Doris Lemngole Is Setting the Gold Standard at Alabama - On the Course and in the Classroom
What Doris Lemngole is doing at Alabama isn’t just impressive - it’s historic. The Crimson Tide cross country standout has once again raised the bar, becoming the U.S.
Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. And make no mistake: this isn’t just about another trophy on the shelf.
This is about sustained, all-around excellence that’s rarely seen at any level of college athletics.
Let’s break it down.
To win this award once is an achievement. To win it twice - back-to-back - puts Lemngole in elite company.
She’s the first Alabama woman to do it since Mercy Chelangat, and like Chelangat, Lemngole is proving that dominance isn’t limited to race day. It’s built every day, in the weight room, on the track, and yes - in the classroom.
And that’s where Lemngole’s story really stands out.
She’s not just winning titles - she’s doing it while carrying a 3.90 GPA as a sport management major. That’s not a typo.
That’s a near-perfect academic record, earned while balancing the grind of championship-level training and competition. She’s a regular on both the Dean’s List and the President’s List at Alabama, and her academic résumé is every bit as decorated as her athletic one.
If you followed Alabama athletics through the 2024-25 season, you saw Lemngole’s name everywhere. She swept every SEC Scholar-Athlete honor available - cross country, indoor track, outdoor track.
That kind of clean sweep doesn’t happen by chance. It takes meticulous preparation, elite time management, and a mindset that refuses to settle for anything less than the best.
And when it came time to race, she delivered - again.
Lemngole successfully defended her SEC individual title and her national championship in cross country during the 2025 season. That’s not just consistency - that’s dominance.
She didn’t just prove last year wasn’t a fluke; she made it clear she’s the one to beat. Her performances were a masterclass in pacing, power, and poise - the kind of runs that define careers and elevate programs.
She’s also racked up All-Academic honors at both the conference and national levels, further cementing her status as one of the most well-rounded athletes in the NCAA today. There are fast runners.
There are top students. Doris Lemngole is both - at the highest level.
At Alabama, the standard has always been about more than just wins. It’s about building complete champions - athletes who lead with integrity, discipline, and purpose.
Lemngole checks every box. She’s not just winning races and earning accolades; she’s setting a blueprint for what it means to be a student-athlete in the truest sense of the word.
In a sport where every second counts, Doris Lemngole is proving that what happens off the course matters just as much. And right now, no one’s doing it better.