RICHMOND, Va. - The Iowa Central men's cross country program entered the year with high expectations.
As the defending national champions, the Tritons held the top spot in the rankings led by standouts Aspel Kiprob and Kelvin Bungei.
Coming into Saturday's NJCAA Div. I Championships, Iowa Central was again the odds-on favorite to claim the overall title.
And they didn't disappoint.
Led by a runner-up finish from Kiprob and a third place medal for Bungei, the Tritons earned team gold ahead of ICCAC rival Iowa Western.
The end result was never in doubt, as Iowa Central scored 67 points. The Reivers finished with 127 followed by Colby, Trinidad State and Northwest Kansas rounding out the Top-5.
Kiprob, Bungei, Yared Kidane and Zander Cobb earned All-American honors. Kidane placed 13th and Cobb 15th with Hunter Klimek finishing 36th, Robin Aguilar Gonzalez 39th and Brady Hogan 73rd.
"The men were amazing," Iowa Central head coach Dee Brown said. "Aspel and Kelvin did exactly what they have done all season. Zander ran a perfect race. The big difference and the reason we scored so few points was due to Yared. He is a track guy an 800-meter runner who was learning to run cross country.
"Yared was our fifth or sixth man all season and he improved by 30 seconds on his best time Saturday to finish as our No. 3 runner. When you have four men finish as All-American, you are pretty hard to beat. I was so impressed and overwhelmed by their dominance."
Kiprob had a time of 24:07.4, with Bungei, the reigning individual champion, finishing in 24:11.4. Kidane went 24:49 and Cobb 24:55.
"Winning back-to-back is not easy, but hard work and determination from everybody made it happen," Bungei said. "Everyone played their role and that is why we won. I'm so proud of my teammates."
This marks the fifth team national championship for Iowa Central on the men's side.
"It has been a great year," Kiprob said. "It feels good and I feel lucky leading the team in a big way. Being named athlete of the year and the fact that we are champions too, it's been great."
Vincent Nchogu of Northwest Kansas was the race in 24:04.8.
On the women's side, Iowa Central placed sixth overall led by Chloe Garcia Grafing's sixth place finish. Garcia Grafing earned All-American status by clocking a time of 18:29.7.
"Many congratulations to Chloe on earning All-American status in her first junior college championship," Brown said. "I have a feeling this is the first of many more to come for her."
Taylor McCreedy was 26th overall, Zinash Valen finished 32nd, Shaunti Longfellow was 42nd, Mercy Jepngetich 46th, Kate Miron 63rd and Josie Stackis 71st.
"The women ran great," Brown said. "Not one single runner of our seven had a 'bad' race. One ran a personal best and the majority were within 10-to-20 seconds of their season best times. Southern Idaho women were outstanding and dominated the field. After that, we were only 10 points from being on the podium and placing third.
"It's a tough pill to swallow, but it wasn't the fault of anyone. I am extremely proud of their efforts, what they accomplished and how far they have come all season long. I hope they remember this moment and use it in their training for the upcoming track and field season to focus on their goals and the process of achieving them."
El Paso's Faith Nyathi was the race winner as Southern Idaho claimed team gold with 60 points. Cloud County, El Paso, New Mexico and Iowa Western rounded out the Top-5.
Cowley was crowned the Div. II men's champions with Lansing winning the women's title. North Iowa Area's Sarah Bertry was the women's race winner.
"Hat's off to the other Iowa junior colleges who all represented very well this weekend," Brown said. "Region XI proved to be very tough."
Kiprob was honored as the NJCAA D1 Midwest Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, with Brown earning the coach award.
Iowa Central will compete back here on Tuesday in the NJCAA Half Marathon Championships.
-By Dana Becker