Junior finished third in conference to qualify for second straight national meet
GOSHEN, Ind. — Junior men’s cross country runner Vincent Kibunja is the Maple Leaf Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 4.
Kibunja earned all-conference honors and qualified for nationals for the second straight year on Saturday when he finished third in the Crossroads League meet at Taylor University.
The Nakuru, Kenya, native and Monroe College transfer posted a time of 26 minutes, 29.3 seconds on the eight-kilometer (4.97-mile) course. The third-place finish was the best placing of his career and ensured that he finished among the top seven in each of his races this fall.
While the conference meet concluded the full-squad portion of the Maple Leafs’ season, Kibunja will race again in the NAIA championship meet on Friday, Nov. 16 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was the top CL runner who was not on the conference-champion team and therefore earned one of the league’s individual national berths.
The Maple Leaf Athlete of the Week is selected each week by a panel of Goshen College administrators, coaches, media and faculty.