Denis Kipngetich wins first career Big 12 men’s cross country title; Cowboys and Cowgirls place second and third in team standings

Saturday, October 31

Stillwater, OK

11:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

Big 12 Cross Country Championships

October 31, 2026 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State senior distance runner Denis Kipngetich unleashed a monster kick over the final 200 meters to claim his first career Big 12 cross country title at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course Saturday.

Denis Kipngetich covered the 8k in an impressive 23:05.7, beating out Colorado's Dominic Serem by 1.2 seconds. Kipngetich's time was the third fastest 8K mark in the history of the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course. His win was the fifth consecutive individual title for the Cowboys, with Alex Maier winning the championship in 2022 and Brian Musau winning three straight from 2023-25.

In the team race, the Cowboys placed second in a tight battle with Colorado, with the Buffaloes winning 36-38. The two-point gap in the team score was the closest at the Big 12 conference meet on the men's side since 2020, when the Cowboys defeated Iowa State on a tiebreaker. Overall, all five Cowboys earned All-Big 12 honors, with Musau, Adisu Guadie, Jacob Deacon and Laban Kipkemboi placing third, eighth, 12^th and 14^th.

On the women's side, the seventh-ranked Cowgirls placed third behind No. 1 BYU and No. 3 West Virginia. They also defeated three top-25 squads in No. 10 Colorado, No. 16 Utah and No. 18 Iowa State on the day. Billah Jepkirui led the way for the Cowgirls with her second-place finish and time of 19:38.0. Right behind her was teammate Maureen Rutoh, who was fourth overall with her mark of 19:40.1.

Rounding out the scoring for the Cowgirls was Victoria Lagat, Gentry Turner and Autumn Michalski in 28^th, 44^th and 46^th, respectively.

Up next, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will turn their attention to the NCAA Midwest Regional on November 13 in Ames, Iowa, where the top two team finishers will earn berths to the NCAA Cross Country Championships on November 21.

For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.

Men's Race – Team (8K)
1. No. 3 Colorado – 36 points
2. No. 2 Oklahoma State – 38 points
3. No. 5 BYU – 91 points
4. No. 20 Iowa State – 104 points
5. No. 28 Arizona – 163 points
6. Kansas – 212 points
7. Arizona State – 224 points
8. Cincinnati – 239 points
9. Houston – 246 points
10. Kansas State – 262 points
11. TCU – 273 points
12. Texas Tech – 333 points
13. Baylor – 384 points

Women's Race – Team (6K)
1. No. 1 BYU – 56 points
2. No. 3 West Virginia – 63 points
3. No. 7 Oklahoma State – 116 points
4. No. 10 Colorado – 117 points
5. No. 16 Utah – 132 points
6. No. 18 Iowa State – 168 points
7. Arizona – 219 points
8. Kansas – 263 points
9. Cincinnati – 287 points
10. Texas Tech – 299 points
11. UCF – 313 points
12. Arizona State – 325 points
13. Houston – 350 points
14. TCU – 352 points
15. Kansas State – 362 points
16. Baylor – 364 points

Men's Individual (8K)
1. Denis Kipngetich* - 23:05.7
3. Brian Musau* - 23:08.0
8. Adisu Guadie* - 23:22.7
12. Jacob Deacon* – 23:33.1
14. Laban Kipkemboi* - 23:34.8
34. Noah Strohman* – 24:13.2
35. Henry Dover* - 24:16.6
54. Will Conway – 24:41.7
57. Nate Stadtlander - 24:48.4
94. Oliver Patton – 26:51.1

Women's Individual (6K)
2. Billah Jepkirui* - 19:38.0
4. Maureen Cherotich* - 19:40.1
28. Victoria Lagat* - 20:43.5
44. Gentry Turner* - 21:11.1
46. Autumn Michalski* - 21:16.3
48. Mandeep Sangha* - 21:20.3
50. Adelynn Rodriguez* – 21:27.2
55. Bella Nelson – 21:41.1
56. Paige Stuart - 21:42.6
71. Lauren Ping – 22:05.4

* = Scored Team Points