Championship weekend in college cross country delivered everything we show up for: a redemption arc, a couple of dynasties flexing, a first-ever title, and a few finishing kicks that’ll get replayed all winter. Six team trophies were handed out across Divisions I, II and III, and the storylines stretched from Columbia, Missouri to Kenosha, Wisconsin to Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Grab your recovery drink. Here’s how it all shook out.
Division I Men: Oklahoma State gets its swagger back
A year after a finish they’d rather forget, Oklahoma State stormed back to win the men’s team title at Gans Creek, racking up 57 points and putting four runners in the top 12. It’s the program’s sixth national championship and its second in three years.
The Cowboys made it look comfortable, but coach Dave Smith made clear it came out of a hard reset. He called the previous season “a low point,” crediting a group that went back to work instead of pointing fingers. That work showed up on the scoreboard: Brian Musau led the charge in fourth (28:41.2, a personal 10K best), with Fouad Messaoudi fifth and Denis Kipngetich sixth — three scorers inside the top six. New Mexico took second with 82 points; Iowa State rounded out the podium at 158.
The individual crown, though, belonged to New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel. After finishing runner-up each of the past two years, Samuel finally got over the hump, crossing first in 28:33.9 — 4.1 seconds clear of Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen. Third time really was the charm.
Division I Women: NC State stays the standard
If you’ve watched women’s cross country lately, you know the Wolfpack. NC State captured its fourth team title in five years, leaning on top-10 runs from Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman to hold off defending champ BYU, 114 to 130. Oregon (153) grabbed third.
Up front, Alabama’s Doris Lemngole defended her individual title in style, winning in 18:25.4. BYU freshman phenom Jane Hedengren pushed but settled for second in 18:38.9 — a name to keep filed away for the next few seasons.
Division II: Wingate and Grand Valley State cash in
Over at the Wayne E. Dannehl course in Kenosha, Wingate’s men claimed the team title with 62 points, nine clear of perennial power Adams State. It’s their second championship in three seasons. The individual win went to Adams State’s Kidus Begashaw, who held off Antonin Saint Peyre by three seconds, 29:38.8 to 29:41.
On the women’s side, Grand Valley State edged a tight one, beating Colorado School of Mines by just four points, 65 to 69. It’s the Lakers’ eighth women’s title — all of them since 2010 — and their second in three years. Adams State’s Tristian Spence took the individual race in 20:11.0, six seconds up on Grace Strongman.
Division III: A repeat, a runaway, and a first
Down in Spartanburg, Wisconsin-La Crosse’s men weren’t interested in drama. The Eagles posted 82 points and won by 50 over SUNY Geneseo behind three top-five finishers — their second straight title and fifth in program history. Johns Hopkins’ Emmanuel Leblond won the individual race in 23:35.0, edging Augsburg’s Mohammed Bati.
The women’s race gave us two of the weekend’s best stories. Middlebury’s Audrey Maclean didn’t just win — she ran away with it, finishing in 20:16.8 and crossing a staggering 48.3 seconds ahead of the field. She’s just the fourth NESCAC runner to claim the women’s individual title, and the first since 2011. And in the team race, NYU broke through for its first women’s cross country title in program history, scoring 79 to beat Williams by 27 after finishing runner-up back in 2023.
The takeaway
Three divisions, six champions, and a recurring theme: the teams that come back hungry tend to come back winning. Oklahoma State turned a low point into a trophy. NC State and Grand Valley State kept their machines humming. And NYU reminded everyone that first-time history is always on the table.
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