Collins Kiprop Kipngok Earns First Collegiate Win at Bradley Pink Classic
PEORIA, Ill. – For the second consecutive meet, a Kentucky runner has been crowned champion of the Men’s 8k race, as freshman Collins Kiprop Kipngok earned the first win of his collegiate career at the Bradley Pink Classic. The Nakuru, Kenya native turned in a personal best time of 23:32.7, helping lead his team to a season-best second place finish in Peoria on Friday. Ally Kruger continued her consistent running in 2024, earning a third consecutive top 20 finish to guide the Kentucky women to an eighth-place finish in the regular season finale.
Kiprop Kipngok, a Nakuru, Kenya native, made his break away around the halfway point of the Men’s 8k Red Invitational Race and ran the final kilometers solo. In just the third race of his collegiate career, Kiprop Kipngok has set a new personal best each time, with each mark accompanied by a top 15 finish. The SEC Freshman of the Week from October 1 was the conference’s third-fastest newbie heading into the race.
Jack Pendergast, a graduate transfer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also carded a personal best race, earning his first career top ten finish. The Iowa transfer finished eighth in 24:01.9, marking the third consecutive meet where Pendergast has lowered his personal best mark. Jackson Watts finished 37th, Miles Brush finished 65th, and Sami Hattab finished in 94th to round out the counting scores for the Cats.
On the whole, Kentucky scored 160 points to finish as the runners-up of the Men’s 8k Red Invitational Race at the Bradley Pink Classic. North Dakota State took home the team title with 139 points. Iowa, No. 14 Michigan, and Wichita State rounded out the top five.
On the women’s side, Kentucky scored 230 points on its way to an eighth-place finish in the Women’s 6k Red Invitational Race. Kruger was the Cats’ top scorer for the third time this season, finishing in 14th with a time of 21.41.0. Sophomore Lyric Olson had the best race of her collegiate career, finishing 21st with a personal-best time of 20:59.4. This was the first time Olson had broken 21 minutes and was the first time that the Savannah, Ga. native placed higher than 60th in a cross country meet.
Mollie Roden was the third Wildcat to score points, finishing in 31st in a personal best time of 21:06.2. Chesney McPherson’s 75th place finish and Jenna Schwinghamer’s 95th place finish rounded out the counting scores for Kentucky.
“This was a good final tune-up before we head into championship season”, coach Hakon DeVries reflected after the meet. “I was obviously thrilled with Collins’ decisive win. He took control of the race early and never looked back. We had a little more up-and-down within the results on the women’s side, but I wanted to make sure to highlight Lyric Olson and Mollie Roden for standout races and holding down the second and third spots in our team scoring.”
Other Kentucky runners were able to race on Friday in the White (B Division) Races, with both Kentucky teams finishing in second place in those events. In the Men’s 8k White Race, four Cats finished in the top ten, led by fourth and fifth place finishes from Alex Justus and Theo Bachmann, respectively. Three freshmen led the way for Kentucky in the Women’s 6k White Race, as Morgan Dick, Noel Barlette, and Baylor Wolfe all finished in the top 11. Dick and Barlette each set personal best times on their way to third and fourth place finishes, respectively.
With the regular season portion of the schedule completed, the Wildcats will turn their attention to the 2024 SEC Championships, to be held on November 1. The annual meet will be held at the Dale Watts ’71 Cross Country Course in Bryan-College Station, Texas and will be televised live on the SEC Network.
Results:
Men’s 8k Red Invitational
KENTUCKY – 2nd, 160 points
1. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 23:32.7 PB – 1 point
8. Jack Pendergast – 24:01.9 PB – 5 points
37. Jackson Watts – 24:27.5 – 28 points
65. Miles Brush – 24:41.9 – 52 points
94. Sami Hattab – 24:57.8 – 74 points
96. Alex Alston – 24:58.7 – 76 points
152. Max Liao – 25:29.0 – 124 points
Women’s 6k Red Invitational
KENTUCKY – 6th, 185 points
14. Ally Kruger – 20:41.0 – 14 points
21. Lyric Olson – 20:59.4 PB – 21 points
31. Mollie Roden – 21:06.2 PB – 31 points
75. Chesney McPherson – 21:42.8 – 73 points
95. Jenna Schwinghamer – 21:56.2 – 91 points
126. Jayla Atkinson – 22:13.3 – 119 points
134. Ava Hendren – 22:21.0
Men’s 8k White Race
KENTUCKY (B) – 2nd, 40 points
4. Alex Justus – 25:04.4 – 3 points
5. Theo Bachmann – 25:05.3 – 4 points
7. Cade Byer – 25:10.7 PB – 6 points
10. William Russell – 25:28.3 – 9 points
22. Caden Weber – 25:50.85 – 18 points
Women’s 6k White Race
KENTUCKY (B) – 2nd, 39 points
3. Morgan Dick – 21:47.9 PB – 2 points
4. Noel Barlette – 21:59.8 PB – 3 points
11. Baylor Wolfe – 22:15.4 – 6 points
13. Clara Heppner – 22:25.6 PB – 7 points
37. Elly Heine – 23:16.5 – 21 points
53. Aubree Hay – 23:36.2 – 34 points
69. Brooke Berger – 24:07.4 – 44 points
