.png)
Running Abroad (Men): Texas Tech's Revamp, New Mexico Adds Another Key Piece & Overseas Low-Sticks Join Rising Distance Powers
- Mike McKean
- Sep 16, 2024
- 13 min read
Women's article coming tomorrow!
Written by Mike McKean, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
Ah yes, cross country. Our favorite time of the year.
As we’ve wrapped up our TSR preseason team and individual rankings, we’d be remiss not to mention the heap of international runners joining new squads in the late summer months. With greater incentives and fewer restraints in the NCAA, we can expect the future of collegiate recruiting to look a bit different. That much is true as we’ve seen a huge uptick in overseas additions.
Quite frankly, we could expect to see our TSR individual rankings shake up quite a bit as the cross country season progresses.
* * *
One of the bigger news developments in the last few weeks has been New Mexico's addition of yet another overseas star. We are, of course, talking about Collins Kiprotich. The incoming Lobo, whose recruitment was first reported via Joshua Grenade, has run 13:58 for 5000 meters at well over 5000 feet of elevation.
The addition of Kiprotich to New Mexico's roster is massive. With men such as Habtom Samuel, Vincent Chirchir, Evans Kiplagat and Lukas Kiprop each showing tons of raw talent, having someone like Kiprotich theoretically gives this team a complete top-five. Or, at the very least, he gives the Lobos extra scoring insurance should Rikus Van Niekerk end up snagging the final scoring spot in this lineup.
We now have to start asking the question of whether or not New Mexico is favored for the podium this fall. From a pure fitness perspective, some people may say yes. However, others may want to see names like Chirchir and Kiprotich proves themselves in NCAA cross country, as well as Kiprop establish greater consistency, before that happens.
Even so, Coach Darren Gauson has done some outstanding work on the recruiting trail this year as he cleaned up the backend of a lineup that was super top-heavy last fall. And while this group still has a ton of volatility, their upside is far beyond what it was in 2023.
Let’s now move to an athlete who secured a "BIG 12 Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week" honor back in late August. We are, of course, talking about the University of Cincinnati’s Patrick Kiprop, (not to be confused with Patrick Kiprop at Arkansas) hailing from Eldoret, Kenya.
The freshman was in his element at the Sam Bell Invitational two weeks ago in the Bearcats’ season opener as he notched a course record while taking home gold in 17:23 (6k).
Of course, we expected Kiprop to have an immediate impact following his impressive resume from high school. He attended St. Thomas Kapchorwa and was a 5k champion during his senior year. His personal bests of 13:50 (5k) and 8:08 (3k) become even more eye-opening when recognizing that they were run at elevation (nearly 7000 feet).
In their second year as a BIG 12 program, the Bearcats certainly won’t be lacking a low-stick. Kiprop makes the already-stacked conference even more interesting now, and that’s something to be said for a conference that contains the likes of Oklahoma State, BYU, Iowa State and Colorado.
While a national meet team berth is not in store for Cincinnati this year, they’ve established a proven track record of producing talented individuals year in and year out. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Bearcat individuals mix it up with the best at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships and nab qualifying berths to the NCAA XC Championships.
Kiprop will look to replicate that recent success and follow in the footsteps of Tyler Wirth, Alec Sandusky and Aaron Bienenfeld. Of course, trying to figure out his ceiling for this fall (can he be an All-American?) will be the biggest aspect of his resume that we'll be monitoring throughout the next few months.
* * *
While we’re on the topic of big-time additions to the BIG 12 Conference, we have to provide insight into one of the most attention-grabbing recruiting developments of the entire offseason. A couple of weeks ago, we learned that the Texas Tech men would be adding two new athletes who would become a topic of discussion for weeks to come.
The Red Raiders put the NCAA on notice with the commitment announcements of Solomon Kipchoge and Edwin Kiprono.
The unknown aspects surrounding freshmen entering the collegiate cross country scene is something that we have to take into account when analyzing individual for our future rankings. The lack of experience within the often-dynamic NCAA can be a hindrance for most newcomers. However, Kipchoge will possess a much more experienced background than most as he gets his first taste of the collegiate realm.
The newly minted Red Raider ace holds a jaw-dropping half-marathon personal best of 59:37, which was set at the 2023 Semi-Marathon De Lille in France. His personal best at the half-marathon is faster than any time ever run by an American over that distance. In theory, a personal best that is faster than Ryan Hall’s American record could put Kipchoge in the discussion for the NCAA individual crown come November in Madison, Wisconsin.
