The 2025 NCAA cross country season is here. Before the first invitationals and meets start, let’s dive into the biggest questions facing DI cross country entering the season.
7 cross country questions entering the 2025 season
1. How will NAU do without Mike Smith?
The Northern Arizona men’s cross country program has a new leader after Mike Smith left. Jarred Cornfield is now the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field for the Lumberjacks — and he has big shoes to fill. NAU has three-peated twice in the last decade.
When Smith took over in 2017, he won a championship in year one. Can Cornfield follow in his footsteps?
SEASON IS HERE: 2025 college cross country season start date, top invitationals
2. Is the NC State women’s dynasty over?
Last year saw the NC State women’s team finish outside of the top two places at the championship for the first time this decade. The Wolfpack finished eighth. The Wolfpack won three straight titles to cement the dynasty, but to keep the dynasty rolling it’ll need another title win soon.
The talent is there to do so; top-10 finishers Grace Hartman and Hannah Gapes are back. For NC State to get back to the top, Hartman and Gapes will need help from last year’s talented freshman to provide more low sticks.
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3. Will the BYU men fall off?
BYU men lost six of its top seven finishers from its national championship-winning team last year. The only returnee of that group listed on the BYU roster is James Corrigan. With all of the losses, are the Cougars bound to fall off or will they reload and get ready for another championship run?
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4. Are we in for a record-breaking year in the women’s individual race?
A quick glance at the top finishers of the 2024 DI women’s cross country championships show that 10 of the top 12 finishers still have eligibility for 2025, including the entire top-five. In the championships, we saw the fifth, 13th and 21st fastest championship finishes in NCAA history run.
Will another year of experience for a talent group of women push them to the top of the all-time charts?
SPEED: The fastest finishes in NCAA DI cross country championships history
5. What men’s individual will take the throne in 2025?
Back-to-back individual men’s champion Graham Blanks of Harvard is gone, leaving an opening at the top of the men’s cross country world. Could one of last year’s top sophomores like Habtom Samuel (New Mexico), Brian Musau (Oklahoma State) or Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State) take the mantle? Will it be someone else?
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6. Will Washington State’s changes pay off?
In the offseason, Washington State announced that it “will be shifting to a distance-focused approach” in the future. That meant cuts to field events and sprints.
The renewed emphasis on distance even saw a big-time transfer portal pick up in 29-year old sophomore Solomon Kipchoge. Will a revamped Cougar squad find national success this fall?
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7. How will world championships impact the cross country season?
The 2025 track and field worlds are September 13-21 this year. It’s the latest any Olympics or World Championships has been since the 2019 Doha Championships went into October.
Top NCAA athletes like defending women’s individual cross country champion Doris Lemngole (Alabama, Kenya) have qualified to represent their countries in Tokyo at worlds.
Will a lengthy track season impact cross country success? Furthermore, will it impact participants in the cross country season? Athletes do need rest after all.