For the first time in 46 years since the program began, LSU women’s cross country advanced to the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championship to close out its best season yet in historic fashion.
LSU earned its first auto-bid to the championships after being the runner-up in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In that meet, the Tigers finished in the second place spot, an impressive 86 points behind Texas A&M, who finished in first with 71 points.
Usually, only 32 teams out of the 350 women’s cross country programs in the country make it to the championship after regionals. This season, LSU achieved the impossible with its first ever appearance.
The Tigers placed 23rd in the championship with 530 points overall in the meet. Multiple runners recorded personal best records in their 6k.
The top four out of five runners to compete in the championship were all underclassmen, a huge note of success if you’re head coach Houston Franks. Developing a young, talented team is what Franks has been known for in his past few years leading the program, and the championship only highlighted those successes.
The top performer for LSU in the championship meet was freshman Abigael Chemnagei, who stood out tremendously to make a name for the Tigers. Chemnagei placed 80th overall with 67 points, the best score for the Tigers. She also recorded a personal best 19:48.5 after previously recording a PR of 19:56.4 in the Arturo Barrios Invitational in October.
In addition, Chemnagei’s performance named her the second woman in LSU’s history to place in the top 100 runners in an NCAA cross country meet.
The second top performer for LSU was another freshman, Edna Chepkemoi. Chepkemoi placed 104th overall, running a 19:57.9 to mark the second time she’s recorded a time under the 20-minute barrier.
Chepkemoi’s time also makes her the third-highest XC finisher in the history of LSU’s meets.
The third top scorer for the Tigers recorded a time under the 20-minute mark as well. Sophomore Yuya Sawada ran 19:58.7 to finish 106th overall.
Last year, Sawada was unable to break the 21-minute barrier in her runs. This year, she showcased immense growth with two sub-20 milestone performances on the season.
Micaela Villarreal, another freshman on LSU’s roster, placed 133rd overall to come in as the fourth top scorer for the Tigers. Villarreal ran 20:08.4 to beat her previous PR, which was 20:37.9 from the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
To close out LSU’s top five runners, senior Ella Chesnut finished 218th overall, running a 20:47.7. This is Chesnut’s second best time of the season, and she’s the only Tiger to appear in two career NCAA XC championships.
Sophomore Ahry Comer and senior Svenya Stoyanoff finished out the scores for LSU. Comer ran 21:44.6 to place 257th while Stoyanoff ran 21:53.5 to finish at 258th.
A stand out season for LSU women’s XC can only allude to the newfound prosperity the program has underway. The Tigers’ momentum will aim to carry over to the spring for another competitive indoor and outdoor track season in 2026.
