Kiptanui and Kimutai Sweep American Cross Country Honors
Oct 20, 2026 | Cross Country
IRVING, Texas – The American Conference announced today its selections for American Cross Country Athletes of the Week with the Tulane tandem of Silas Kiptanui and Blezzin Kimutai claiming the men's and women's honors, respectively. The selections are made by the league office and represent the final weekly cross country awards of the season.
Tulane bookends the campaign with sweeps of the weekly honors after Kiptanui and Petra Dos Santos swept the initial awards of the season. Kimutai earns her second-career weekly cross country honor and first since October 21, 2025. This is Kiptanui's second such award, both this season. He is the first Tulane men's runner to secure at least two in a season since Bernard Cheruiyot took home a trio of awards last year. Kimutai and Dos Santos each winning a weekly honor mark four-straight seasons in which the Tulane women's squad has claimed at least two athlete of the week recognitions.
The awards come after a pair of stellar performances this past Friday, October 16, in stacked fields. Kiptanui claimed the individual win in the loaded Under Armour Pre-Nationals, hosted by Indiana State at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. Kiptanui bided his time, moving up from 22nd at the 3K mark to eighth at the 5K mark, and then he kicked into high gear for the final 3K to eclipse the final seven competitors and claim the win behind a time of 23:17.4 on the course that will host the national championships in November. Not only did Kiptanui best a field of 339 finishers that included six top-30 teams, three of which are top 15, he posted a time that is now 11th in program history. This is Kiptanui's second race win of the campaign after he broke the tape in the Battle for New Orleans at Lake Oaks Park, the site of this year's American Cross Country Championships.
Kimutai led the Green Wave women at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, as they finished third in another deep field. The Wave collected 136 team points en route to their third-place result in the 48-team field at the Watts Cross County Course. Kimutai delivered a mark of 19:39.9 to secure a top-10 result, finishing eighth. That time is now fifth best all-time in Tulane history for the women's 6K.
Tulane will look to carry this momentum into next weekend as the Wave hosts the American Cross Country Championships at Lake Oaks Park on Saturday, October 31. The women's race will kick things off at 9:15 a.m. with the men's race following at 10:00 a.m. The Wave women are aiming to defend their 2025 championship as they have overall claimed two of the last three conference crowns. The Tulane men look to return to the top of the mountain after finishing as the runner-up last season, a result that followed a championship in 2024. Both programs were picked first in their respective preseason conference polls.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
Tulane bookends the campaign with sweeps of the weekly honors after Kiptanui and Petra Dos Santos swept the initial awards of the season. Kimutai earns her second-career weekly cross country honor and first since October 21, 2025. This is Kiptanui's second such award, both this season. He is the first Tulane men's runner to secure at least two in a season since Bernard Cheruiyot took home a trio of awards last year. Kimutai and Dos Santos each winning a weekly honor mark four-straight seasons in which the Tulane women's squad has claimed at least two athlete of the week recognitions.
The awards come after a pair of stellar performances this past Friday, October 16, in stacked fields. Kiptanui claimed the individual win in the loaded Under Armour Pre-Nationals, hosted by Indiana State at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. Kiptanui bided his time, moving up from 22nd at the 3K mark to eighth at the 5K mark, and then he kicked into high gear for the final 3K to eclipse the final seven competitors and claim the win behind a time of 23:17.4 on the course that will host the national championships in November. Not only did Kiptanui best a field of 339 finishers that included six top-30 teams, three of which are top 15, he posted a time that is now 11th in program history. This is Kiptanui's second race win of the campaign after he broke the tape in the Battle for New Orleans at Lake Oaks Park, the site of this year's American Cross Country Championships.
Kimutai led the Green Wave women at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, as they finished third in another deep field. The Wave collected 136 team points en route to their third-place result in the 48-team field at the Watts Cross County Course. Kimutai delivered a mark of 19:39.9 to secure a top-10 result, finishing eighth. That time is now fifth best all-time in Tulane history for the women's 6K.
Tulane will look to carry this momentum into next weekend as the Wave hosts the American Cross Country Championships at Lake Oaks Park on Saturday, October 31. The women's race will kick things off at 9:15 a.m. with the men's race following at 10:00 a.m. The Wave women are aiming to defend their 2025 championship as they have overall claimed two of the last three conference crowns. The Tulane men look to return to the top of the mountain after finishing as the runner-up last season, a result that followed a championship in 2024. Both programs were picked first in their respective preseason conference polls.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Tuesday, December 17
Wednesday, October 18
Wednesday, October 04
Wednesday, September 27
