Kipngeno, Kleshchukova Named Cross Country Student-Athletes of the Year
FRISCO, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Dennis Kipngeno and New Orleans’ Arina Kleshchukova are the Southland Conference Cross Country Student-Athletes of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. The pair headlined the latest Cross Country Academic All-Conference rosters as first-team selections.
After placing fourth individually at the 2021 Southland Cross Country Championship, Kipngeno concluded his cross country season at the NCAA Championship, crossing the finish line with a time of 30:14.3 in the 10k race. He was awarded Southland Athlete of the Week honors after leading the Islanders to a second-place finish recording a runner-up individual finish out of 100 runners at the Rice Invitational (9/14). The junior captured his second weekly honor of the season after a seventh-place finish in a stacked field of 265 competitors at the Arturo Barrios Invitational (10/19). Kipngeno holds a 3.48 grade-point average (GPA) as a nursing major.
Kleshchukova completed her cross-country career at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship where she finished with a time of 21:50.2 over the 6K course. She is the first Privateer to ever advance to two NCAA Division I National Championships. The senior battled through early season injuries/COVID with a DNF in the first race of the season and a 91
st-place showing at the Louisville Classic to a third-place finish at the Southland Conference Championships. Kleshchukova maintains a 3.80 GPA as a hotel, restaurant & tourism administration major.
There were three male student-athletes earning automatic Academic All-Conference distinctions. HBU, UIW, McNeese, New Orleans and A&M-Corpus Christi each had a pair of honorees among the two teams.
The Islanders topped the rosters on the women’s side with three honorees, followed by UIW and McNeese with two selections each and HBU, New Orleans and Nicholls added one selection apiece. Three of the women’s first team earned automatic status after claiming all-conference honors.
Southland Conference All-Academic Teams are voted upon by a head coach, sports information director and academic/compliance staff member from each school. Student-Athletes of the Year are voted upon by an awards committee which consists of one administrator from each member school. Voting for one’s own athletes is not permitted.
To be eligible for all-academic distinction, an athlete must hold a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average through the semester prior to the sport’s championship, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating school prior to the current season, and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competitions during the most recently completed season.
Student-Athlete of the Year nominees must hold at least a 3.20 GPA and have completed at least two years of athletic competition at the nominating institution.
First Team All-Conference athletes (top five finishers at the Southland Cross Country Championships) who meet all-academic nomination criteria and are nominated for the academic award are automatically named First Team All-Academic selections.
Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Dennis Kipngeno, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Men’s Cross Country All-Academic First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Ben Drew* |
HBU |
Gr. |
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia |
4.0 |
Finance |
| Gideon Cheplak* |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
3.03 |
General Studies – Applied & Natural Science |
| Henry Kiplagat |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Hajuru, Kenya |
3.54 |
General Studies |
| Dennis Kipngeno* |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
3.40 |
Nursing |
| Tristian Stellmach |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Gr. |
Queen Creek, Ariz. |
4.0 |
MBA, undergrad Business |
Men’s Cross Country All-Academic Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Stephen Aguilar |
HBU |
Sr. |
Orchard, Texas |
3.23 |
Finance |
| Griffin Neal |
UIW |
So. |
Wimberly, Texas |
3.48 |
Business Administration
Minor: Sport Management |
| Armancc Villarreal |
UIW |
So. |
San Antonio, Texas |
3.43 |
Psychology
Minor: Sociology |
| Cade Litolff |
New Orleans |
So. |
Metairie, La. |
3.70 |
Chemistry |
| Jaden Forester |
New Orleans |
Fr. |
La Mesa, Calif. |
3.93 |
Computer Science |
Women’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Arina Kleshchukova, New Orleans
Women’s Cross Country All-Academic First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Jessica Rabius* |
HBU |
Gr. |
East Bernard, Texas |
3.94 |
Kinesiology - Sport Management |
| Aureila Jepkorir* |
McNeese |
So. |
Kapsbet, Kenya |
3.40 |
General Studies |
| Arina Kleshchukova* |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
3.80 |
Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Administration |
| Elsa Rijpstra |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Oentsjerk, The Netherlands |
4.0 |
Allied Health Sciences |
| Quin Johnson |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
San Tan Valley, Ariz. |
4.0 |
Criminal Justice |
Women’s Cross Country All-Academic Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Maryn DeMario |
UIW |
Jr. |
Georgetown, Texas |
3.53 |
Administration
Minor: Marketing |
| Alia Henderson |
UIW |
Sr. |
Bandera, Texas |
3.67 |
Government
Minor: American Politics |
| Alissa Lander |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Minden, La. |
3.06 |
General Studies |
| Valentina Campos |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Gr. |
Comfort, Texas |
3.14 |
MBA, Undergrad Kinesiology |
| Jasmine Perez |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Ricardo, Texas |
3.13 |
Criminal Justice |
* Automatic selection; 2021 First Team All-Conference
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