Of course, that also assumes that he can translate that kind of time to the rolling hills on the grass in massive fields that are loaded with other highly accomplished distance stars. That, in theory, shouldn't be an issue for someone as talented as himself, although that's easier said than done.
If the addition of Kipchoge wasn’t impressive enough, Texas Tech also announced the commitment of another Kenya native, Edwin Kiprono.
While Kiprono doesn’t hold marks in the longer distances akin to Kipchoge, he comes to Lubbock with a very solid personal best of 1:48 (800). The half-miler has shown that he can provide value on the grass as well given his contributions en route to a 3rd place result at the Kenyan World XC Mixed Relays Trials.
We didn’t have to wait long for the much-anticipated debuts of Kipchoge and Kiprono. That's because both men competed at the Lori Fitzgerald Open for the Red Raiders. Kipchoge took home the win in 14:02 (5k), besting teammate Ernest Cheruiyot (TSR #17), although it's hard to put much stock into an early-season rust-buster.
Kiprono, meanwhile, showed early promise in being a valuable contributor to Texas Tech as he was their third man, finishing 7th overall.
Also, let’s not forget that Texas Tech recently added Stephen F. Austin transfer Nathan Kapel who boasts 3:44 (1500) and 13:53 (5k) personal bests. He's a sneaky-good name who just took a runner-up finish at a separate rust-buster this past weekend (although he was 53 seconds behind Cheruiyot).
Kapel doesn't necessarily need to be a star to have an impact for Texas Tech this fall. As long as he posts strong enough backend scoring stability, then this team will thrive with multiple men who look like they could be low-stick stars.
Those three additions to the Red Raiders' lineup, combined with the return of Ernest Cheruiyot, Gideon Kiplimo, Vincent Koech and Isaac Hernandez, is a perfect recipe for the Lubbock-based men to contend for a team berth to this year’s national meet.
Of course, it’s very early in the season and a couple of races in late August and early September are not enough to truly determine how the fall will play out for this team. Even so, we will certainly be tuning in for the battle for the individual crown at the BIG 12 XC Championships this fall.
* * *
Let's venture to Blacksburg, Virginia next, shall we?
Another Eldoret native, Nicholas Kipchirchir, joined Coach Ben Thomas’ squad at Virginia Tech just a few weeks ago. The 27-year-old freshman nicknamed “Kipchoge” by former teammates has already caught the attention of many east coast distance running fans and, of course, us at The Stride Report.
Similar to Solomon Kipchoge, this Kenyan native made his mark at the half-marathon distance. With a personal best of 1:01 which he produced at the 2023 Ravenna Half Marathon in Italy, the strength-based Kipchirchir will look to be an aggressive low-stick for the Hokies this fall, something that they haven't truly had since Peter Seufer.
Kipchirchir’s strengths not only lie on the roads, but he also boasts very impressive marks on the grass as well. In one of Kenya’s top-tier cross country races, the 2024 Discovery Kenya XC 10k, he placed 5th overall.
We were able to see his strength on full display as Kipchirchir made his first appearance for the Hokies at the Virginia Tech Invitational the other weekend. He comfortably took home gold with a head-turning time of 17:43 (6k).
But what if I told you that there are even more reinforcements coming for the Hokies?
We must note the addition of Ben Reynolds. The former Oregon Duck heads to Blacksburg with quality personal bests of 1:48 (800m) and 3:40 (1500). Those marks become even more encouraging when you note that they came in June of 2024. Despite being a middle distance specialist, he showed promise in the longer distances as he posted a personal best of 14:19 (5k) on the roads this past spring.
Both Kipchirchir and Reynolds can provide much-needed scoring potency to a Virginia Tech group that has historically been better over the 800-meter and 1500-meter distances rather than on the grass. Of course, for as good as both of those men are, VT may need even more scoring assistance given how much better the ACC has become over the last few years.
* * *
Sticking to the theme of Kenyan additions who boast top-tier half-marathon personal bests, look no further than Collins Kipkemboi committing to Kennesaw State University.
Kipkemboi sets foot on campus with an outstanding 1:01 (half-marathon) personal best. Not only has he run 1:01 in the half marathon once, but he’s done it multiple times, and very recently at that! Only a few months ago, Kipkemboi finished 3rd at the Gutenberg Half Marathon in Germany, running 1:01:38, just four seconds off his personal best.
The South region just got a bit more interesting this year as the Endicrot, Kenya native looks to be in immediate contention with one of the best 1-2 punches in the NCAA in Alabama’s Victor Kiprop and Hillary Cheruiyot.
