VERONA, WISCONSIN, October 09 — The 2026 edition of the Nuttycombe Invitational was certainly different from any previous iterations.
While the men’s and women’s team battles were effectively over before the shouting began, there was lots to shout about as the top runners finished in a flurry of grind-it-to-the-finish sprints. It more than made up for the early parts of both races, which lacked even a hint of any kind of big move like those served up in previous Nutty competitions. No one in either race broke away and took command. But the individual finishes were worth it.
West Virginia Women Lead Throughout
In the women’s race, it was as if every one of the 226 runners wanted to lead, with a humongous front group taking up the entire width of the course route until well after the 3K mark. Team-wise, it was another story entirely as USTFCCCA Coaches Poll #9 West Virginia had a 36-point lead just 2K in and built its edge to 59 over the field by 4K. The Mountaineers finally ended with 66 to #13 Florida’s 111 off a dominating 5-6-11-19-25 finish.
As in the men’s race that followed, the 2nd-place team’s top runner won. Florida’s Judy Chepkoech took top honors with a 19:19.5 clocking, just 0.1 ahead of Iowa State’s Betty Kipkore. Mercy Kirarei of Iowa State, who had led the huge pack through the first 4K, couldn’t quite handle Chepkoech’s and Kipkore’s strong sprint on the uphill grade to the finish and ended in 19:21.8.
Toledo frosh Purity Chepkirui (19:22.3) and West Virginia’s top runner, Joy Naukot (19:22.6), rounded out the top 5.
Nationally-#3-rated Northern Arizona took 3rd with 130 points, #4 New Mexico was 4th with 157 and #16 Colorado placed 5th with 166 in the 33-team field.
Coaches Poll #1 New Mexico Men Deliver
The men’s competition mirrored the women’s. Top-ranked New Mexico put 5 men in the top 22 (2-7-8-20-22) to tally 59 points and dominate #6 Colorado, which scored 93 off a 1-14-21-26-31 finish. Ninth-ranked BYU was 3rd with 146, #16 Arkansas 4th with 208 and #10 Florida 5th with 221 in the 35-team, 234-runner field.
Colorado frosh Meshack Kipruto basically outlasted his pursuers as he broke Habtom Samuel’s course record with a 22:30.1 time, almost 4 seconds better than the erstwhile Lobo’s 22:33.8 from the ’24 Pre-Nationals. Right on Kipruto’s tail in a mad dash to the line by the top 4 finishers was Pasanjo Kitonga, team champ New Mexico’s No. 1 man, who crossed a scant 0.7 behind the winner.
Also under the old course mark were Elsingi Kipruto (22:31.1) of Louisville in 3rd and Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen (22:31.4), the top American in 4th. BYU’s Tayvon Kitchen placed 5th in 22:37.3 in the 234-man field. Hansen and Kitchen ran as the only runners in the top 7 the entire race while Colorado’s Kipruto moved up nicely from 14th at the 2K post to 10th at 4K and into real contention in 4th place with 2K remaining. Kitonga similarly moved up well from 11th at 2K to 5th at 4K and into the lead at 6K.
NUTTYCOMBE MEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. New Mexico 59; 2. Colorado 93; 3. BYU 146; 4. Arkansas 208; 5. Florida 221; 6. Wake Forest 222; 7. Georgetown 315; 8. Stanford 328; 9. Wisconsin 356; 10. Harvard 366.
