Alabama
NCAA Championships
Top-10 Finishes by Kiprop and Kigen Lead Alabama Men’s Cross Country to 24th at the NCAA Championships
11/23/2019 3:41:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Vincent Kiprop finished fifth and Gilbert Kigen finished ninth to pace the Crimson Tide to its 15th top-25 NCAA finish in school history
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – On the strength of a pair of top-10 individual finishes, the Alabama men's cross country team took 24th at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., Saturday afternoon.
Racing in rainy and near freezing conditions at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, redshirt seniors Vincent Kiprop and Gilbert Kigen captured the second All-American honors of their respective careers. Kiprop led the way with the highest NCAA Championships finish of his career, crossing the finish line in fifth with a time of 30:43.5, while Kigen followed close behind, finishing ninth (30:57.2).
Saturday's finish marked the Crimson Tide's 15th top-25 finish at the men's NCAA Championships.
Coaches Corner - Alabama Head Coach Dan Waters
"This is not the way we wanted to finish, but we're proud of the guys for battling through tough conditions and the adversity we faced today to hang on for a 24th-place finish. Really proud of Vincent (Kiprop) and Gilbert (Kigen) for carrying us through this season."
The Crimson Tide at the NCAA Championships
- Kiprop's and Kigen's All-America honors boosts Alabama's all-time total in men's cross country to 18. In addition to Kiprop (2017 and 2019) and Kigen (2017 and 2019), other Tide All-Americans include German Beltran (1989), Faizal Emamaullee (1995), Tim Broe (1996 and 1999), Chris Mutai (1999), David Kimani (2000 and 2002), Augustus Maiyo (2007), Emmanuel Bor (2009), Tyson David (2009), Moses Kiptoo (2009), Julius Bor (2010) and Alfred Chelanga (2017 and 2018).
- Two seasons ago, Kigen finished fourth and Kiprop placed seventh to help the Tide men to a 14th-place team finish in Louisville, Ky. The Tim Broe (1996 and 1999), David Kimani (2000 and 2002) and Alfred Chelanga (2017 and 2018) among the Tide's five two-time cross country All-Americans.
- Without Alabama's usual third scorer, freshman Noel Rotich, who suffered a back injury that took him out of the race, senior J.P. Brinyark stepped up as UA's next finisher (214th, 33:29.7), behind Kiprop and Kigen.
- Senior Elliott Miller (223rd, 33:40.6) finished next and junior Elliot Gindi (237th, 34:18.5) rounded out the scoring for UA.
- Jacob Wiggers (244, 35:15.2) was also in action for the Crimson Tide at the national meet.
The 2019 NCAA Championships
1. No. 3 BYU – 109
2. No. 1 Northern Arizona – 163
3. No. 2 Colorado – 164
4. No. 7 Iowa State – 211
5. No. 6 Tulsa – 243
6. No. 4 Stanford – 248
7. No. 17 Michigan – 250
8. No. 12 Notre Dame – 269
9. No. 8 Oregon – 307
10. No. 5 Portland – 314
11. No. 10 Purdue – 338
12. No. 15 Iona – 348
13. No. 16 Indiana – 367
14. No. 28 Furman – 379
15. No. 23 Harvard – 384
16. No. 19 Utah State – 428
17. No. 21 Virginia Tech – 451
18. No. 14 Wisconsin – 462
19. No. 11 Washington – 466
20. No. 20 Virginia – 468
21. No. 25 Boise State – 525
22. No. 9 Ole Miss – 535
23. No. 22 Villanova – 556
24. No. 26 Alabama – 582
25. No. 27 Texas – 588
Alabama's Individual Results
5. Vincent Kiprop, 30:43.5
9. Gilbert Kigen, 30:57.2
214. James Brinyark, 33:29.7
223. Elliott Miller, 33:40.6
237. Elliot Gindi, 34:18.5
244. Jacob Wiggers, 35:15.2
DNF Noel Rotich
Up Next
The NCAA Championships marks the conclusion of the 2019 cross country season. Alabama will gear up for the start of the indoor track and field season, which is scheduled to open Jan. 10 with the UAB Balzer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.
Players Mentioned
