MADISON, Wis. – It came down to a race between former teammates and Alabama's Doris Lemngole emerged as the winner.
Lemngole outran Florida's Hilda Olemomoi and New Mexico freshman Pamela Kosgei to claim the NCAA women's cross country title Saturday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
Lemngole and Olemomoi were teammates and training partners in Tuscaloosa before Olemomoi transferred to Florida. Now they're rivals and that has resulted in some intense races.
Top-ranked BYU completed a sweep of the major races by winning its sixth team championship and did it without placing a runner in the top 10.
Lemngole and Olemomoi have gone at it all through the championship season and the same thing happened Saturday. Lemngole beat her former teammate at the SEC meet and the two clocked the same time at the South Regional, with Olemomoi getting the win.
The two ran up front with Kosgei throughout Saturday's race in a pack that included Ceiti McCabe of West Virginia, Amy Bunnage of Stanford and Grace Hartman of North Carolina State.
As they headed into the uphill stretch leading to the finish, Lemngole began to pull away and was strong enough to hold off her challengers, finishing in 19:21.0. Kosgei, the Pre-Nationals champion and record holder on this course, passed Olemomoi just short of the finish to get second in 19:27.8
"I was aiming for the best today," Lemngole said. "I was committed to win, I am so proud of my race today. Despite the cold, the race was good."
Olemomoi finished in 19:28.7, Bunnage took fourth in 19:39.5 and Hartman was fifth in 19:39.5.
BYU relies on its depth in these races and the Cougars' strength throughout the lineup paid off again. They claimed the title with 148 points, placing their scoring runners 11th, 23rd, 31st, 33rd and 50th. Lexy Halladay-Lowry was BYU's top finisher, placing 14th overall and No. 11 in the team race.
It capped a marvelous season for BYU, which won the team titles at the Pre-Nationals, Big 12 meet and Mountain Regional championship. Coach Diljeet Taylor's team came back strong after a disappointing 14th-place finish last year to claim its first title since 2020-21.
"It was chaotic and loud, but we focused on staying composed and fighting through the chaos," Halladay-Lowry said. "During the race, I had no idea what was happening around us or where Northern Arizona stood. I knew I could only control my effort and prayed that my teammates would do their part, too. Everything worked out in the end."
West Virginia, led by McCabe's sixth-place finish, took second with 164 points, Providence had 182 and Northern Arizona 206.
