When it comes to championship racing, timing is everything.

New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel certainly knew this heading into the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday.

Making matters more pressing, though, was the fact that the University of New Mexico junior had finished second at nationals over the prior two seasons—in 2024, in fact, he lost one of his spikes and still finished second overall.

This time, though, he didn’t want to leave a doubt.

And that’s exactly what Samuel did, unleashing a spectacular move with 1,500 meters left to pull away from the field and claim his first individual win in a time of 28:33.9 over 10,000 meters. Meters from the finish, Samuel drew out his arms and weaved his way to the finish, soaking in the moment.

“I said to my coach, ‘I’m going to surprise you guys today,’” Samuel told reporters afterward. “I wanted to be patient. I understood the game and made a good decision.”

Samuel’s 1,000-meter split over the ninth kilometer was 2:37.4, a time that equals out to a 4:13 mile. That surge mattered in the long run, because it put distance between him and his competition. In fact, it put him three seconds on Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen and Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau, and four seconds on Oklahoma State’s Denis Kipngetich and five on Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge.

“I kind of planned on not coming with the guys through 400 (meters) or something,” Samuel said. “I know some guys at 1,500, maybe they gonna kick me out, so I prefer to just run longer and just run hard. That was my plan.”

Hansen, the first American collegian to finish and one of just two inside the top 10, was second in 28:38, while Kipchoge was third in 28:40.1. Musau was fourth, while Oklahoma State’s Fouad Messaoudi and Kipngetich were fifth and sixth.

All were vying for the win down the stretch.

How The Men’s NCAA Cross Country Championships Shook Out

It wasn’t all bad news for the Oklahoma State men, though.

The Cowboys totaled a low of 57 points, winning their second championship since 2023 under head coach Dave Smith.

The win was also a bit of validation for the 19-year head coach, who in the days leading up to the championship was involved in a somewhat heated discussion about the use of international athletes on NCAA rosters.

In a story by the Desert News that published before NCAAs, BYU coach Ed Eyestone commented on the proliferation of overseas companies specializing in the signing of African runners to U.S. colleges for fees, saying “I always felt I’d be embarrassed to have seven foreigners on the team.”

Oklahoma State’s top four runners on Saturday were recruited and signed internationally, while its fifth, senior Ryan Schoppe, joined the Cowboys from a Texas high school in 2020.

Smith was apparently not happy with the comment and countered in a pre-race press conference.

“I have no problem with anybody running their program within the rules and doing things the way they should be done,” Smith said. “If I believe that someone doesn’t like a rule or doesn’t like a situation in the NCAA, don’t b**** about it. Go change it. Get involved. Get involved in the sport. Get involved in leadership and make change the way change is supposed to be made. Otherwise, shut up and coach your team. That’s what I think about this stuff.”

Elsewhere, New Mexico’s men slotted in second overall in the team race with 82 points, while one of the pre-race favorites, Iowa State, was third with 158 points. Syracuse and Oregon were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Doris Lemngole, Jane Hedengren Battle In Women’s NCAA Cross Country Championships

In the women’s race, a two-way battle emerged between defending NCAA champion Doris Lemngole and BYU star freshman Jane Hedengren.

After leading for the first half of the race, Hedengren succumbed to Lemngole’s press at about the 3,000-meter mark, though she stayed on the runner’s hip almost until the near end.

It wasn’t until the final last meters–about less than 800 meters to go–that the 23-year-old Lemngole finally began to leg past Hedengren.

The Alabama junior went on to claim her second straight national title over 6,000 meters, this time crossing the line in 18:25.4. She’s the first repeat champion since Villanova’s Sheila Reid in 2010 and 2011.

Hedengren was vying to become the first freshman since Suzie Tuffey in 1985 to win a national cross-country title.

Florida senior Hilda Olemomoi was third in 18:46.4, while BYU’s Riley Chamberlain was fourth in 18:47.0.

The NC State Women Win Their Fifth Cross Country Title Since 2021

Next brought home NC State’s title run.

Between Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman, who finished fifth and sixth, the two juniors led the Wolfpack to their fifth national title since 2021 under head coach Laurie Henes.

NC State, which nabbed a three-peat from 2021-2023, scored 114 points and outlasted BYU’s own bid for a repeat.

The Cougars were second with 130 points, securing their fifth first- or second-place finish since 2019 under head coach Diljeet Taylor.

Oregon was third overall with 153 points, while New Mexico was fourth and Florida fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.