He'll also be a top-tier name to monitor in the ASUN Conference, especially with Eastern Kentucky adding Justine Kipkoech. Suddenly, that conference meet will seemingly feature one of the more interesting mid-major matchups come October.
How about the influx of Kenyan natives commencing in Tempe, Arizona this fall? Arizona State’s newest additions, Lemerian Lemashon and Dennis Rono, are speed-based middle-distance runners looking to display their track prowess on the grass this fall.
Lemashon joins the Sun Devils from Trans-Mara, Kenya, and he arrives with impressive personal bests of 1:46 (800) and 3:44 (1500). Oh, and did we mention that both those marks came at 7000 feet of elevation? That puts Lemashon in the ring of contenders for All-American honors this winter and spring assuming that he can translate that kind of success to the collegiate realm as soon as this year.
Lemashon’s racing experience before joining Arizona State is significant in itself, as he comes with experience competing on the national stage for Kenya. Toeing the line in both the 2022 U20 Kenyan Trials for the World Championships and the 2022 Kenyan Championships shows us that the moment, in theory, will not be too big for him.
Elite talent on the track is hard to ignore as we enter the cross country season, but the question remains if Lemashon can translate that to the grass. Even so, the potential he holds is undeniable.
Dennis Rono is another talent who possesses all the skills required to compete at the top of the NCAA in the middle distance events. With a 3:41 (1500) personal best that was run at 6000 feet of elevation, we look forward to seeing how Coach Ryan Ray develops his strength over the longer distances this fall.
Rono is similar to Lemashon in that he also holds experience competing on the national stage for Kenya. The Uasin Gishu native placed 5th at the 2024 Kenyan XC Championships (2k distance) and was 7th at the 2024 African Games Trials over 1500 meters.
The lack of experience in the longer distances will certainly take some adjusting for Lemashon and Rono. However, being able to instantly plug these two athletes into the fold brings a welcomed piece of depth to the Sun Devils' squad.
Let’s highlight yet another addition who could be set to compete for a national title on the oval this upcoming year. Geoffrey Kirwa is heading to Louisville with an impressive 8:22 (steeple) personal best. That kind of mark alone suggests that he could be a top-50 name on the grass as soon as this fall...
...well, assuming that his latest cross country result, a 16th place finish at the Southern Showcase, was just an inconsequential rust-buster and nothing more.
Not just a one-trick pony, Kirwa holds 7:59 (3k) and 13:57 (5k) personal bests to his name. He also earned bronze at the 2022 African Games in the steeplechase and most recently competed at the 2024 Kenyan Olympic Trials in the same event, placing 11th overall.
On paper, someone as talented and as accomplished as Kirwa should be a true star on the grass. Of course, it is admittedly hard to ignore a shrug-inducing performance from this past weekend. His next effort will likely tell us more about his true talent, but we're hoping holding out hope regardless.
* * *
How about a team that felt like they were just one piece away last year?
We’re shifting focus down south to feature a huge move from the Tulane. The Green Wave announced the recent addition of Bernard Cheruiyot to their squad. The Eldoret, Kenya native made waves of his own upon his arrival to the "Big Easy."
The freshman arrived at Tulane with solid personal bests of 13:56 (5k) and 43:42 (15k). That’s a welcomed sight for a group that finished 3rd at the South Central Region XC Championships last year, missing out on a berth to the national meet by one spot. And in 2024, they may have enough pieces to advance to the national stage via Kolas points.
While Cheruiyot’s personal bests may not scream All-American status, he quickly assured all of us that those personal bests will be a thing of the past in no time. In his first appearance for Tulane, he took home the win at the 2024 Battle For New Orleans XC Opener in 14:00 (5k). Cheruiyot led the race from the gun and spent the entirety of the race running solo, comfortably besting teammates Illia Kunin (13:46 PR for 5k) and Jack Jennings (54th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships).
To run within four seconds of his personal best on the grass is quite an eye-opening debut. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Cheruiyot backed that up with a school record in his second race with Tulane. At the Texas A&M Invitational, he broke a school and course record in 22:50 (8k). Cheruiyot was aggressive early-on once again as the front-runner set a blistering pace from the gun and wound end besting the field by almost 40 seconds.
With the Green Wave returning five of their top-seven from last year’s team and adding Cheruiyot to the mix, they’re in a great position to find themselves toeing the line as a team in Madison this November. Their floor is still fairly low, but as long as everyone is firing on all cylinders, they may have the necessary scoring weapons to pull off a few upsets and maybe even emerge as a ranked team this fall.
