t know, teams are limited to seven runners, but wouldn’t the national championship be the best time to play the last card up your sleeve?

Regardless, even if Hutchins does toe the line, they’ve got a tough battle on their hands because the Wolfpack aren’t just looking for a title; they’re looking for redemption.

If there’s any team built to withstand the depth of BYU and spoil their title defense aspirations, it’s a team that has developed a winning culture.

From the moment the gun went off at this year’s Nuttycombe Invitational, it’s been clear that NC State both returned its stars and reloaded with a contingent of underclassmen.

Led by the front-running trio of Grace Hartman, Hannah Gapes, and Angelina Napoleon, the winners of three out of five meets this season are searching for their sixth, and up to this point, no one has been remotely able to keep pace with them.

adidas XC Challenge: 38–62 over North Carolina
Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite: 34–59 over Northwestern
Nuttycombe Invitational: 41–125 over Notre Dame
ACC Championships: 38–89 over Notre Dame
Southeast Region Championships: 55–100 over South Carolina

It’s also worth noting that there were a handful of nationally ranked teams that NC State comfortably beat throughout this stretch, but you get the idea.

One of the biggest factors in their streak of success is the presence of some talented underclassmen who are making an immediate impact.

Sophomore Bethany Michalak and freshman phenom Sadie Engelhardt have found their rightful spot in Henes’ lineup, both finishing in the team’s top five on multiple occasions this fall.

Senior Brooke Rauber and sophomore Kate Putman have also stepped up when it mattered, two more names on the long list of Wolfpack contributors who have helped this team shine throughout the season.

This Saturday, all eyes are on the country’s top two programs, each one coached by two of the best distance coaches in the world, but only one is going to add a national championship to the trophy case when it's all said and done.

Who's Capable of Playing Spoiler This Weekend?

On paper, it might seem as if both the individual and team titles are only in contention for a pair of contenders, but anyone who has followed the sport knows that anything is possible come race day.

If you don’t believe that anything is possible once the gun goes off, remember Villanova’s Patrick Tiernan, who kept “King Ches,” Edward Cheserek, for those unfamiliar, from winning his fourth consecutive title in 2016.

The Aussie silenced the crowd in Terre Haute as he did the unfathomable, taking down one of the most accomplished collegiate runners of all time, one who graduated with 17 national titles to his name.

And if history tells us anything, it’s that 2025 is just as ripe for a surprise.

Obviously, it’s not often that an upset of that caliber comes along, but it’s proof that crazier things can, and have, happened.

With most eyes likely being on Hedengren and Lemngole, it provides the perfect opportunity for sleeper contenders Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico), Washington State’s Rosemary Longisa, and NC State’s pair of Napoleon and Hartman, both of whom are legitimate top-five threats in their own right.

Kosgei, the only one in the group to have raced either of the two favorites, is the reigning outdoor 5000m and 10,000m champion and is the best bet to challenge the duo.

Longisa, who will toe the line in her sixth race of the season, has lost just once since August, finishing third behind Hartman and Napoleon at Nuttycombe.

She has stayed below 19:40 in all five of her 6k races and expects her and her teammates to go out with the leaders early.

Other names to watch include Joy Naukot (West Virginia), Mary Bonner Dalton (Notre Dame), Diana Cherotich (Oregon), and Amy Bunnage (Stanford), among others.

While the spotlight will rightfully fall on the top contenders up front, three teams in particular have the depth to shake up the podium picture if things break their way.

Florida enters the weekend with one of the strongest front trios in the field, led by Hilda Olemomoi, Judy Chepkoech, and Tia Wilson, who finished fourth, fifth, and sixth at the South Region Championships.

New Mexico brings its own firepower, with Kosgei backed by Judy Rono and Marion Jepngetich, a group that edged BYU 45–47 at last week’s Mountain Region Championships.

Notre Dame dominated the Great Lakes Region with a 22–95 win over Wisconsin, powered by Amaya Aramini, Bonner Dalton, Siona Chisholm, Sophie Novak, and Gretchen Farley, who went 1-2-5-7-9.

025 NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championships Schedule

Nov. 22, 2025 

• Women's Race - 10:20 a.m. ET
• Men's Race - 11:10 a.m. ET 

How to Watch 2025 NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championships

Stream the Nov. 22 DI XC national championships on ESPNU from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET.

Where is the 2025 NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championships

The 2025 Division I XC national championships will be at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia , Mo.

Which Teams Qualified for the NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championships

Men’s Automatic Qualifying Teams

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Butler
• BYU
• California Baptist
• Eastern Kentucky
• Georgetown
• Iona
• Iowa State
• New Mexico
• Notre Dame
• Oklahoma State
• Ole Miss
• Oregon
• Princeton
• Syracuse
• Tulane
• Wake Forest

Men’s At-Large Teams

• Air Force
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Harvard
• Louisville
• Michigan
• Michigan State
• North Carolina
• Northern Arizona
• Oklahoma
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Washington State
• Wisconsin

Women’s Automatic Qualifying Teams

• Boston College
• BYU
• Florida
• Georgetown
• LSU
• NC State
• New Mexico
• Northwestern
• Notre Dame
• Oklahoma State
• Oregon
• Providence
• South Carolina
• Stanford
• Tennessee
• Texas A&M
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Women’s At-Large Teams

• Alabama
• Boise State
• Colorado
• Iowa State
• Missouri
• North Carolina
• Northern Arizona
• Penn State
• Utah
• Villanova
• Virginia
• Wake Forest
• Washington
• Washington State

How Do Teams, Runners Qualify For NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championship?

For men's and women's, the top two teams in each regional — there are nine in total — automatically qualify for the championships, which equates to 18 automatic qualifiers. 

The NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee will then choose 14 at-large teams to fill out the 32 team field.

Individually, the first four finishers who do not belong to an automatic qualifier or an at-large team automatically advance to the championships. All four finishers have to finish in the top 25 within their region. Altogether, 36 individuals automatically qualify and two are chosen at-large, making 38 the grand total. The two at-large selections are the highest placing individuals at a regional that were not automatic qualifiers.

When and Where Is The NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships 2025

The Cross Country Championships are on Nov. 22 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.

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