WARRIORS MAKE HISTORY AT REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
October 30, 2026
Burlington, IA – The No. 19 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men’s Cross Country squad made history on Friday, finishing as runners-up at the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men’s Cross Country Region 11 Championship, the program’s highest finish in school history.
The Warriors placed three individuals in the top-10 and all five scorers in the top-15 to secure a second-place finish with 46 team points. All six individuals competing for the Warriors posted personal-best times at the event, hosted by Flint Hills Golf & Country Club in Burlington.
The Warriors were led by a pair of impressive showings from sophomores Emmanuel Kiplagat (Iten, Kenya/St. Patricks) and Brian Kiprop (Eldoret, Kenya/Kingston College) who placed fifth and sixth overall, respectively. Kiplagat cruised to a time of 23:53.5 for a new personal-best mark. Kiprop, who was in second place overall through two miles, finished with a personal-best mark of 23:53.8 to score for the Warriors.
Freshman David Moran (Annaville, PA/Annville-Cleona) put together his best race of his Indian Hills career, placing ninth overall with a time of 24:34.6. Fellow freshman Mathis Avrillon (Grenoble, France/Lycée Pierre du Terrail) placed 12th overall with a time of 25:13.0 while freshman Daniel Gonzalez (Rockford, IL/Oregon) placed 14th overall, clocking in with a personal-best time of 25:18.5.
Sophomore Kohlby Newsom (Winfield, IA/Winfield Mt. Union) rounded out the Warriors’ effort with a personal-best time of 26:25.6.
For their efforts, all five of the Warriors’ top scorers earned both Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) All-Conference and NJCAA All-Region 11 honors for their top performances.
Emmanuel Kiplagat | 1st Team All-Region | 1st Team All-Conference
Brian Kiprop | 2nd Team All-Region | 1st Team All-Conference
David Moran | 2nd Team All-Region | 2nd Team All-Conference
Mathis Avrillon | Honorable Mention All-Region | Honorable Mention All-Conference
Daniel Gonzalez | Honorable Mention All-Region | Honorable Mention All-Conference
Prior to Friday’s meet, the Warriors had never finished higher than third as a team at the NJCAA Region 11 Championship. Iowa Western Community College took home the team title while Iowa Central Community College finished third overall.
Indian Hills will now focus on the upcoming NJCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Championship in Huntsville, AL on November 14.
