WSU’s Rosemary Longisa Wins NCAA 1500m Championship

EUGENE, Ore. - Washington State sophomore won the 1,500-meter run outdoor national championship, Saturday evening, at the 2026 NCAA Division-I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Longisa became the first Cougar woman in program history to win the event, crossing the finish line in 4:12.10.

The Kenyan middle-distance runner controlled the race from start to finish, entering as the country's top qualifier in the event, and beating out the competition by nearly an entire second. Longisa won the first Cougar track individual title since 2011 when Jeshua Anderson won the 400-meter hurdles; and became the first Cougar woman to win a title since 2003 when Whitney Evans took the high jump championship.

In the hottest day of this year's outdoor championships, Longisa maintained a 72-second split through the first 700 meters before taking the lead with a 62-second split approaching the bell lap. Longisa started her kick with nearly 300 meters remaining, fending off South Carolina's Salma Elbadra's straightaway sprint kick to win the final in Longisa's outdoor championship debut.

Longisa became the first Cougar individual champion under Head Coach ' leadership. Earlier this year, Longisa claimed national runner-up in the indoor mile and earned a bid to the Indoor World Athletics Championship in the 800-meter run.

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WSU Results

Women's 1,500m
, 4:12.10, 1st [National Champion]