University of Louisville cross country runner Edwin Kibichiy earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honorees on Friday. The Louisville women’s cross country team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.
In order to qualify for the honor, athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American at the national meet. In total, there were 265 athletes named USTFCCCA All-Academic with a lion’s share of them women (168).
Twenty-six athletes held perfect 4.0 GPAs compared to 24 last year. Of those 26 athletes, 21 were women compared to five men.
The women were named an All-Academic team after advancing to their first NCAA Championships in the fall. In order to win this honor, the Cardinals needed a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Overall, there were 431 teams that earned distinction from the USTFCCCA for their efforts both athletically and academically. Of those 431 teams, 242 were women’s teams.
Kibichiy was named the ACC Men’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete. He earned a BA in Public Health from Louisville last spring and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Communications. A native of Kapsabet, Kenya, Kibichiy earned All-ACC and All-Region honors by placing second at the ACC Championship with an 8k time of 22:52.2, and third at the Southeast Regional with a 10k posting of 28:54.5. He won his first three meets of the year and never finished out of the top 10 all season.
Kibichiy earned All-America honors for the second time in his career finishing eighth overall with a 10k time of 29:59.5 at the 31-team national championship meet in Terre Haute, Indiana. His eighth-place finish marked the best performance ever by a Cardinal student-athlete at the NCAA Championship.
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Kimberli Pemberton
Assistant Sports Information Director
University of Louisville