Alabama's Lemngole Runs 8:31.39, Breaking Katelyn Tuohy's Collegiate Record In NCAA XC Rematch With BYU Freshman Jane Hedengren; Nikki Hiltz Beats Jess Hull For First Wanamaker Title; Roisin Willis Wins 600m To Conclude Rookie Indoor Seaon

By David Woods for DyeStat

John Nepolitan PHOTOS

INTERVIEWS

NEW YORK – Rematch of the NCAA Cross Country Championships was effectively a rerun. Jane Hedengren stayed at the front as long as she could, only to be beaten by Doris Lemngole.

Lemngole won the 2025 The Bowerman Award as college track and field’s athlete of the year, and she is bidding to be the first two-time winner.

Lemngole, a 23-year-old Kenyan representing Alabama, set a collegiate indoor record of 8 minutes, 31.39 seconds in winning the 3,000 meters Sunday at the 118th Millrose Games.

“I didn’t have any plans,” she said.  “I just trust my coach’s, and just show up and race.”

Great Britain’s Hannah Nuttall, 28, was second in 8:32.94. Hedengren, a 19-year-old BYU freshman, was third in 8:34.78.

Lemngole, collegiate record-holder in the steeplechase, overtook Hedengren in November’s 6K, too. Both were both under the collegiate record of 8:35.20 set by North Carolina State’s Katelyn Tuohy at the 2023 Millrose Games.

“I was really confident in the race I wanted to run, which was to stay on that pacer and just try to close,” Hedengren said. “I felt like running that race in that way would be authentic to me and the best way to showcase what I was trying to do today.”

Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who led from the 10th through 12th laps, was sixth 8:42.33.

Among BYU runners present and past, Lexy Halladay-Lowry (8:38.78), Riley Chamberlain (8:43.16) and Courtney Wayment (8:52.01) were fourth, eighth and 10th, respectively. Chamberlain became 10th on the all-time collegiate list.

Hedengren returned to The Armory track where she won Nike national indoor titles in the mile and 5,000 meters last March. She became tour guide for the Cougars.

“It was kind of fun to show ‘em around a little bit to a place that’s special to me,” she said.

Nikki Hiltz Wins First Wanamaker Mile

Late withdrawals by Elle St. Pierre and Dorcus Ewoi might have influenced the outcome of the NYRR Wanamaker Mile. However, Nikki Hiltz knows there is no asterisk.

“No matter what happens in my career, that name’s never coming off that trophy. That’s a really good feeling,” Hiltz said.

The 31-year-old held off Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull of Australia to take the mile in 4:19.64. Hiltz has the fastest time in the world for 2026 and is No. 3 on the all-time U.S. list behind St. Pierre (4:16.41) and Heather MacLean (4:17.01).

“I don’t care about chasing fast times. I just want to compete,” Hiltz said.

Hull was second in 4:20.11 and Klaudia Kazimierska third in a Polish record of 4:21.36.

The top three, and five of the top eight, have college roots at the University of Oregon.

Susan Ejore-Sanders of Kenya was fifth in 4:22.23 and Wilma Nielsen eighth in a Swedish record of 4:23.56. Nielsen narrowly missed the collegiate record of 4:23.46 held by Ducks teammate Şilan Ayyıldız, who won at Saturday’s Razorback Invitational in 4:25.11.

Sinclaire Johnson, second at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix a week ago, was first with two laps left before fading to 10th. Her time was 4:24.55.

Hiltz had “no idea” it was Hull so close behind. Hiltz seized the lead with 300 meters left.

“I wanted to look up at the screen, but sometimes that can take you out of the moment,” Hiltz said. “So I was just like, ‘close, close, close.’ I always assume someone is there.

“I just knew I had a lot of gears left. That’s why I went so early and so hard.”

Hiltz will race the 3,000 in the Sound Invite Feb. 14 at Winston-Salem, N.C. The plan is to double 1,500/3,000 at indoor nationals but concentrate on the 1,500 for indoor worlds.

Roisin Willis Wins Again, Concluding Indoor Rookie Season

In other women’s events:

>> New pro Roisin Willis moved from third to first on the last lap to clock 1:24.87 in the 600, becoming No. 7 on the all-time U.S. list. She was coming off Friday’s American record for 800 at Boston. Willis’ former Stanford teammate, Juliette Whittaker, was second in 1:25.64 – No. 4 on the all-time collegiate list.

“I just wanted to do it. I felt like I was in a really good spot,” Willis said of running two races in two cities in three days.. “I put in a good two months of training. I felt like that was enough.”

She said it was her last indoor race of the season, so she won’t try to qualify for indoor worlds.

>> Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, 33, beat world record-holder Devynne Charlton, 30, of The Bahamas in the 60 hurdles, 7.90 to 7.96, in a duel of Caribbean veterans. 

>> British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, in her first indoor season since 2023, is 2-0 after winning the 60 in 7.10. Jacious Sears was second in 7.12 and Texas prep Mariah Maxwell third in 7.26.

>> Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, the 800 silver medalist from the 2024 Olympics, set an Armory record of 2:35.50 in the 1,000. Addy Wiley was second in 2:35.77, worth No. 10 on the all-time U.S. list.

>> Former Rutgers pole vaulter Chloe Timberg won her specialty with a clearance of 15 feet, 1 inch (4.60m). Greece’s Katerina Stefanidi, 35, the 2016 Olympic champion, managed 13-5.25 (4.10m) for last in a field of six.

 Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.