Kipyegon set to run at NAIA Indoor Championship

February 26, 2025

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Ronald Kipyegon is set to represent the Bruins at this week's NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championship in Gainesville, Fla., being held in the Alachua County Sports & Events Center. Kipyegon will compete in the 800-meter run preliminary round on Friday at 2:30 pm (CT). The top eight finishers will advance to the final on Saturday at 2:25.

Kipyegon is just the third Bruin to advance to the indoor championship in program history. Richard Marcoux and Saba Khvichava qualified and competed in the mile run in 2023.

Kipyegon was the North Star Athletic Association champion in the 800-meter race two weeks ago when he ran his NAIA qualifying time of 1:52.94. He sits as the fourteenth fastest of the twenty entrants but less than a second from the top five in the extremely competitive field.

Head Coach Craig Christians: "Ronald's season was interrupted a few weeks ago by some emergency dental work, so he lost some time recovering from that. He has rebounded quickly from the setback and has made amazing progress with the help of his teammates and Coach Musiel's workouts. He ran some extremely quick 400m legs on our distance medley relay that missed qualifying by less than a second. When it comes to championship racing, it often comes down to the guy who can finish fast. I have a lot of confidence in Ronald's finish."

The NAIA Championship will be streamed live and FREE of charge at: https://www.naia.org/watch/index.