Junior Doris Lemngole has been a standout runner for Alabama track and cross country since she came to campus three years ago. Over the course of the past few years, Lemngole has become a four-time national champion and a five-time SEC champion.
“I love the work that goes in, and I want to get better every day and every meet,” she said. “Getting to do it with my teammates beside me also helps.”
During Lemngole’s freshman cross country season, she was a three-time Women’s SEC Runner of the Week and was SEC Freshman of the Year. In the SEC Championships, she placed second in the 6k. At the NCAA South Region Championships and the NCAA Championships, Lemngole was the national runner-up.
Lemngole’s success then continued through indoor and outdoor track seasons. During the indoor season, she was a two-time First-Team All-American in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter. She secured a spot on UA’s all time top-10 list at No. 6 after placing first at the Samford Invite. She then moved up to No. 2 after placing second in the 3,000m at the Bob Pollock Invitational the same season.
The runner has shown she can stay very consistent and someone the Crimson Tide can depend on to help lead the team to championships and more.
“I try to stay patient and trust me and my coach’s plan,” she said. “Some days are harder than others, but I always remind myself why I started.”
At the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Championships, Lemngole earned a bronze medal and placed first in the women’s 3,000m and set a new personal record. At the same time, Lemngole made a fourth-place finish in the women’s 5,000m.
During the outdoor season, Lemngole earned a second-place finish in the 5,000m and a first-place finish in the steeplechase at the SEC Championships. This led to Lemngole obtaining the program’s first medal at the SEC Championships. Lemngole then qualified for the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase.
At the 2024 SEC Championships, Lemngole secured a gold medal in the steeplechase. This put her down as the first steeplechase champion in school history, and set collegiate, school and meet records.
Her success has continued since. In her sophomore cross country season, Lemngole was the NCAA Champion. She also obtained the title SEC Champion and helped lead the team to its fourth SEC title. Lemngole was also named SEC Women’s Runner of the Year.
“There have been many special moments — racing with my teammates, winning together and seeing how much we’ve grown,” Lemngole said. “I feel proud to be part of this program, and I love competing for Alabama.”
For the indoor season, Lemngole was National Champion in the women’s 5,000m and runner-up in the women’s 3,000m as well as SEC Champion in the women’s 3,000m.
Lemngole defended her steeplechase national championship during the outdoor season, becoming the first student-athlete in NCAA history to run sub-9:00 in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. She also was SEC Champion in the steeplechase and 5,000m.
In her junior season, she earned SEC Women’s Runner of the Year for cross country and defended her NCAA and SEC Championship titles.
Lemngole secured a spot at the World Championships in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, running for Team Kenya. At the qualifications, Lemngole ran a 9:24.69 to clock the second-fastest overall time to head to the event finals. In the event finals, Lemngole placed fifth in the world.
“It was a very proud moment for me, and I felt happy to represent my country during that meet,” Lemngole said. “While it wasn’t my best performance that race, I still learned a lot through that experience, and it made me want to keep improving.”
While the 2025 cross country season has come to a close, the Crimson Tide runner is sure to have success in the indoor and outdoor track seasons soon to follow.
