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NEWS: Alabama’s Five-Time NCAA Champion & Collegiate Record Holder Doris Lemngole Signs A Professional Contract With On
Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
The Stride Report has confirmed that five-time NCAA champion and 3000-meter steeplechase collegiate record holder, Doris Lemngole, has signed a professional contract with On. Lemngole previously held a "Name, Image & Likeness" (NIL) deal with On from August 2025 to the conclusion of her collegiate career.
"Doris has been a spectacular ambassador for On, and her transition to our professional roster is a proud moment for the brand," said Niklas Buehner, Head of Athletics at On.
"Watching her dominate the collegiate ranks, rewrite record books, and immediately challenge the best in the world at the Diamond League and World Championships made it a natural decision to offer Doris a professional contract. We are excited to support her as she enters this next chapter of her career on the global stage."
“Looking back, signing with On as an NIL athlete was more than just a partnership; it was the beginning of a journey that I will always be grateful for," Lemngole explained.
"From the very beginning, the team showed how dedicated they were to me and genuinely cared about me, not only as an athlete but as a person. Their belief in me and support throughout my college career meant so much, and having them alongside me through some of the biggest moments of my journey made it even more special."
"Now, to officially turn professional with On feels like the start of a new chapter in a journey that has already meant so much to me. I’m incredibly grateful, excited, and ready to keep dreaming bigger, chasing new goals, and seeing where this journey takes us next. This is only the beginning.”
During her time in the NCAA, Lemngole rewrote the collegiate record books, emerging as one of the most dominant and decorated collegiate distance athletes in recent memory. The Alabama alum is a five-time individual NCAA champion, three-time NCAA Championship runner-up and has finished as an All-American on two additional occasions.
She was also awarded The Bowerman in the winter of 2025, the most prestigious honor in collegiate track and field.
More specifically, Lemngole is a two-time NCAA cross country champion. She won the 2025 NCAA XC Championships in Missouri over BYU’s Jane Hedengren and at the 2024 national meet in Wisconsin over New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei. Her 2025 championship victory produced a time of 18:25, which broke the women’s championship record.
Lemngole secured back-to-back 3000-meter steeplechase titles between the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. There, the Kenyan runner broke the 3000-meter steeplechase collegiate record, running an NCAA #1 all-time mark of 8:58.15 to claim her 2025 title. In doing so, she became the first collegiate athlete to break the elusive 9:00 minute barrier in the event.
The Crimson Tide phenom was the 2025 NCAA indoor 5000-meter champion in Virginia. She later capped off her collegiate career by competing at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships over 5000 meters where she crossed the line in 1st place. However, she was later disqualified due to a lane infraction.
The now-former Alabama runner was a three-time NCAA Championship runner-up between cross country (2023), the indoor 3000 meters (2025) and the indoor 5000 meters (2026).
In addition to her monstrous 3000-meter steeplechase mark, Lemngole has broken two other collegiate records. Those performances include breaking the NCAA indoor 3000-meter record, posting a time of 8:31.39 at the 2026 Millrose Games, as well as breaking the NCAA indoor 5000-meter record in 2024 at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.
That latter mark, however, has since been broken by BYU’s Jane Hedengren. In turn, Lemngole is positioned as NCAA #2 all-time for the indoor 5000 meters as well as NCAA #10 all-time for the outdoor 5000 meters.
At the conclusion of her NCAA career, the Crimson Tide standout held personal bests of 4:09 (1500), 4:32 (mile), 8:31 (3k), 8:57 (steeple) and 14:51 (5k). However, since then, Lemngole has clocked an absurd 3000-meter steeplechase time of 8:52.86 at a Diamond League meet in Belgium earlier this month.
At the international level, Lemngole has excelled, competing for Kenya over the 3000-meter steeplechase. She booked her ticket to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan after placing 2nd at the Kenyan Trials for the World Championships. Doris Lemngole finished 5th place in the 3000-meter steeplechase in her World Athletics Championship debut.
Lemngole was also crowned the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League 3000-meter steeplechase champion in a time of 9:16.36.
