Ed Bird Posts Second Fastest 10K Time in UK History, Wildcats Close out Fall Season at NCAA Championships
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The 2025 NCAA cross country season officially came to a close today with the running of the national championship women’s 6k and the men’s 10k races at the Gans Creek XC Course in Columbia, Mo.
Wildcats Ed Bird and Collins Kiprop Kipngok were selected to compete in this year’s championships following their performances at the NCAA Southeast Regional last week in Charlottesville, Va. Kiprop Kipngok highlighted the Kentucky team leaderboard by finishing 12th with a time of 29:53.9 in the men’s 10k final. Bird finished two spots and four seconds behind in 14th with a 29:57.2 mark. Along with freshman Doricah Minsari Isoe on the women’s side, Kiprop Kipngok and Bird both earned USTFCCCA All-Southeast Region honors.
Today, at the NCAA Championships, Bird ran the second fastest 10k time in Kentucky’s program history, placing 101st and crossing the finish line at 29:35.0, breaking his previous personal-best that was set last week at the NCAA Regional. Kiprop Kipngok finished the 10k event in 193rd with a time of 30:24.2.
Following the completion of the fall cross country season, Bird, Kiprop Kipngok and the Wildcats will prepare for the start of the 2025-26 indoor track season, which is set to begin on Dec. 6 in Nashville, Tenn. at the Commodore Winter Challenge.
NCAA XC Championships Results:
Men’s 10K
101. Ed Bird – 29:35.0 (PR) (No. 2 UK All-Time)
193. Collins Kiprop Kipngok – 30:24.2
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