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ABILENE – Amos Kipchumba is rapidly making sure everyone’s eyes are on him when he is running. Fresh off a top five showing in Ranger College season opener, the freshman from Kenya sprinted to the top of the standings at the Hardin-Simmons University’s 7th Annual Cowboy Classic race on Sept. 18 at Nelson Park.
Kipchumba dominated the race, winning the 5-kilometer race by almost a full minute.
After getting off to a strong start, the RC standout took complete control, building his lead to better than 54 seconds by the time he crossed the finish line. He capped his first-ever collegiate win by finishing with a time of 20 minutes and 57.25 seconds.
Cameron’s Roberto Barrios was second, checking in at 21:43.40.
Kipchumba was far from the only RC runner turning in strong performances at the race. In fact, the Rangers had nine runners place in the top 22.
Moises Montanez and Nicholas Wittkopp gave RC a 1-3-4 finish by sprinting to third and fourth, respectively. Montanez, a freshman from Bartlettt, Texas, turned in a time of 21:53.52, while Wittkopp, a sophomore from Kyle, Texas, took fourth at 22:01.62.
James Ramos, Sydney Leverett and Kyle Haynes also turned in top 10 runs. A freshman from Marble Falls, Texas, Ramos placed sixth overall with a time of 22:29.35. Leverett, a freshman from Houston, was ninth at 22:56.01, while Haynes was 10th at 22:56.91.
As a team, Ranger College claimed six of the top 10 positions and easily won the overall team crown.
Ruben Sandoval, a freshman from Dallas, also did well, taking 18th. Teammates Angel Castrejon and Isaac Gafishi were 21st and 22nd, respectively.
The Ranger College women also turned in an eye-opening effort at the meet. The Lady Rangers had five runners finish in the top 19 and sprinted to second-place in the final team standings.
Ranger College President William Campion praised both teams for performing at a high level at a meet that featured numerous 4-year institutions.
“We couldn’t more proud of the way our students competed,” said Campion. “They’re well on their way to helping make this program one of the best in the country.”
Benisse Inamahoro led the RC women on the course. The freshman sensation from Burundi, Africa, completed the race in second place, crossing the finish line at 19:33.64 – just 8 seconds behind University of Texas-Permian Basin’s Michelle Garcia.
Freshman Barbara Uribe finished fifth. The Cherokee, Texas native turned in a time of 20:39.31.
Lourdes Gonzalez also netted a top 10 finish for the Lady Rangers. A freshman from Dallas, she finished 10th at 21:22.88. Amaranta Gamboa, a freshman from San Saba, Texas, narrowly missed the top 10. She was 11th overall at 21:27.35.
Autumn Freasier rounded out the RC women’s effort. A freshman from Burnet, Texas, she finished 19th overall with a time of 22:32.22. Overcoming a bruised back, her overall finish was a 31-place improvement over her initial outing two weeks earlier.
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