Six Big 12 women’s programs and four Big 12 men’s programs, programs, along with nine individual student-athletes from six other Big 12 squads will compete at the 2025 Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday, Nov. 22. BYU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Colorado had both their men’s and women’s teams qualify for the national meet as the Cougars look to defend their 2024 national titles.
 
Both of BYU’s programs look to defend their national titles earning automatic bids with second place finishes in the Mountain Region. The men’s squad placed three of its top five finishers in the top 10. Freshman Tayvon Kitchen and senior Davion Thompson took fifth and sixth, finishing within one millisecond of each other and Noah Jenkins finished 10^th to round out the top 10. BYU’s women’s program also placed three within the top 10. Jane Hedengren had another big outing as she outpaced the field by 42 seconds to earn her first regional title. Riley Chamberlain followed in third and Taylor Rohantinsky crossed the line ninth. Both BYU programs will look to defend their 2025 national championship titles.
 
Colorado’s programs both finished fourth overall, scoring 114 and 106, respectively. Dominic Serem placed 12th for the men, while Abbey Nechanicky finished 14th for the women. The men make their 55th national meet appearance (33rd straight) and seek their first title since 2014, while the women aim for their first since 2018.
 
Both Iowa State teams landed a trip to Columbia, Missouri. The men’s squad earned an automatic bid, while the women’s squad picked up an at-large bid from the NCAA selection committee. Four men placed in the top 10, with Joash Ruto leading the Cyclones with a second-place finish. He was joined in the top group by Robin Kwemoi Bera (third), Saneke Masondo (fourth) and Rodger Kiplima (10th) in the men’s 10K. After finishing runner-up in the 2024 national championship, the Cyclones now look for their first title since 1989.
 
Oklahoma State became the first program to sweep the Midwest Regional in three consecutive seasons and earned an automatic spot in Columbia, Missouri.
Denis Kipngetich defended his Midwest Region title for the third time in his career in the men’s 10K, becoming the first Cowboy to achieve this feat. The Cowboys placed three more runners in the top 10 with Laban Kipkemboi (sixth), Fouad Messaoudi (seventh) and Adisu Gaudie (ninth) guiding OSU to team score of 38 and sealing their trip to the national championship. The women’s team saw a one-two podium finish behind Isca Chelangat and Maureen Rutoh, while Billah Jepkirui finished seventh. Both programs will look to claim their first team trophies since the 2023 season.
 
Utah advanced to the NCAA Championship for the fifth consecutive year and the eighth time in program history. Erin Vringer spearheaded the Utes' fifth-place team finish, after crossing the line in eighth place. Her teammates, Annastasia Peters and Millie Wilcox, finished 25th and 26th, respectively, to push the Utes toward an at-large bid.
 
West Virginia claimed its second consecutive women’s Mid-Atlantic Region Championship with a 56-point outing, with a one-two finish that punched their ticket to the National Championship stage. Joy Naukot led the way, pushing the pace with a time of 19:11.8 to break the course record and tie the Mid-Atlantic Region meet record. Mercy Kinyanjui followed with a second-place finish and Lexi Lamb finished sixth. All three set new personal bests at their regional meet.
 
Arizona’s Evans Tanui, Cincinnati’s Nickson Kogei, TCU’s Johnson Lagat, and Texas Tech’s duo of Titus Kimaru and Victor Kipkoech all qualified individually in the men’s 10K after their regional meets. On the women’s side, Baylor’s Ruth Kimeli, Cincinnati’s Ann Lemirisho, Kansas’ Emmaculate Jemutai, and Texas Tech’s Lily Mather all punched their tickets in the women’s 6K, increasing the Big 12 total programs in attendance to 16.
 
Four of the top-10 men’s programs in the USTFCCCA’s Division I National Coaches’ Poll call the Big 12 home heading into championship weekend, while the women’s side boasts three in the top 10 and six in the top 30. Oklahoma State (No. 1), Iowa State (No. 2), Colorado (No. 7) and BYU (No. 8) all qualified for the men’s 10K at nationals. BYU (No. 2), West Virginia (No. 7), Oklahoma State (No. 8), Iowa State (No. 12), Colorado (No.18) and Utah (No. 22) will compete in the women’s 6K. With six women’s teams qualifying, the Big 12 sees its largest field since the 2010 season.
 
The women's 6K will begin at 10:20 a.m. ET, followed by the men's 10K at 10:10 a.m ET.
Fans looking to attend the 2025 NCAA Championships must purchase tickets and parking ahead of time. More information can be found here.
 
Men's Qualified Teams 
BYU
Colorado 
Iowa State 
Oklahoma State

Men’s Individuals Qualified

Evans Tanui, Arizona

Nickson Kogei, Cincinnati

Johnson Lagat, TCU

Titus Kimaru, Texas Tech

Victor Kipkoech, Texas Tech

Women's Qualified Teams 
BYU
Colorado
Iowa State 
Oklahoma State 
Utah West Virginia 

Women's Individuals Qualified 

Ruth Kimeli, Baylor

Ann Lemirisho, Cincinnati

Emmaculate Jemutai, Kansas

Lily Mather, Texas Tech