Kenyan, Polish runners win NAIA cross country titles

Individual crowns won at Fort Vancouver National Site by Kisorio, Mudy

Silas Kisorio is still not thrilled about distance running, even though he is now a national champion, but at least he was wearing two shoes at the finish line.

Justyna Mudy loves to run far, and had no idea how much she was dominating by the finish.

Oklahoma Christian University’s Kisorio and Mudy, who attends Shorter College in Georgia, claimed National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics individual national championships Saturday at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Both of last year’s individual champions were seniors, leaving the titles open for the taking at the event dubbed “The Finish at the Fort.”

Cool temperatures and gray skies greeted the runners Saturday, but temperatures were much warmer than at last year’s nationals in Wisconsin.

A light rain began to fall as the men’s race began. It stopped by the time the men finished, and the sun even came out for the women’s race — but the rain turned the course muddy enough by the midpoint of the men’s race that runners occasionally slipped, particularly on course turns.

Malone College won the men’s team title by a 44-166 margin over Concordia of Nebraska, while the Cal State San Marcos women edged Biola 137-140.

Lewis-Clark State College’s Kelsey Klettke, a Prairie High School graduate and the only local runner competing, was 77th in the women’s race.

“I’m happy with that,” Klettke said. “The course was tough. It was muddy, but I had fun. … I went off fast, like I always do, and a lot of girls passed me, but I passed girls, too, so I’m happy.”

Men’s race

Kisorio was among a group of four runners who were in front throughout the men’s race, along with McKendree’s Carison Kemei, Malone’s Aaron Melhorn and Abednego Magut of Azusa Pacific.

Kisorio said he did not know about Melhorn, but he knew that Kemei and Magut “normally go out hard, so my plan was just to sit on them because I’m good at the finish. I’m an 800 and middle runner, not a long distance runner. I just knew that I would out-kick them at the finish and win at the end. It worked.”

A sophomore from Eldoret, Kenya, Kisorio was 28th at cross country nationals as a freshman. He ended his year as NAIA champion in the 800 meters and was national runner-up in the 1,500 — after blowing a tire early in the race.

“I might have won the 1,500, but I lost a shoe in the first turn and I ran with one shoe,” he said, describing himself as “more of a track guy, for sure.”

Kisorio was running second to Magut for the first two laps of the 2-kilometer course on the Historic Site grounds. Melhorn, running fourth for the first half of the race, took the lead on the third lap. Kisorio remained with the lead group, taking the lead on the 500-meter straightaway that began each lap.

He was in front at the end, finishing the 8 km (4.3 miles) in 24 minutes, 23 seconds — a second ahead of Kemei, Melhorn was third, another 12 seconds back. Magut was fourth by another six seconds. He was actually closer than that, but pulled up in the short chute leading from the course to the finish line before being exhorted by those near the finish line to keep running a few meters.

Kisorio may not particularly like distance running, but he certainly appreciated the crowd that lined the course. The cheering throng included fans of all ages, including cowbells and shirtless, body-painted young adults. And after finishing 28th the previous year, he knows the fans know who he is now.

“It was so exciting,” Kisorio said. “All over the turns, I could hear people yelling my name. In fact, I was like, ‘Does everybody know me?’ I pass and people yell, ‘Silas! Go Silas!’ ”

Women’s race

Violet Mokaya from Concordia of California surged out to the early lead on the starting straightaway in the women’s race, and continued to lead on the short loop turn, one of two modifications adapting the men’s 8-km course to the women’s 5-km course.

Mudy, a junior from Stalowa Wola, Poland, who placed third at nationals as a sophomore, was running second at that point to Mokaya. She was in the lead by the time runners reached the 3-km point, the start/finish line that sent them on the way for a full 2-km lap of the course.

“My coach said to me I need to keep with the leaders for the first loop, and on the second loop, try to move faster,” Mudy said. “Actually, he said if the girls slow down, I need to make a move then. I said, ‘Coach, if they don’t slow down, what am I supposed to do?’ But actually, I made the move before the last loop. I did great on the second loop and I was thinking, ‘I cannot wait. I cannot wait. But I need to wait.’ About 200 meters before the last loop, I made the move. I still cannot believe it.”

Mudy is the NAIA national champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, competes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in track and plans to run marathons. Her lead stretched to about 50 meters on the opening straightaway of the final lap, and she was even farther ahead at the finish.

But with a little help from the fans whose enthusiasm encouraged Kisorio, she did not really know that.

“I tried to look, but the people would scream at me, ‘Don’t look! Just keep going! You’re doing great!’ ” she said with a laugh. “And I said, ‘OK.’ My coach in Poland told me, ‘Don’t turn around and look for where the girls are. Just go straight and focus.’ And I tried. I tried my best.”

Her best was more than enough.

She finished in 17 minutes, 30 seconds. Azusa Pacific’s Jacky Kipwambok, who was in the top three all race, finished second in 17:51. It was her third consecutive national runner-up finish.

Lindenwood’s Francine Nzilampa was third, the only other runner to break 18 minutes. Mokaya finished fourth.

Kisorio and Mudy each praised the course, as well as the fans.

Both could well return when Vancouver hosts the event next year.