Late kick delivers Wichita State its first XC conference champion since 1992
For the first time in more than three decades, the Wichita State men’s cross-country team has produced a conference champion.
And it came from a sophomore who refused to back down from one of the nation’s best.
Elkana Kipruto etched his name in history on Saturday in Concord, North Carolina, surging past defending champion Bernard Cheruiyot of Tulane, who entered the race ranked No. 5 nationally in the USTFCCCA Cross Country Ratings Index, to capture the individual title at the American Conference Championships in 23 minutes, 16.6 seconds.
The two runners traded the lead for most of the race, but it was Kipruto’s powerful kick over the final stretch of the 8-kilometer race that made the difference. He pulled away to win by roughly 20 meters, with Cheruiyot crossing in 23:25.6.
The victory marked the 12th individual conference title in WSU history, but the first since Mornay Annandale’s three-peat in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992. It also marked the first men’s champion since WSU joined the American and the first under longtime head coach Kirk Hunter.
The Shockers’ success extended beyond the top spot. The men’s team placed third overall with 59 points, trailing only ranked teams from Tulsa (35) and Tulane (41). WSU landed three runners on the all-conference team with sophomore Kelvin Kipyego finishing sixth in 23:47 and senior Adrian Diaz-Lopez taking 12th in 24:00.
Other contributors to the team effort included seniors Zander Cobb and Cesar Ramirez, juniors Jacob Meyers and Jonah Allison and freshman Austin Carrera.
On the women’s side, WSU earned its best team result at the conference meet since 2021, finishing fifth out of 13 teams. Freshman Mercy Jepkoech placed 10th in 20:44.5, while senior Lucy Ndungu was closed behind in 12th at 20:48.5, as both earned all-conference honors. Jepkoech’s strong debut season was further recognized as she was named the American Conference Women’s Freshman of the Year.
WSU will now turn its attention to the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted in Stillwater on Nov. 14, as Kipruto looks to continue his meteoric rise and make a bid to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 1:41 PM.
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