WICHITA – Wichita State's Nicholas Kipchirchir was selected as the American Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
 
The senior from Eldoret, Kenya claimed his first American Conference accolade after finishing third at the Gans Creek Classic with a school record 8K time of 22:40.5. Kipchirchir led the Shockers to a third-place team finish, defeating ranked teams, Missouri and Kansas.
 
The Shockers' performance at the Gans Creek Classic moved them up to No. 5 in the USTFCCCA Midwest region rankings, and Kipchirchir earned a No. 22 individual ranking in the latest USTFCCCA National Division I XCRI.
 
Kipchirchir and the Shockers return to competition Friday, Oct. 16 at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.