Men’s Track & Field Wins Four Events, Kipkemboi Awarded MVP at GAC Championships
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The East Central University men's track and field team delivered a memorable performance at the GAC Track & Field Championships held from May 1-3 in Magnolia, Arkansas. While familiar faces secured victories, set provisional marks, and broke records, the collective effort of the entire team propelled them to a commendable fourth-place finish.
2024 GAC Track & Field Championship Results
ECU scored 86 points, finishing 12 points behind hosts Southern Arkansas in third place. Harding University clinched its third straight GAC Track & Field Championship title, with Oklahoma Baptist finishing as the runners-up.
Overall, the Tigers claimed four first-place finishes, with four athletes receiving All-GAC First Team honors, and achieving 11 top-5 finishes. Notably,
Peter Kipkemboi was awarded the title of the GAC Men's Track & Field Championships Most Valuable Player, a historic first for the ECU program.
Day one started with
Paul Korir and
Aspel Kiprob setting the tone, clinching first and second place in the 3000m Steeple to shatter the previous championship record by 16 seconds. The duo also set NCAA Provisional times of 8:53.85 and 8:55.43, the 10
th and 13
th best times in Division 2.
Melvin Kipkemboi and
Oliver Kiptoo continued the momentum with strong showings in the 10,000m run, finishing in third and fourth place with times of 31:47.61 and 32:08.05, respectively.
Day two saw the Tigers' debut in field events with
Miles Davis and
Eddie Jennings in the men's long jump. Davis just missed a top-3 finish with a leap of 6.96m to secure fourth place while Jennings landed with a 6.31m mark for 10
th place.
ECU wrapped up their field events to kick off day three with Mekii Bell,
Jaxon Merchant,
Jebediah Owen,
John Vaughan, and
Cade Duvall competing between the shot put and discus. Bell led the Tigers in the shot put with a 12.76m toss for 13
th while Merchant led in the discus with a throw of 35.92m.
The final running events on day three were electrifying, with the Tigers first dominating in the 5000m run.
Peter Kipkemboi secured his first individual victory of the weekend and GAC Championship record with a first-place finish in a time of 14:45.62.
Paul Korir and
Aspel Kiprob followed suit, placing third and fourth with times of 14:50.52 and 14:54.24, respectively.
Peter Kipkemboi continued his winning streak, claiming his second title of the day with a first-place finish in the 1500m. He crossed the line in a time of 3:48.61 for yet another championship record to go with his NCAA Provisional mark. Teammates
Chris Larson and
Michael Iyali finished strong within the top-10, with Larson coming in 6th in a time of 3:57.81, while Iyali placed 10
th with a time of 4:01.64.
Peter Kipkemboi capped off his historic day by winning the 800m in a time of 1:53.51 for his third event triumph. For his efforts, Kipkemboi was awarded the GAC Men's Track & Field Championship Most Valuable Player, an honor never before awarded to an ECU men's track & field athlete.
In addition to their athletic achievements,
Peter Kipkemboi and
Maverick Stephenson were named GAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes.
