Sometimes I wonder if cross country is just nothing more than the ultimate Instagram filter. Whether you’re running or spectating on a course, it’s all just the way way to appreciate the ins and outs of a beautiful natural landscape. And that’s particularly true with this sidewinder course in Columbia, Missouri.
But I can’t see it for very long because the instructions by letsrun.com to access ESPN through sling don’t work. Neither does just paying for an ESPN subscription.
Fortunately, we have a viewing buddy for this recap: My Jamaican friend Khari. Being Jamaican, Khari possesses a healthy enthusiasm for track. Even though he is more into the sprints, he did have a college roommate who ran cross-country for USF and is at least curious about the distances enough that when we watch a track meet together, I can use all the useless track knowledge in my head by explaining it to him. Besides, Khari can fix the ESPN channel for me.
So off we go. Announcer John Anderson says “show me” (a reference to the bizarre state motto of Missouri) as the runners go off and there’s the cascade of over 200 runners catapulting from the line vying for position as the wide opening funnels into a bottleneck.
Carrie calls this the “beautiful rainbow of colors” so they’re on their A-game.
My memories of covering this race last week was that 6k goes down like a whirlwind . Even in the opening kilometer, you’re scrambling to find your next spot to see the runners and from the overhead shot, there’s a countercurrent of ant-like figures scrambling to keep up.
I admit I am less versed on the women. It was mostly out of habit because when I got into the sport as a spectator five years, I followed the men. They also tend to segregate the men and women at the NCAA track finals which has historically taken away my incentive to jump in if I don’t know a lot of names. Am I sexist? Maybe, but I am also pointing out a legitimate flaw in the system.
Fortunately, my three on-site trips to NCAA races this calendar year (NCAA indoors in Virginia Beach, Penn Relays, the Southeast Cross-Country Regional), have gotten me invested in some of the stars. Since the Southeast Regionals are fresh in my memory, I’ll be rooting for whomever is from there and will be particularly delighted if South Carolina, Vera Sjoberg (I like the name Vera; hey, sports fandom is arbitrary!), or any of the three UVA women I interviewed make a dent.
Even if I didn’t follow the sport this year. There would have been one name I know: Jane Hendengren.
Like Katilyn Tuohy and Parker Valby, before her, this freshman has been the kind of star that makes headlines on a level that elevates the sport. She’s like Caitlin Clark, although I’m not sure if the base fandom for this sport offers that much potential for growth. Discuss amongst yourselves?
As I watched Jane Hedengren assert her dominance, I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted that so many forecasters insisted Doris Lemngole was the one runner who could beat her. After all, Jane’s victory over Pamela Kosgei should have made her the outright favorite, not just a co‑favorite. I assumed Doris was simply the last “big name” Jane hadn’t faced yet, and in my head I mistakenly slotted Doris as a flat‑event runner while thinking Hilda Olemomoi was the steeplechase NCAA champion who had qualified for Worlds. Oops, silly me. Although the mix‑up says quite a bit about my under‑qualification for this job, there is a kernel of truth to the fact that the announcers will always have to make it at least a two‑way race to add to the drama.
At the one-kilometer mark Sydney Thorvaldson of Arkansas is in the lead and there’s a fair amount of jostling. At the 2K mark, it’s a beautiful sight to behold: The pack has broken open. This is a great argument that the women’s race offers something the men’s race doesn’t. Even better, the Southeast Region’s surprise champion Salma Elbadra is in 4th .
At the 3K the lead pack is just 8 and another person I interviewed at Southeast Regionals, Silvia Jelelgo, is in the pack. The moral of the story is let me interview you and you got a 25% chance of being in the lead pack halfway through NCAA nationals. I’m enjoying this thinning pack early on and I think it gives the chance for a casual spectator to lock into some of the personalities. The camera work is excellent as we have drone shots too.
As the two predicted stars break away, Rosemary Longisa of Washington state is at a steady third place but she gets swallowed up by another chase group. John Anderson says out of the blue, “that group that’s in the chase pack, that’s not a bunch of plumbers.” Is this another Missouri expression? What planet am I on?
The third broadcaster is Chris Derrick who I vaguely remember from the World Championships and pro running scene. I didn’t follow the NCAAs much when he was there, but it looks like he was a perennial brides maid and had a number of close tries at the NCAA title. He’s also a Stanford grad, which might explain why he landed on his feet and got a coveted career in broadcasting. John asks him why athletes fluctuate so much in place from year to year? Or is he asking about at each kilometer mark? I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about this. It doesn’t make things easier that Derrick’s answer – the pack can get really thick and you get lost in it – can apply to both scenarios.
At the 5K mark, Hannah Gapes of NC State is in 4th place. One of the message board users at LetsRun made a post about how that’s the funniest surname in the field. We’ll have to track him down and recruit him to co-write the next year’s write-up.
We’re now getting to real drama here, which isn’t as easy to pull off when there’s only two runners. But Jane’s form is killer: Her stride is so long that it looks like she’s running in slow motion. You can see Jane take little jabs at Doris, and the suspense builds because we don’t know if any of these moves will lead to a breakaway. It’s really up in the air.
Fortunately, the broadcast is also showing a little bit of the race for third, which I tend to feel is often undercovered.
At some point, Doris breaks away. I think this is a pretty solid outcome. What’s the fun in a freshman winning? What challenges will she have to face after this? Parker Valby didn’t win in her freshman year and she came back with a vengeance like a scorned mythical goddess. This is the best way to ensure that Jane doesn’t burn out.
As Doris crosses the line, two mind-blowing things happen.
The camera doesn’t show the race for third place and beyond. For a full eight seconds, the camera stays on Doris as she’s being carted to the sidelines. What the hell?
BACK-TO-BACK INDIVIDUAL WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPION.
🏆 Doris Lemngole of Alabama
⏰ 18:25.4#NCAAXC x 🎥 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/tEwIHEtlfn— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) November 22, 2025
Even worse, I express this to my Jamaican friend Khari, and he’s on his phone. A little more background on Khari: He’s a major multi-tasker who sometimes is glued to the phone and sometimes isn’t. It’s hard to tell whether he’s present. This brings up two points: 1) Is the sport hopeless if Khari isn’t excited about the finish enough to keep his eyes glued to the screen? 2) Do I need more friends to watch this sport with? Hells, yes! RunBlogRun should host some promotional contest to be my watching buddy.
🔊🔵 Jane Hedengren wanted to leave it all on the course.
She went to the lead early and put in a valiant effort before ultimately finishing runner-up to Doris Lemngole at the NCAA Championship 🏆 #NCAAXC25 and #CollegeXC coverage presented by @hoka pic.twitter.com/o0HlI6nfKq
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) November 22, 2025
I used to watch with a couple guys I worked at a running store with but I lost touch with one of them and the other, Tripp, moved to Charlottesville. This is a good time to text Tripp and he’s pretty stunned that Jane lost. Tripp predicts Rocky Hansen next. Will it come true? Stay tuned to find out.