Runners Walk Off Podium After Alleged Doper Wins NCAA Title, But It Exposes A Huge Double Standard

We had ourselves some controversy at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships over the weekend.

Rowan University runner Seth Clevenger swept the distance events, winning both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter titles and setting meet records in each race. He clocked a 13:35.55 in the 5,000m and a 7:54.92 in the 3,000m.

But what happened next became the real story.

Instead of celebrating alongside the champion during the medal ceremony, the rest of the podium finishers quietly stepped off the stage in protest. The athletes later gathered off to the side and posed for their own photo together — without Clevenger — while the crowd cheered them on.

In case you're not in tune with DIII track and field drama, let's get you up to speed.

The protest comes as Clevenger continues to compete despite controversy surrounding an alleged doping scandal from his time at Iowa State. According to reports, multiple former teammates claim Clevenger admitted to using a banned peptide to aid muscle recovery during the 2025 cross-country season. He was suspended from the team in October 2025 after the Nuttycombe Invitational, which was his final race for Iowa State.

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Clevenger denies using performance-enhancing drugs and never failed a drug test, which means the NCAA has not ruled him ineligible. This is why he was still eligible to compete when he transferred to Rowan.

Still, his fellow runners are obviously not having it.

Athletes Take A Stand At NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships

These guys weren't interested in sharing the podium with an alleged cheater. And who can blame them? That's why social media was flooded with messages of support for these athletes following their protest, and they'll face no punishment from their schools or the NCAA.

Isn't it interesting, though, that when female athletes take a stand against trans-identifying males in their sports, they don't get that same warm reception?

Four-time Team USA ultra-runner Carilyn Johnson summed it up well: "Winner accused of doping - everyone else walks off the podium in protest with no repercussions. Male wins through cheating by competing in the female category - people cheer wildly, and females are sanctioned for walking off/speaking out/refusing to shake his hand."

There certainly seems to be a double standard.

When these male runners took a stand against an athlete they believe gained an unfair advantage, they were widely praised for defending the integrity of their sport. But when female athletes raise similar concerns about fairness in women's competition, the reaction is often very different.

Women who object to competing against trans-identifying males have repeatedly been criticized, called names, punished or pressured into silence.

Just ask the University of Pennsylvania swimmers who said school officials discouraged them from speaking publicly about competing and sharing a locker room with Lia Thomas. Or OutKick's own Riley Gaines, who is bombarded daily with hateful online attacks and was even assaulted and held hostage during a speaking event in San Francisco. During the Paris Olympics, Italian boxer Angela Carini was pressured into apologizing after withdrawing from a bout against Imane Khelif.

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Of course, this is only a handful of examples. We could go on all day about the women who have been bullied, punished and lectured by Democratic politicians and celebrities simply for demanding fairness and safety in their own spaces.

Good for these young men for taking a stand. They deserve to be applauded.

Now let's keep that same energy for the girls.