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Transfer Market (Part 95): Justine Kipkoech to Colorado, Bismack Kipchirchir to Alabama & Karrie Baloga Enters the Transfer Portal (Again)
Happy New Years, friends!
I hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe start to 2026.
With the new year comes so many new possibilities and new headlines -- and transfer coverage is something that we're still putting a key emphasis on. That's especially true after the last few weeks have produced a handful of stunning developments regarding on-the-move athletes.
Have a transfer update or tip that you want us to look into? Feel free to email us at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll aim to verify it!
Alright, let's jump into the analysis, shall we?
Justine Kipkoech (Eastern Kentucky to Colorado)
In December, Josh Grenade, in conjunction with Townhall Athletics and Justine Kipkoech, announced that the latter name will be transferring from Eastern Kentucky to Colorado. The now-former EKU runner is presumably joining the Colorado men for the upcoming indoor track season.
Per TFRRS, Kipkoech is expected to have two seasons of cross country eligibility remaining. He's also expected to have three seasons of indoor track eligibility remaining and likely three seasons of outdoor track eligibility remaining as well.
On paper, Kipkoech is one of the single-most talented distance runners in the NCAA. While that may seem like a bold statement, it's important to remember that the incoming Buffalo star once ran 3:32 for 1500 meters and 7:38 for 3000 meters (outdoor) prior to joining Eastern Kentucky.
Admittedly, since entering the NCAA, Kipkoech has not been able to emulate that same level of success. Of course, marks of 3:38 (1500), 3:54 (mile), 7:51 (3k) and 13:33 (5k) are far from poor. It also doesn't hurt that Kipkoech once placed 13th at the 2024 Nuttycombe Invite and 3rd at the 2024 version of Pre-Nationals during the fall months.
And yet, at the same time, Kipkoech has admittedly struggled with consistency. In his two years at Eastern Kentucky, the strength-based miler has recorded three DNF results in three major cross country meets, one of those being the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. While he did race at the 2025 cross country national meet, Kipkoech settled for a good, but not necessarily great, 79th place finish.
Kipkoech's decision to venture to Colorado is truthfully stunning. The Buffaloes have historically veered away from international distance runners -- and that's especially true for Coach Sean Carlson who has always built his distance rosters with domestic talents.
However, Kipkoech isn't the first and only African distance standout to join the men of Boulder, Colorado. Former Toledo runner, Dominic Serem, joined the Buffaloes last winter and acted as a crucial star for his team despite fading to 58th place at the cross country national meet.
But maybe more importantly, Kipkoech's introduction to Colorado dramatically raises the team's ceiling on the grass.
The Buffaloes had an excellent 2025 cross country season, something that wasn't fully reflected upon placing 10th at the NCAA XC Championships back in November. Thankfully for Coach Sean Carlson, nearly everyone from that national meet lineup is set to return in 2026. And when they do, they'll be joined by Kipkoech who, on the right day, can be a lethal low-stick with All-American firepower.
Pairing the former EKU runner with Serem, the best version of Dean Casey and a fellow standout in Isaiah Givens could, in theory, put the Buffaloes in the podium mix a little less than 11 months from now.
That, of course, still requires a handful of things breaking in Colorado's favor.
On the track, Kipkoech will now work with the same coach who once developed one of the NCAA's greatest milers of all-time in Yared Nuguse. That's an important reminder given that Kipkoech holds an ultra-elite 1500-meter PR that, if replicated, could be the new NCAA record as soon as this spring.
Bismack Kipchirchir (Akron to Alabama)
Last week, Bismack Kipchirchir, in conjunction with Josh Grenade, announced that he has transferred to the University of Alabama starting this winter. Per TFRRS, the incoming Crimson Tide runner has two years of cross country eligibility remaining as well as three years of both indoor track and outdoor track eligibility remaining.
Kipchirchir is a massive addition for Alabama. While most fans of the sport know him for his achievements on the track, it's his value on the grass that could be comparatively more impactful.
