NCAA Cross Country Preview — Womenâ€s Top 10 Individuals

1. Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico)

Kosgeiâ€s runner-up finish at the NCAA last fall was just the beginning of her fantastic frosh campaign. The Kenyan would go on to finish 3rd in the Indoor 5000, then sweep the 5000 (15:33.96) and 10,000 (31:17.82) at the Outdoor. That followed a tremendous 14:52.45 and a 31:02.73 PR performances earlier in the spring, each No. 2 all-time on the collegiate list. The Lobo was undefeated in cross before Lemngole outran her at Nationals in Madison last fall. This season, she might win that last one, too. Having run the steeple at the WC in mid-September, Kosgei sat out the Cowboy Jamboree

2. Doris Lemngole (Alabama)

Thereâ€s little to suggest that Lemngole (who was 2nd as a frosh in â€23) wonâ€t be up front in the mix as she mounts a title defense this fall. She enjoyed continued success throughout the track season, winning the 5000 crown indoors then smashing the steeple CR with her historic sub-9:00 outdoors (8:58.15). In fact, in defending that title, she ran 9:20 or faster over barriers four times during the collegiate season. Then she finished a long season by representing Kenya at the WC, where she was 5th in 9:02.39. Another battle against Kosgei should be one for the ages.

3. Grace Hartman (NC State)

Hartmanâ€s outstanding junior season, leading the Wolfpack after the graduation of Katelyn Tuohy, was only just beginning when she delivered her 5th-place finish in Madison last fall. She earned a pair of A-A finishes at indoor nationals, hammered her 10,000 and 5000 PRs down to 31:20.60 and 14:58.11 outdoors, then powered her way to a runner-up finish in the longer race outdoors behind Kosgei.

4. Paityn Noe (Arkansas)

Few runners improve more from their frosh to sophomore years than Noe did in 2024–25, rocketing up 94 spots to finish 7th in Madison. The Razorbackâ€s success continued all year as she hacked a big chunk off her 5000 PR at SEC Indoors (15:11.27), scored two top-8 finishes at the NCAA Indoor, then rolled to a 31:36.91 PR outdoors in scoring her highest NCAA finish yet at 4th in Eugene. Look for her to challenge Hartman as the top U.S.-born collegiate distance runner this fall.

5. Hilda Olemomoi (Florida)

Olemomoiâ€s transfer from Alabama to Florida a year ago was probably the sportâ€s most significant in. She had already scored NCAA XC finishes of 6th and 4th in â€22 and â€23, then 2nd in both the 5 and the 10 at the â€24 NCAA Outdoor for the Tide. She excelled for the Gators last fall in finishing 1st or 2nd every race until a 3rd in the championship behind Lemngole and Kosgei. Olemomoiâ€s track season, however, was compromised by an injury at Regionals that prevented her from running the final. Can she return to top form as a senior?

6. Jane Hedengren (BYU)

No U.S.-born frosh XC/distance runner has come into NCAA competition with the credentials of Hedengren. While her dominant, recordsetting Nike Cross Nationals win in tough conditions was superlative, it was the blizzard of track HSRs that followed from winter through spring that cemented her status as the greatest woman prep distance runner ever. Her longest record effort, a jaw-dropping 14:57.93 5000 at the Clay meet racing collegians, was the one that made it clear she should already be able to compete with the best collegians from the gun.

7. Joy Naukot (West Virginia)

Naukotâ€s outstanding frosh season last fall progressed steadily and strongly, from a 10th at Pre-Nationals to 3rd at Big 12s and then culminating with a 17th-place finish at NCAAs to help the Mountaineers to a runner-up podium spot as a team. That backed up now-graduated teammate Ceili McCabeâ€s 6th-place stick. But Naukot became even better on the track, improving all spring until she seized 3rd in the NCAA 10,000 at 31:34.34, more than a 47-second improvement over her previous best.

8. Hannah Gapes (NC State)

After a 73rd at NCAAs her frosh year, Gapes improved steadily and then dramatically at the end of her soph XC campaign, all the way up to 8th — giving the Wolfpack with Hartman a great 1-2 punch in the post-Tuohy era. After a promising indoor campaign that included an 8:48.96 for 3000 at ACCs, she had to cut short outdoor with a stress fracture. During the summer, however, the New Zealander recovered, qualified for World XC and then started off her junior harrier campaign in Raleigh with a solid 5K win.

9. Juliet Cherubet (Oregon)

This will be Cherubetâ€s first XC season as a Duck after transferring over from Texas Tech in January. She had taken 18th at the â€23 NCAA XC, then 5th in the outdoor 5000 as a frosh. Then as a soph, she improved to 11th in Madison before heading to Eugene. She had some promising races, including 15:28.86 and 32:02.78, but nagging injury issues led to a 10,000 DNF at Big 10s and then ended her spring. She led the Ducks at Gans with a 5th-place finish to show sheâ€s on the road back.

10. Diana Cherotich (Oregon)

The heralded Kenyan makes her harrier debut for Oregon this fall after a frosh track campaign that included ups and downs. The highlights included a 31:45.22 10,000 at Stanford in her first race, and an impressive Big 10 title over the same distance; the lowlights an NCAA 10,000 DNF. She came to Eugene with credentials that included a 5th in the World XC U20 champs in â€24 and a 15:01.80 5000 track best, though, so her potential is high.

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