OTC Elite’s Kipyego inducted into Texas Tech Hall of Fame

Photo by Jake Willard

By Curtis Anderson | Dec 12, 2019

EUGENE, Ore. – It has been an eventful month for Oregon Track Club Elite’s Sally Kipyego.

The 10,000-meter silver medalist at both the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame on Nov. 22 at a ceremony in Lubbock, Texas. Six days later, she placed second at the 2019 Manchester Road Race in Connecticut.

Born in Kenya, the 33-year-old Kipyego became a U.S. citizen in January of 2017. She is currently focusing on training for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon in Atlanta on Feb. 29.

During her two-and-a-half years at Texas Tech, Kipyego etched her name in the Red Raider record book across all three seasons – cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. She was the first Kenyan to win the individual title at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2007. Kipyego did so twice more to become the only woman in history to win three NCAA cross country titles.

Kipyego added six more NCAA titles on the track, indoors and outdoors, to finish her career with nine individual championships, tying her with Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor-Hamilton for the most in NCAA history. She was also a three-time winner of the Honda Sports Award in cross country, given annually to the top female athlete in each collegiate sport. She still holds five school records: indoor mile, indoor 3,000m, indoor 5,000m, outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m.

At the 83rd annual Manchester Road Race, which was held on Thanksgiving Day, Kipyego earned runner-up honors with a time of 24 minutes, 23 seconds over the 4.7-mile course. Kipyego won back-to-back road race championships in Manchester in 2010 and 2011.

“The first time I won this race was the very beginning of my professional career and it kind of started off a very good season for me,” Kipyego told Lori Riley of the Hartford Courant. “I’m hoping this one kicks off a great Olympic year.”

Earlier this season, Kipyego placed seventh at the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 29 with a personal best of 2:25:10. She also finished third at the New York City Mini 10K Run with a time of 32:35 on June 8.