The now-former Akron runner admittedly struggled at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships, but secured a promising 73rd place finish at the 2024 rendition of the meet. He placed 11th at the Joe Piane Invite this past fall, is a two-time runner-up at the MAC XC Championships and has twice cracked the top-six at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships.
Meanwhile, the Alabama men are coming off of one of their best cross country seasons in program history, winning the SEC team title and placing 6th at the NCAA XC Championships. And while the Crimson Tide will lose their fifth man, Carson Burian (119th at the NCAA XC Championships), adding in Kipchirchir effectively replaces him...and then some.
At his absolute best, Kipchirchir is a lead scoring talent who can potentially give Alabama three low-sticks if he translates his steeplechase prowess to the grass. And if Kenyan newcomer Stephen Ndungu is able to be an instant-impact name, then a podium finish isn't totally out of the realm of possibility for Alabama.
On the track, Kipchirchir's firepower will prove to be incredibly valuable during the spring months. Last year, the SEC sent only three men to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase -- and one of those men was current Alabama runner, Ezekiel Pitireng.
With the Crimson Tide often placing a heavy emphasis on all-around track success, the ability for someone like Kipchirchir to score points via his 8:27 (steeple) PR will be crucial for Alabama in the team standings at future conference meets and national meets.
Karrie Baloga (Transfer Portal)
One source with access to the transfer portal has confirmed to The Stride Report that Karrie Baloga, a current distance runner for Northern Arizona, has entered the transfer portal. TFRRS suggests that Baloga has two years of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition (each).
Despite a few seasonal absences, Karrie Baloga has evolved into a high-impact distance star over the last few years. Personal bests of 4:36 (mile), 8:52 (3k), 15:24 (5k) and 9:37 (steeple) are complemented by an All-American honor in the latter event, placing 8th overall at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
On the grass, Baloga has proven to be plenty valuable as well...when she races.
In the fall of 2023, when she was originally a freshman at Colorado, Baloga placed 21st at the Virginia Invite, 39th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 8th at the PAC-12 XC Championships and 82nd at the NCAA XC Championships.
Baloga also competed in the fall of 2024 with Northern Arizona, placing 7th at the Joe Piane Invite and later settling for 97th place at the NCAA XC Championships. The soon-to-be-former Lumberjack did not compete during the 2025 cross country season.
By entering the transfer portal, the former high school megastar will likely end up at the third NCAA program of her college career. It should be noted that, back in September, Baloga made an Instagram post stating that she had been diagnosed with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).
RED-S is defined as, "a syndrome of poor health and declining athletic performance that happens when athletes do not get enough fuel through food to support the energy demands of their daily lives and training," per Boston Children's Hospital website.
As we ponder which programs could potentially sign Baloga, one can't help but wonder if Colorado, the school she originally attended for one semester as a freshman, could be back in play.
Baloga departed Boulder, Colorado when the Lady Buffs were under former Mark Wetmore, the former head coach of the program. Now, with new leadership and a ridiculously deep/talented team, it doesn't feel impossible for Baloga to return to her original signing spot. Her strength-based skillset still makes her an ideal fit for the Buffaloes' aerobic-centric roster.
While that return scenario may seem unlikely, it should be noted that it's happened before with guys like Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame to Oregon back to Notre Dame) and Chasen Hunt (Lynchburg to North Carolina back to Lynchburg).
It should also be noted that Baloga is a New York native, although the number of top-tier long distance programs in the Northeast region is admittedly thin if she wanted to be closer to home.
Even so, a program like NC State would be a natural fit for someone like Baloga. The Wolfpack women are coming off of winning the team title at the NCAA XC Championships and would further solidify their chances of repeating by adding Baloga.
Of course, if Baloga wanted to stay out west, then could BYU be a potential option? The Cougars don't typically bring in a ton of transfers, but the altitude-based and long distance-centric program would be the perfect fit for Baloga given her background.
Plus, if BYU wants to beat NC State at next year's NCAA XC Championships, then they'll likely need more firepower alongside Jane Hedengren and Riley Chamberlain.
