ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Lewis & Clark College women's track & field senior Riley Buese continued to put together one of the most impressive careers in Lewis & Clark school history, as she finished in third-place in the women's 5K on Friday afternoon at the 2025 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field National Championship Meet. 
 
Buese earned her fifth career All-American honors and second-straight in the Indoor 5,000M. She crossed the line in 16:42.08 – the second-fastest time of her collegiate career and in program history. 
 
Buese was part of a lead group of four runners that immediately jumped out to a lead on the rest of the pack. She went out with Faith Duncan of Wilmington (Ohio), Penelope Greene of SUNY Geneseo and Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel of the University of Chicago. All four runners were familiar with each other after running at track Nationals last season and the 2024 Cross Country National Championship Meet in November (all four placed in the top-17).
 
Buese sat in fourth place, by a narrow margin, for most of the race. The group was a solid four and even five at one point, before Duncan made her move after 3,000M. Buese was content to sit in fourth place through the opening 3,600M, before she began to make her own move. 
 
The Pioneers senior moved from fourth to second over the course of 400 meters. She turned in a lap of 39.60 to move into the top-three for the first time and then a 39.17 to move into second place at the 4K mark. Buese would hold in second for three laps, before Greene took a narrow 0.26 lead over Buese with 400M to go. In the final 400M, Buese ran her two fastest laps (39.30 and 37.24) but she couldn't quite catch Greene who closed in 16:39.36. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• With her five All-American honors, Buese is only the fourth Pioneers track and cross country student-athlete to earn five or more All-American honors. Buese is tied with L&C Hall of Famer Kari Larsen Janes and just one behind record-holders Chris Miller and Paige Daugherty. 
• Buese's third-place finish is tied with her performance at Outdoor Nationals last year in the 10K for her highest-ever finish at a National Championship Meet. 
• Buese finished ahead of Battleson-Gunkel for the third time in her career, as Battleson-Gunkel finished in 16:46.28. Battleson-Gunkel finished ahead of Buese at the last two Cross Country National Championship Meets and last year's Indoor 5K. Buese finished ahead of Battleson-Gunkel in the 5K and 10K at last year's Outdoor Nationals. The two are set to square off again in the Women's 3,000M field on Saturday. 
• Duncan won the National Title, her third in as many meets, with a winning time of 16:31.42. 
• Buese has now earned multiple All-American honors in both Cross Country (2023-24) and the Indoor 5K (24-25). She added a third-place finish in the Outdoor 10K last Spring. 

 
WHO'S NEXT 
Buese will race in the Indoor 3K at a National Championship for the first time on Saturday afternoon. She will compete at 3pm Pacific (6 pm Eastern).