Individuals (8K): 1. ***Meshack Kipruto’ (Co-Ken) 22:30.1; 2. ***Pasanjo Kitonga’ (NM-Ken) 22:30.8; 3. **Elsingi Kipruto’ (Louisv-Ken) 22:31.1; 4. Rocky Hansen (WF) 22:31.4; 5. **Tayvon Kitchen (BYU) 22:37.3; 6. **Kelvin Cheruiyot’ (Fl-Ken) 22:39.6; 7. Evans Kiplagat’ (NM-Ken) 22:40.7; 8. *Collins Kiprotich’ (NM-Ken) 22:43.3; 9. *Solomon Kipchoge’ (WaSt-Ken) 22:45.5; 10. Taha Er Raouy’ (EnKy-Mor) 22:47.0;
11. **Nelson Setek’ (Tn-Ken) 22:47.1; 12. *Zouhair Redouane’ (Tn-Mor) 22:49.7; 13. *Evans Kurui’ (WaSt-Ken) 22:50.0; 14. Isaiah Givens (Co) 22:52.2; 15. Ernest Cheruiyot’ (Ar-Ken) 22:54.4; 16. ***Nick Busienei’ (Ar-Ken) 22:55.4; 17. **Nickson Kogei’ (Louisv-Ken) 23:01.8; 18. James Corrigan (BYU) 23:02.2; 19. William Zegarski (But) 23:02.5; 20. *Vincent Chirchir’ (NM-Ken) 23:03.2;
21. **Jake Liebert (Co) 23:07.7; 22. **Joshua Abraham’ (NM-Fra) 23:08.0; 23. **Tam Gavenas (Harv) 23:09.0; 24. Joe O’Brien’ (Gtn-GB) 23:09.1; 25. *James Dargan’ (Stan-GB) 23:12.1; 26. Lukas Haug’ (Co-Ger) 23:12.1; 27. Sam Burgess (Harv) 23:12.4; 28. Kidus Misgina (Ms) 23:12.9; 29. Birhanu Harriman (Gtn) 23:13.3; 30. *Jacob Nenow (Prin) 23:13.5.
NUTTYCOMBE WOMEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. West Virginia 66; 2. Florida 111; 3. Northern Arizona 130; 4. New Mexico 157; 5. Colorado 166; 6. Toledo 214; 7. Washington State 263; 8. Utah 277; 9. Missouri 331; 10. Iowa State 368.
Individuals (6K): 1. *Judy Chepkoech’ (Fl-Ken) 19:19.5; 2. **Betty Kipkore’ (IaSt-Ken) 19:19.6; 3. *Mercy Kirarei’ (NM-Ken) 19:21.8; 4. ***Purity Chepkirui’ (Tol-Ken) 19:22.3; 5. *Joy Naukot’ (WV-Ken) 19:22.6; 6. *Mercy Kinyanjui’ (WV-Ken) 19:23.3; 7. ***Sheylah Kurgat’ (Co-Ken) 19:24.3; 8. **Mary Ogwoka’ (Tn-Ken) 19:24.4; 9. **Claire Stegall (Fl) 19:24.6; 10. **Rosemary Longisa’ (IaSt-Ken) 19:24.7;
11. ***Sheila Chepkirui’ (WV-Ken) 19:26.3; 12. **Desma Chepkoech’ (Fl-Ken) 19:30.3; 13. *Pamela Kosgei’ (NM-Ken) 19:35.3; 14. **Elsa Sundqvist’ (NnAz-Swe) 19:36.8; 15. ***Eleanor Voykin’ (NnAz-Can) 19:38.8; 16. ***Adrianna Buitelaar’ (Co-Can) 19:38.8; 17. *Nancy Chepleting’ (Louisv-Ken) 19:39.8; 18. ***Domtila Cheruto’ (Ok-Ken) 19:40.0; 19. **Naomi Kemboi’ (WV-Ken) 19:40.5; 20. **Monica Wanjiku’ (Mo-Ken) 19:43.5;
21. *Abbey Mathison (Co) 19:43.7; 22. **Mercy Kibet’ (IaSt-Ken) 19:44.2; 23. Ava Mitchell (NnAz) 19:45.1; 24. Ali Weimer (Mn) 19:46.9; 25. *Alexis Lamb (WV) 19:47.0; 26. ***Millie Bii’ (WaSt-Ken) 19:50.2; 27. Julia Flynn (Stan) 19:50.9; 28. ***Carmen Cernjul’ (NnAz-Swe) 19:56.5; 29. Erin Vringer’ (Ut-Can) 19:57.1; 30. *Anna Gardiner’ (Prov-GB) 19:59.6.
