The Lone Star Conference announced the league’s annual cross country all-conference honors on Monday, recognizing 30 student-athletes and two head coaches.
The announcement of the all-conference awards comes following the 2021 LSC Cross Country Championships, where West Texas A&M claimed its ninth straight men's cross country title and DBU earned its second consecutive championship.
All-conference distinction is given to runners who finish among the top 15 individually at the conference meet. Additional awards are presented for Newcomer, Freshman and Coach of the Year in both men's and women's cross country. The Coach of the Year award is given to one head coach for each gender based on a vote of the league’s cross country head coaches.
Eastern New Mexico's Kelvin Kipkemboi and West Texas A&M's Eleonora Curtabbi earned Newcomer of the Year honors. Kipkemboi finished 10th at the conference championships with a time of 26:10.88. Curtabbi helped lead the Lady Buffs to a second-place team finish after claiming second place individually in 21:57.83.
LSC Freshman of the Year acclaim went to UT Permian Basin's Hector Sanchez on the men's site after the El Paso native finished seventh in Lawton, Oklahoma, with a time of 25:57.82. DBU rookie KayCee Keller received top freshman honors with an identical seventh-place finish that helped lead the Patriots to their second team title.
WT’s Jake Krolick earned the LSC Men’s Coach of the Year award for the fifth consecutive season after leading the Buffs to their ninth title in a row by a record 101 point margin. DBU’s Jacob Phillips picked up his second LSC Women’s Coach of the Year honor after leading the Patriots to another conference title. Phillips is the first women's coach to win back-to-back awards since 2011.
| 2021 LSC CROSS COUNTRY ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS |
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| MEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM |
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| Place |
Runner |
Team |
Year |
Hometown |
| 1 |
Innocent Murwanashyaka |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2 |
Erik Flores |
UT Permian Basin |
So. |
Hagerman, N.M. |
| 3 |
Colten Brown |
Oklahoma Christian |
So. |
Boise City, Okla. |
| 4 |
Ezekiel Kipchirchir |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
| 5 |
Colton Meyers |
Oklahoma Christian |
Sr. |
Allen, Texas |
| 6 |
Angel Contreras |
UT Tyler |
R-Fr. |
El Paso, Texas |
| 7 |
Hector Sanchez |
UT Permian Basin |
Fr. |
El Paso, Texas |
| 8 |
Briggs Wittlake |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Amarillo, Texas |
| 9 |
Jeb Williamson |
DBU |
So. |
Kaufman, Texas |
| 10 |
Kelvin Kipkemboi |
Eastern New Mexico |
Jr. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
| 11 |
Saulo Yoel |
Cameron |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
| 12 |
Dylan Sequeira |
St. Edward's |
Fr. |
Magnolia, Texas |
| 13 |
Nicodemus Rotich |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
So. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
| 14 |
Jay Hall |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Waldorf, Md. |
| 15 |
Gustavo Posada |
West Texas A&M |
Fr. |
Houston, Texas |
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| SPECIAL RECOGNITION |
| Men’s Team Champion: West Texas A&M |
| Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Kelvin Kipkemboi, Eastern New Mexico |
| Men’s Freshman of the Year: Hector Sanchez, UT Permian Basin |
| Men’s Coach of the Year: Jake Krolick, West Texas A&M |
| WOMEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM |
| Place |
Runner |
Team |
Year |
Hometown |
| 1 |
Florance Uwajeneza |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2 |
Eleonora Curtabbi |
West Texas A&M |
So. |
Turin, Italy |
| 3 |
Kenya Bailey |
Oklahoma Christian |
Sr. |
Ponca City, Okla. |
| 4 |
Madison Brown |
DBU |
Jr. |
Round Rock, Texas |
| 5 |
Grace Dwyer |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Lake Station, Ind. |
| 6 |
Rylee Cristan |
DBU |
Sr. |
Keller, Texas |
| 7 |
KayCee Keller |
DBU |
Fr. |
La Vernia, Texas |
| 8 |
Jenna Thorman |
DBU |
Sr. |
Plano, Texas |
| 9 |
Aminata Kenyawani |
Eastern New Mexico |
Sr. |
Tucson, Ariz. |
| 10 |
Marissa Insinna |
DBU |
Sr. |
McKinney, Texas |
| 11 |
Abril Escamilla |
DBU |
Sr. |
Laredo, Texas |
| 12 |
Betty Bajika |
West Texas A&M |
Fr. |
Arlington, Texas |
| 13 |
Britney Lovato |
Western New Mexico |
Sr. |
Rio Rancho, N.M. |
| 14 |
Beverlyne Kipchumba |
Texas A&M International |
Fr. |
Kapsabet, Kenya |
| 15 |
Dorcas Kosgei |
Eastern New Mexico |
So. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
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| SPECIAL RECOGNITION |
| Women’s Team Champion: DBU |
| Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Eleonora Curtabbi, West Texas A&M |
| Women’s Freshman of the Year: KayCee Keller, DBU |
| Women’s Coach of the Year: Jacob Phillips, DBU |