Three Wildcats Earn Top 25 Finishes at SEC Cross Country Championships

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Ed Bird, Collins Kiprop Kipngok raced themselves into a top 25 finish in the Men’s 8k at the 2024 SEC Cross Country Championships, while Ally Kruger also earned a spot in the top 25 in the Women’s 6k. In the team standings, the Kentucky men finished in tenth with 230 points, while the women turned in a 15th place finish on 318 points.

In the men’s event, No. 3 Arkansas took home the team title in Bryan-College Station, followed by No. 11 Alabama, Ole Miss, (rv) Texas, and Missouri. On the women’s side, No. 7 Alabama ran away with the team title.  (rv) Tennessee, No. 14 Florida, (rv) Arkansas, and No. 28 Texas rounded out the top five.

Bird, who was a 2023 All-SEC Freshman team member, was just one-tenth off his personal best time from his winning run at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season, finishing as the top Wildcat in the Men’s 8k in an 18th-place time of 23:07.7. Kiprop Kipngok continued his steady improvement across his freshman campaign, setting a personal best for the fourth time in four runs, finishing in 24th place with a time of 23:19.4. The Nakuru, Kenya native has now shaved some 26 seconds off his 8k time from September to present.

In the Women’s 6k, Kruger continued her hold on the top finisher spot for her team, turning in a career-best 25th place finish at the SEC Championships. Her time of 19:57.5 was a massive personal best, as she bettered her previous mark by over 28 seconds and broke the 20-minute mark for the first time in her career.

“The team finish in both the men’s and women’s races are not up to the standard that we expect out of our teams when they toe the line at the conference championship and it will be corrected,” Coach Hakon DeVries reflected after the meet. “I do want to highlight outstanding individual efforts by Ally Kruger in 25th and Ed Bird and Collins Kiprop Kipngok in 18th and 24th, respectively. They competed their hearts out for the Kentucky name on their chest. With all that said, we will get back to work and focus on the upcoming Southeast Regional championship in two weeks.”

All-SEC awards are to be awarded to the top 21 overall finishers, while All-SEC Freshman honors are reserved for the top seven freshman finishers. Both Bird and Kiprop Kipngok are in line to receive laurels when they are announced at a later date.

Following the SEC Championships, the Cross Country squads will continue their postseason run at the NCAA Southeast Regionals on November 15. The annual meet that serves as a qualifier to the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Winthrop this season in Rock Hill, S.C. The top two teams—and four fastest individuals from non-advancing teams— in each of the nine regions will move on to the national meet to be held in Madison, Wis. on November 23. 13 additional teams will be selected at-large to complete the 31-team field.

Results:

Men’s 8k

KENTUCKY – 10th, 230 points

18. Ed Bird – 23:07.7 – 18 points

24. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 23:19.4 PB – 23 points

53. Jackson Watts – 23:53.1 PB – 51 points

65. Miles Brush – 24:12.6 PB – 63 points

83. Alex Justus – 24:30.3 PB – 75 points

86. Alex Alston – 24:36.6 – 78 points

92. Sami Hattab – 24:47.8 PB – 82 points

103. Theo Bachmann – 24:59.9 PB

Women’s 6k

KENTUCKY – 15th, 318 points

25. Ally Kruger – 19:57.5 PB – 25 points

68. Mollie Roden – 20:37.8 PB – 65 points

74. Jenna Schwinghamer – 20:40.2 PB – 71 points

77. Lyric Olson – 20:41.1 PB – 73 points

90. Phoebe McCowan – 20:51.9 PB – 84 points

126. Jayla Atkinson – 21:24.3 PB – 106 points

127. Julz Williams – 21:24.8 =PB – 107 points

135. Ava Hendren – 21:29.4 PB

147. Noel Barlette – 21:43.7 PB

148. Chesney McPherson – 21:45.5

158. Baylor Wolfe – 22:04.8 PB

166. Morgan Dick – 22:22.4