AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn cross country freshman Brenda Jepchirchir ended her debut season with all-America honors at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, Saturday on the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course.
“Brenda ran a really gutsy and courageous race at the front,” Auburn cross country coach Aaron Kindt said. “She went for it from the beginning and put herself in a fantastic position to have a chance to be top 25 and finish as an all-American.”
Racing in her fifth meet for the Tigers, Jepchirchir finished 21st in the women’s 6k, crossing the line in 19:51.90. She finished ahead of 234 competitors.
“I’m really proud of Brenda and really excited about her future as she continues to come back to this meet in the coming years.,” Kindt said. “Being able to bounce back from what I thought was a flat day at regionals a week ago. For her to come back and turn it around in a week and put together a performance like that was really special to see from a true freshman.”
This season, Brenda has put together an amazing freshman campaign, earning SEC Women’s Runner of the Week, SEC Women’s Second Team, SEC Women’s All-Freshman Team, USTFCCCA All-Region honors and SEC Women’s Freshman of the Year.
On the men’s side, senior Ryan Kinnane and freshman Nickson Chebii delivered strong performances, finishing in the top 100.
“Nickson Chebii had an awesome debut as a freshman,” Kindt said. “This is a very challenging meet to find a lot of success early on in your career. He really handled the moment well and put himself in contention for a while for an all-American spot before running out of gas a little bit at the end.”
Running the men’s 10k, Chebii’s time of 29:39.60 was a collegiate best. He finished 66th overall in a field of 255.
This season, Chebii has been awarded SEC Men’s Second Team, SEC All-Freshman Team, and USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
“Ryan Kinnane finished out his career with one of his best races,” Kindt said. “He started a little further back than he had hoped for, but never panicked, never gave up, and continued to worth methodically up throughout the pack and finished incredibly well.”
Competing in the last meet of his collegiate career, Kinnane finished 88th overall (29:50.70), improving upon his 89th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Joining Ty McCormack (2013-14) and Brian Abshire (1984-85), he is the third Auburn man to qualify individually for two championships.
Closing out his final year, Kinnane was awarded SEC Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third time, SEC Men’s Second Team and USTFCCCA All-Region status.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” Kindt said. “It has been so much fun watching him run today, with this being his last race. It was a bit emotional for both of us, but I am so proud of him and everything he has accomplished here as an Auburn Tiger. He will be the example that is used for many years to come.”
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course
Madison, Wisconsin
Women’s Individual Results (6k)
- Brenda Jepchirchir, 19:51.90
Men’s Individual Results (10k)
- Nickson Chebii, 29:39.60
88. Ryan Kinnane, 29:50.70