Kip-tastic: Red Raider Runner Leads Team to Nationals
November 19, 2006 | Cross Country
Nov. 18, 2006
By Trey Shipman, Texas Tech Media Relations
LUBBOCK, Texas - In sports, there's something about the term "undefeated." Anytime it's uttered, there's an automatic sense of awe and intimidation. It takes championships to a whole new level, because without a blemish on the record, it implants an exclamation point at the end of a season and as the song goes, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt who is, "simply the best." When Texas Tech sophomore cross country runner Sally Kipyego returns from the NCAA championships this weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana, she'll hope that "undefeated" and her name will be synonymous.
Kipyego has blazed through her competition this season winning all five of the meets she's entered with the closest second-place finisher still 25.7 seconds behind. She anchors a Red Raider women's team that has finished no lower than third all season and has earned the school's first ever qualification for the national meet.
Second-year Tech coach Jon Murray said though Kipyego is just a sophomore, that hasn't stopped her from being the focal point on a team that is accomplishing things that have never happened with the Raiders.
"She's been a great leader for our program," Murray said. "She's undefeated so far and she's beaten a lot of good competition."
While this season's success is new to the Red Raider program, it's something that's come to be expected of Kipyego. As a freshman at South Plains College last season, she wasted little time in bursting onto the national scene by winning the national championship in the 1500M, the 5000M and the 10,000M. Kipyego said she kept the same mentality from last season to help aid in her success in her first year as a Red Raider.
"I've just been going out there and running my race," the native of Marakwet, Kenya, said. "Coach Murray is a great coach and we've been working so hard. You just have to stay mentally tough and stick with the program to the end."
Murray said from the time the recruiting process began with Kipyego, he knew he had an unusual talent on his hands.
"I knew she had great potential," he said. "Being the Junior College National Champion she was pretty special already and we knew we just had to kind of help her to the next level and great things would happen and it has."
But for the humble Kipyego, she wasn't so sure such dominance would come so soon.
"I didn't see myself winning the Big 12 or anything like that, but after some time and after working with Coach Murray, I've improved a lot," she said.
With the National Championships as the only obstacle left in her path, Kipyego isn't ready to settle and understands that in Nationals, it's a whole new ballgame.
"It is going to be more competitive than any other meet this season," she said. "I'm going to go there and be who I am and try to do what I can and if I get the chance to win, I'll definitely go for it."
Looking at her track record, when she `goes for it' the rest is pretty much history.
"She knows about competition and knows about running against great athletes and has handled each challenge," Murray said. "The ingredients for success have just come together and she's been successful, and that's what we want her to do."
Players Mentioned
