Kelati Frezghi Wins Second U.S. Cross Country Title, Will Lead Team To Worlds; Gracie Morris Fastest In 2-Kilometer Race

By Oliver Hinson of DyeStat

John Nepolitan Photos

RESULTS/RACE VIDEOS

PORTLAND — Weini Kelati Frezghi broke away from the pack with four kilometers left to win her second USATF Cross Country Championship on Saturday, crossing the line in 33:45.5 at Glendoveer Golf Course. 

Kelati Frezghi was at the head of a tight three-person pack at the halfway point, leading Katie Izzo and Ednah Kurgat through five kilometers in 16:44. By the end, she had built a 15-second lead and cruised up the final hills.

Last January, she earned her first national title at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va. — a flat course that didn’t see much rain in the days leading up to the race. Her second title looked plenty different; after five races on a muddy Glendoveer course, the terrain was torn up before she even toed the line. Kelati Frezghi said she preferred this year’s race to the 2024 edition, as it more closely resembled “real cross country.” 

“It was muddy, it was hilly, (and) it makes it really hard,” Kelati Frezghi said. “But that’s what we need to (perform well at) Worlds… I think this course is gonna prepare us well.”

The 29-year-old has been on a hot streak lately; last week, she earned a win at the Manchester Road Race, and in early November, she was second to Annie Rodenfels at the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5k in New York.

Izzo’s performance, meanwhile, was somewhat of a surprise. Coming into this race, she hadn’t put up a top-10 finish in a race since June. She ran only a minute slower in the 10k today than she did on the track at the USATF Outdoor Championships in July.

Behind her, Kurgat took third place, followed by Nike Swoosh TC teammates Karissa Schweizer and Emily Venters in fourth and fifth place, respectively. NC State’s Grace Hartman earned the sixth and final qualifying spot for Team USA, extending her cross country season after her team won the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22. 

Gracie Morris Continues Hot Streak

Puma’s Gracie Morris gained a lot of momentum as the 2025 season went on, picking up three wins in the span of a month from early August to early September. She gained even more on Saturday, pulling away in the final stretch to win the women’s 2k race and qualify for the 4x2k mixed relay at the World Championships.

Morris crossed the line in 6:19.4, beating Sage Hurta-Klecker by three seconds. The former TCU runner, whose last cross country result was a DNF at the 2023 NCAA Championships, said she was doubting herself before the race and was surprised that she performed so well.

“Honestly, I was pretty unsure of myself,” Morris said. “When I was doing strides in the mud, I was like, “‘I’ve never run in anything like this before.’”

Looking at her results in 2025, though, her performance doesn’t seem as surprising to an outside observer. She set four-second personal bests in the 1,500 meters and the mile, and she took ninth in the 1,500 at the USATF Outdoor Championships in August.

Hurta-Klecker earned the second and final qualifying spot with her performance, rounding out the four-person relay with Morris, Ethan Strand and Wes Porter.

Garces Wins U20 6k, Not Eligible To Represent USA At Worlds

Duke freshman Victoria Garces earned a convincing win in the women’s U20 6k, crossing the line 13 seconds ahead of the field in 21:07.0. 

Garces won’t be able to represent Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships, as she will turn 20 in 2026, but she still put this race on her calendar because she wanted another chance to race on grass.

“I just wasn’t ready to give up cross country yet,” Garces said. “I think it’s good for me to not focus so much on times and instead just focus on competition.”

Garces finished second at Nike Cross Nationals last year, as an individual qualifier from Midland Dow MI. Having that experience helped her prepare for the demands of this race, she said.

NC State’s Daniela Scheffler finished second in 21:20.7, followed by Princeton’s Caroline Barton in 21:54.6. Cincinnati’s Abigail Sewell was fourth in 22:03.1, and because of Garces’ ineligibility, Minnesota teammates Norah Hushagen and Avery Marasco-Johnson finished fifth and sixth.