TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Four Stillman College track & field / cross country student-athletes have been named to the 2022-23 Academic All-District® Track/Cross Country Teams, NAIA Division, selected by College Sports Communicators.
Elvis Chebogel and
Sharon Kurui were selected after only representing Stillman College during the Fall 2022 cross country season.
Emmanuel Kipruto competed in both men's cross country and outdoor track, while Chris Johnson was a thrower during the Spring 2023 outdoor track & field season. All four will now advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced at the end of June.
To be nominated for the award, student-athletes must be a starter or primary reserve player that has played in at least 50% of competitions in either cross country or track & field. They must also have at least a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) or higher and be a sophomore both academically and athletically that has been enrolled at the institution for at least one full calendar year.
Kipruto, a junior distance runner from Kapsabet, Kenya, leads the selections with a 4.0 GPA in biology. He is a member of the Harte Honors College. Kipruto was named to the SSAC Men's Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Team in Spring 2022. A transfer from Oklahoma City University in January 2022 following two NAIA Men's Cross Country Championships appearances, Kipruto had two Top 10 finishes during his first fall season for Stillman. He posted an 8K personal record of 28:05.6 in September and finished 17th at the SSAC Championships in November. During his debut spring track season in Spring 2021, Kipruto was third in the 1500m with a 4:11.46 PR. He was also a member of the 4x800 SSAC champion team and the 4x400 relay. He finished eighth in the 5K. In Spring 2022, he had three Top 10 finishes at the SSAC meet. Currently, Kipruto is working a summer internship with the United States Geological Survey - Climate Adaption Scientists of Tomorrow program at Auburn University. The program is conducting research on how rivers carve valleys, move sediments and how humans impact rivers through land use.
Chebogel, a junior from Kapsabet, Kenya, completed his sophomore cross country season with a 3.63 GPA in biology. A two-time NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship qualifier, Chebogel placed second at the 2022 Southern States Athletic Conference Championships with an 8K personal record time of 26:22.4. He had three top two finishes in Fall 2022, including a win at the Calhoun Community College Warhawk Invitational in October. Chebogel was a SSAC Men's Cross Country All-Freshman selection in Fall 2021 after finishing sixth at the SSAC Cross Country Championships. In Spring 2022, Chebogel was named the SSAC Top Performer and Track Athlete of the Year following the SSAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships. At the meet, he won the 800m (1:55.99), 1500m (4:07.23) and was fourth in the 5K (16:11.13), setting personal records in each event. He was also a member of the SSAC champion 4x800 team (8:11.56) and fourth-place 4x400 relay team *3:31.18). In addition to his performance on the track, Chebogel was voted to the SSAC Scholar-Athlete Team for Track & Field in Spring 2022 and Cross Country in Fall 2022. The SSAC Scholar-Athlete Team follows a similar academic and athletic achievement structure to the CSC Academic All-America® program. He is also a member of the Harte Honors College.
Johnson, a sophomore thrower from Meridian, Mississippi, holds a 3.57 GPA in human performance, while becoming one of the Tigers' top throwers during outdoor track & field season. He had three Top 10 finishes at the Spring 2023 SSAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, including a personal record 12.10m throw in the shot put to finish seventh. He was fifth in the discus throw and had a 40.23m PR earlier in the spring. He was also part of a fifth-place 4x400 relay team.
Kurui, a sophomore from Eldoret, Kenya, is the only selection from this year's women's cross country or outdoor track & field programs. Kurui completed her freshman cross country season in the fall with a 3.83 GPA. She shaved 37 seconds off her time over the course of the season to run a personal record 20:32.5 and finish fifth in the SSAC Women's Cross Country Championship 5K in November 2022. Last spring, she posted three Top 10 finishes at the 2022 SSAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The CSC Academic All-America® program honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. CSC was formerly known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
