FROM THE GET-GO, our formchart looked spectacularly accurate on the women’s steeplechase. The predicted medalists were Notre Dame senior Sophie Novak, BYU junior Taylor Lovell and NC State junior Angelina Napoleon, a USA team member at last year’s World Championships. Those three took the lead at the gun and remained the top 3 for almost the entire race, led by Novak.
Conspicuously absent was Collegiate and MR holder (8:58.15) Doris Lemngole of Alabama, who opted for the 5000.
Near the race’s end, the trio opened up a gap on the field, with only Alabama frosh Cynthia Jemutai threatening the chart’s accuracy. On the penultimate water jump, Novak and Lovell moved for gold and a poor jump by Jemutai seemed to eliminate her from contention.
On the final backstretch, Lovell made the decisive move, and from there it was just a matter of getting over the water jump and last barrier safely. It was clear from Novak’s face that she would have to settle for 2nd.
Lovell hit a big new PR of 9:21.03, knocking nearly 6 seconds off her previous best. Novak followed in 9:26.53, and Jemutai fought back into the medals in a PR 9:33.36, passing Napoleon’s 9:35.56.
A jubilant Lovell leaned over the fence for a trackside hug from heralded BYU coach Diljeet Taylor. Asked later what words were exchanged, Lovell replied, “She just said, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ and she said that I did it, and I said, ‘Nope, we did it,’ because she is the reason that I am where I am. She’s the one who believed in me, and kept me moving forward, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Lovell is the fifth BYU women’s steepler to win the NCAA, the most recent being Olympian Courtney Wayment in ’22. She is now No. 7 on the all-time collegiate performers list, joining BYU alums Wayment and Lexy Halladay-Lowry.
Speaking to BYU’s distance prominence, she said, “I think that we have coaches who know what they’re doing, and then we also have women who come before us to push us even better. So I think that’s a lot of it. It’s really exciting to be able to continue a legacy like that.”
Asked for her thoughts on Lemngole’s absence, Lovell said, “My plan didn’t change. I just wanted to come out better than I went in, and whether or not she was in the steeplechase, my goal was still to come out better than I went in.”
WOMEN’S STEEPLE RESULTS
FINAL (June 13)
1. *Taylor Lovell (BYU) 9:21.03 PR (7, x C)
(38.86, 75.78 [1:54.64], 79.44 [3:14.08], 77.65 [4:31.73], 75.39 [5:47.12], 75.33 [7:02.45], 72.56 [8:15.01], 66.02) (66.02, 2:18.58, 3:33.91, 4:49.30);
2. Sophie Novak (NDm) 9:26.53 (71.66, 2:24.36, 3:39.65, 4:55.02);
3. ***Cynthia Jemutai’ (Al-Ken) 9:33.36 PR (75.59, 2:30.66, 3:45.83, 5:01.51);
4. **Angelina Napoleon (NCSt) 9:35.56;
5. Katelyn Stewart-Barnett’ (MiSt-Can) 9:36.69;
6. **Kate Putman (NCSt) 9:45.96;
7. ***Jule Lindner’ (VaT-Ger) 9:47.96;
8. **Mercy Kinyanjui’ (WV-Ken) 9:50.03;
9. Sydney Masciarelli (NC) 9:51.87;
10. *Barrett Justema (Gtn) 9:53.46;
11. **Constanze Paoli’ (Id-Ger) 10:08.28;
12. *Raygan Dimond (BYU) 10:25.18.
SEMIS (June 11)
I–1. Lindner’ 9:44.43 PR; 2. Masciarelli 9:44.72; 3. Stewart-Barnett’ 9:44.76; 4. Paoli’ 9:44.85 PR; 5. Justema 9:45.58 PR; 6. Dimond 9:45.81 PR; 7. *Mackenzie Rogers (Ut) 9:48.34 PR; 8. *Zoie Dundon (Mn) 9:50.96 PR; 9. Amelia Wills (Tn) 9:56.39; 10. **Nelly Jemeli’ (MsSt-Ken) 9:58.86; 11. Abby Kendrick (Boise) 10:12.40; 12. Emily Jobes (Boise) 10:23.56.
II–1. Jemutai’ 9:38.49 PR; 2. Napoleon 9:39.54; 3. Novak 9:39.73; 4. Lovell 9:39.96; 5. Kinyanjui’ 9:43.10 PR; 6. Putman 9:44.42 PR; 7. Katrina Schlenker (Lib) 9:45.90 PR; 8. **Sara Morefield (Tul) 9:46.31 PR; 9. *Lily Mather (TxT) 10:01.88 PR; 10. **Caroline Jepkorir’ (WaSt-Ken) 10:08.78; 11. **Debora Cherono’ (TxAM-Ken) 10:14.17; 12. Catherine Garrison (CoSt) 10:57.37.
