In recent weeks, allegations have been circulating within the college distance running community about Rowan University recruit Seth Clevenger. Clevenger, a transfer athlete from Iowa State, had his ex-teammates from ISU alleging that he admitted to using a “peptide,” in the fall of 2025. Amid those claims being a talking point among fans and athletes, Clevenger faced an unexpected reaction at the recent 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

On March 13, Clevenger lined up for the men’s 5000 meters and eventually crossed the finish line in 13:35.55, becoming the National Champion and setting a new meet record. But when he stepped on the podium top spot to receive his medal and NCAA trophy, he was met with an unexpected reaction.

As Seth Clevenger, the last one to receive his medal on the podium, stepped forward to receive his NCAA trophy, shortly after, the rest of the Top 8 athletes stepped down. Instead of staying back for the traditional group photograph, the athletes stepped off the podium almost immediately, leaving Clevenger as the last one to get down.

Track and field commenter, Alex Predhome added a clip of the podium moment on X and reported, “Everyone on the podium just walked off.”

Behind Clevenger, Aidan Matthai of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse finished second in 14:03, while Theo Udelson-Nee, from New York University, placed third in 14:06. But the drama did not end there.

Later, the Top 8 other athletes reportedly posed for a separate photo with their medals and trophies, excluding Clevenger.

In an Instagram story posted by runner Owen Clark, the group of 7 barring Clevenger stood together, posing with their trophies and medals with the caption: “Real. All. Americans.” Matthai, the runner up athlete later reposted the story.

While there’s no denying Seth Clevenger’s dominance on the track as of now, the allegations made by his ex-teammates appear to have had a serious impact.

However, Seth has had a great track record, which is now under the scanner after the allegations. He smashed the DIII record for 5,000 meters by more than 12 seconds. Not only that, he ranks 1st for the indoor season in both the mile and the 3000m as well.

Sure that kind of speed put him among the top in Division III NCAA events but that doesn’t stop the allegations of doping from surfacing.

The doping allegation behind Clevenger’s rise to the top in NCAA

The allegations date back to Clevenger’s days at Iowa State University, where he spent 2022 through 2025 running cross country and track. Some of his former teammates alleged that he took a prohibited substance in the 2025 season.

LetsRun.com reported that two of Clevenger’s former teammates told the publication that Clevenger had allegedly used “a peptide” called BPC-157, which is prohibited under NCAA anti-doping rules during the 2025 season. And that was just the beginning of the allegations.

An Iowa State cross country team member alleged that Clevenger gave him some pills and told him, “He said everyone’s on it, it’s third-party tested.” The athlete later said he briefly used the peptide for less than a week before stopping after learning it was prohibited under NCAA regulations.

Ex-teammates also claimed that Clevenger eventually admitted to the Iowa State coaching staff that he used the peptide and was suspended from the team in October.

Clevenger’s last race at Iowa State was at the Nuttycombe Invitational in October 2025. He finished 19th overall. Subsequent to that race, it is alleged that coaches took action regarding the alleged doping.

Soon thereafter several Iowa State athletes were suspended due to what the program termed as “breaking team rules.” Head coach Jeremy Sudbury confirmed that suspensions had occurred but did not publicly identify the athletes involved or explain the exact violations. Post that, Clevenger did not compete again for Iowa State after that meet.

As the controversy spread across the college running world many athletes began demanding a formal review of the situation. More than 500 Division III runners signed a petition calling for an official investigation and a provisional suspension of Clevenger while the allegations were examined. But the petition was launched by Emmanuel Leblond who is the 2025 NCAA Division III cross-country champion.

Yet, even with this growing scrutiny Clevenger continues to compete at the NCAA Division III Champs, but his competitors do not seem to be happy with his win.