How about a recent addition who had flown under the radar until this past weekend?
Kenyan Evans Kurui quietly joined Washington State over the summer. However, his performance this past weekend for the Cougars was anything but quiet. That's because Kurui took down Edward Cheserek’s course record at the Cougar Classic this past weekend.
The newly minted freshman took home gold in 22:47 (8k), breaking Ches’ course record by over 20 seconds. Shattering a 17-time national champion’s course record is something to behold and it bears repeating that Ches’ previous course record came in 2015, a year when he would go on to win the NCAA XC Championships.
Now, admittedly, it's hard to put much stock into an early-season race that hasn't traditionally seen a ton of high-level talent going all-out each and every year. Setting All-American expectations for Kurui after one race that he won with ease, while reasonable, would also be a bit overeager.
* * *
What about the teams expecting to make another appearance at the NCAA XC Championships this fall? Did they get any better?
Well, most of the notable international additions have joined teams that aren’t necessarily known for their cross country success. However, that’s not the case with Portland’s introduction of Mark Milner. For a squad already loaded with lineup options, the rich get richer when it comes to Portland and their extensive depth.
With a preseason TSR #18 team ranking for the Pilots, we’re curious to see how the Irishman can provide an impact on this already well-constructed team. Venturing to the Pilots from Dublin, Ireland, Milner is another speed-based international transfer. He retains noteworthy personal bests of 1:47 (800) and 4:00 (mile) which certainly puts him in contention for being a contributor to Portland this fall.
For a team seeking stabilizing scorers, Milner’s talent alone fits the bill. That being said, the unknown of how Milner will fare on the grass leaves a question mark beside his name. Truthfully, there are many question marks surrounding several Pilot runners this fall.
Despite all of that, a talented addition like Milner is a welcomed sight and he gives the Pilots even more options for their lineup. Let’s not forget that Portland has Coach Rob Conner, and it’s easy to put your faith in him bringing the most out of Milner.
How about Collins Kiprop Kipngok (Kentucky) and Brian Bett (North Alabama)? The former finished a quietly-excellent 5th place at the Southern Showcase this past weekend while the latter wasn't far behind in 8th place.
Kentucky isn't a school that has put much of an emphasis on the longer distances. That is what makes someone like Kipngok such an interesting name to monitor. His early-season rust-buster was very encouraging to see, especially given who he defeated, and it leaves us wondering what kind of role (if any) he'll have in the postseason.
Bett, meanwhile, has already had a few great battles with the Middle Tennessee State duo of Brian Kiptoo and Allan Kiplagat (the latter joining MTSU via transfer from Alabama during the offseason). A few early-season showings don't leave us with much to analyze, but so far, the North Alabama talent has been pretty consistent and has been able to emerge as legitimate threat against a handful of underrated names.
Lastly, but surely not least, we have to mention an international addition to a team that’s trying to redeem themselves after a disappointing result at the national meet last year. After a 29th-place finish at the national meet, fresh faces are needed for the Iona Gaels.
Rest assured, they’ll be receiving that with the commitment of Duncan Robinson. The Scottish native comes to Iona from Glasgow Caledonian University and already holds quite the title to his name.
Robinson holds the Scottish native record in the road 5k with his personal best of 13:52. Not only was this mark on the roads, but he also led from the gun and ran the entire race solo. His potential over the 5k distance bodes well for the Gaels. On top of being a native record holder, he displays great versatility and range with solid personal bests of 3:42 (1500) and 8:03 (3k).
Looking for another reason to get excited about the Scotsman? He’s proven he can get it done on the grass as well with a 4th place finish at the Scottish National XC Championships.
With Iona being an "Honorable Mention" squad in our TSR preseason team rankings, the boost that Robinson can provide immediately cannot be understated. That’s instant firepower for a team that desperately needs it after losing a ton of key guys. The Gaels will look to outperform the expectations that many have for them this fall, and with Robinson on board, they just might.
* * *
Our understanding of the NCAA has been drastically altered upon entering the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) era. As we navigate the new look of the NCAA, you can expect to see an even larger number of international athletes take advantage of the developmental opportunities that the collegiate realm can provide.
With annual revenue sharing soon coming into play, we’re going to see just how cutthroat recruiting becomes over the next few years. We’ve already begun to see Power Five schools with deep pockets capitalize on this opportunity, and more are set to follow suit. The talent pool just got that much bigger in the NCAA.
In fact, the names highlighted in this article are but the tip of the iceberg for a much bigger wave of overseas introductions that we'll surely see in the future.
