DES MOINES – Freshman Kennedy Kiprop (Iten, Kenya) notched his second top-five individual finish of the season, leading the Iowa Wesleyan College cross country teams at the Grand View University Viking Invitational held Friday afternoon at a cold and rainy Ewing Park.
Kiprop placed fourth in a field of 77 runners, running the 8-kilometer course in 27:15. He was the top finisher for the Tiger men’s team, which placed ninth of the nine teams competing. Morningside College claimed team championship honors , placing five runners in the top 15, while Neil Grundman of Graceland University took individual honors with a time of 25:25.
It was the first time this season IWC has fielded a full team for a meet. A total of five runners competed for the Tigers, all freshmen. Following Kiprop was Shane Pasanen (Petawawa, Ontario), who placed 64th overall with a time of 34:51. Kyle Neff (New London, Iowa) was next in 70th with a time of 36:59, while Aaron Gatlin (Chicago, Ill.) and C.J. Earnest (Wapello, Iowa) tied for 76th with matching times of 42:16.
Kate Krzystofiak (Jr.-Mount Pleasant, Iowa) was the lone IWC runner to finish the women’s race. Krzystofiak finished the 5K course in 27:29, placing 52nd individually. Morningside also won the women’s team championship, while Obsie Birru of Grand View was individual champion with a time of 18:23.
The Tigers next will be competing in the William Penn Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Lacey Sports Complex in Oskaloosa.
For more information regarding the IWC cross country programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Men's Results
Women's Results
