WSU’s Solomon Kipchoge takes third at NCAA cross country championships

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Washington State sophomore Solomon Kipchoge capped his stellar cross country season with a third-place finish Saturday at the NCAA championships.

Kipchoge, a Kenya native and Texas Tech transfer, finished with a personal-best time of 28:40.1 in the 10,000-meter race at the Gans Creek Course, seven seconds behind national champion Habtom Samuel, of New Mexico. Kipchoge, the winner of last week’s West Regional, earned All-America honors for the second straight season after posting one of the best finishes in WSU program history.

Teammate Evans Kurui, also a sophomore from Kenya, finished 17th with a personal-best time of 28:51.9 to land on the All-American team – the top 40 finishers receive All-America honors.

The two were the only WSU men to finish in the top 150. The Cougs placed 17th as a team out of 32 programs. Oklahoma State won the team title.

Rosemary Longisa, a sophomore from Kenya, was WSU’s top women’s runner, placing 27th with a time of 19:14.6 in the 6,000-meter race to earn All-America distinction. Zenah Cheptoo was WSU’s second-best finisher at 66th place.

Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won her second straight national title, finishing in a time of 18:25.4.

The WSU women, making their first appearance as a team at nationals since 1985, came in at 27th. NC State claimed its fourth team title in five years.

Two Gonzaga women placed in the top 150 – Logan Hofstee, an East Valley grad, took 94th (19:55.3) and Jessica Frydenlund finished 148th (20:12.4).

Whitworth sends two to nationals

In the Division III ranks, Whitworth’s London Haley placed 113th in the 8,000-meter men’s race in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a time of 25:24.9. Women’s runner Lily Jones, a Freeman High grad, finished 152nd (23:11.8) in the 6,000.