Who would have thought this previous weekend’s NCAA Division III Observe and Area Championships in Birmingham, Ala., would produce this a lot drama?
After Seth Clevenger of Rowan College gained the lads’s 5,000m ultimate by almost 30 seconds, the athletes who completed second via eighth refused to hitch him for the official podium photograph. As a substitute, they stepped apart and posed for their very own group image in what seemed to be a protest towards his eligibility to compete.
— Wottleheadz (@wottleheadz) March 15, 2026
Final 12 months, Clevenger was suspended by his former workforce at Iowa State College amid an alleged doping scandal. Two of Clevenger’s former teammates at Iowa State instructed Jonathan Gault of LetsRun.com that, throughout the 2025 cross-country season, he admitted to utilizing an unlawful peptide to advertise muscle restoration. Based on the report, the admission led the Cyclones’ teaching employees to droop him shortly after he ran what teammates described as “the most effective race of his profession.”
One other former teammate additionally claimed he noticed a number of packages labelled “EPO” in Clevenger’s fridge. EPO (erythropoietin) is a banned substance underneath the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA) code, because it boosts endurance efficiency by rising the physique’s oxygen-carrying capability.
Clevenger competed in just one meet in 2024-2025 earlier than Iowa State suspended a number of runners for breaking workforce guidelines. The college by no means recognized which athletes had been suspended or defined the rationale for this system’s disciplinary motion. However based mostly on which runners had been absent from subsequent meets, it grew to become evident Clevenger was concerned.
The inserting area of the Males’s 5K within the #d3track podium walked off the stage somewhat than be pictured with the champion.
And went to the facet and held their very own group photograph.
IYKYK pic.twitter.com/gY2W5XSodR
— d3photography.com (@d3photography) March 14, 2026
U.S. Anti-Doping Company (USADA) opened an investigation into the alleged use of banned substances at Iowa State, however didn’t have jurisdiction over the case as a result of the World Anti-Doping Company code doesn’t govern the NCAA.
Based on NCAA guidelines, a team-issued suspension doesn’t observe an athlete in the event that they select to switch to a different program. Because of this, when Clevenger moved to Rowan College in Glassboro, N.J., he was instantly eligible to compete, which allowed him to line up and dominate the Division III Championships on the weekend.
The 22-year-old additionally led wire‑to‑wire to win the lads’s 3,000m title on Saturday by greater than 10 seconds. It was his second title of the championships, and as soon as once more, the remainder of the rostrum refused to face with him.
