Kimeli Running on Familiar Course at NCAA Championship
11/21/2025 10:40:00 AM | Cross Country
Sophomore had breakout performance 14 months ago at Gans Creek
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Running on the same course where she had a breakout performance 14 months ago in her first cross country season, Baylor sophomore Ruth Kimeli is one of more than 300 runners that will compete at the NCAA Championship Saturday morning at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
This is actually Kimeli's third time to run at Gans Creek, where she finished 13th a year ago in a stacked Gans Creek Classic with a 6K time of 20:12.3 that marked the 18th-fastest time ever run on the course at that time.
"I'm glad she has another shot up there," Baylor coach David Barnett said, "because that's why we've been going up there so often, to get the lay of the land up there. And it's a good course, a fast course. They did a great job building it from scratch. It should be exciting."
Kimeli didn't fare as well at this year's Gans Creek Classic, but she bounced back with top-10 finishes at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station and the NCAA South Central Regional last week in Fayetteville, Ark. She placed eighth with a time of 20:11.4, earning all-region honors and a spot in the NCAA Championship for the second-straight year.
This is also marks her third NCAA Championship appearance after finishing 18th in the 10,000 meters at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The first Baylor woman to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championship in seven years, Kimeli finished 198th overall last year with a 21:09.9 clocking at a course in Madison, Wisc.
"I think the only way to get better at being in championship races is to run championship races," Barnett said, "because there's really nothing like it. You're going to have a big crowd, you're going to have a lot of energy there.
"I'm super proud of her, because making it to a national meet in any of the three sports we do (cross country, indoor and outdoor track), you have to be able to do it that day. So, that's a big deal. Super happy for her. I think she'll continue to improve and get the hang of it all."
The national meet will kick off with the women's 6K race at 9:20 a.m. Live results are available at Prime Time Timing, with ESPNU broadcasting the event live.
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
- BaylorBears.com -
This is actually Kimeli's third time to run at Gans Creek, where she finished 13th a year ago in a stacked Gans Creek Classic with a 6K time of 20:12.3 that marked the 18th-fastest time ever run on the course at that time.
"I'm glad she has another shot up there," Baylor coach David Barnett said, "because that's why we've been going up there so often, to get the lay of the land up there. And it's a good course, a fast course. They did a great job building it from scratch. It should be exciting."
Kimeli didn't fare as well at this year's Gans Creek Classic, but she bounced back with top-10 finishes at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station and the NCAA South Central Regional last week in Fayetteville, Ark. She placed eighth with a time of 20:11.4, earning all-region honors and a spot in the NCAA Championship for the second-straight year.
This is also marks her third NCAA Championship appearance after finishing 18th in the 10,000 meters at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The first Baylor woman to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championship in seven years, Kimeli finished 198th overall last year with a 21:09.9 clocking at a course in Madison, Wisc.
"I think the only way to get better at being in championship races is to run championship races," Barnett said, "because there's really nothing like it. You're going to have a big crowd, you're going to have a lot of energy there.
"I'm super proud of her, because making it to a national meet in any of the three sports we do (cross country, indoor and outdoor track), you have to be able to do it that day. So, that's a big deal. Super happy for her. I think she'll continue to improve and get the hang of it all."
The national meet will kick off with the women's 6K race at 9:20 a.m. Live results are available at Prime Time Timing, with ESPNU broadcasting the event live.
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
Baylor Track and Field: Coach Clyde Hart Tribute
Thursday, November 06
Baylor Cross Country: David Barnett on the Baylor Coach's Show | August 20, 2025
Friday, August 22
Baylor Track & Field: NCAA Championship Highlights | June 11-14, 2025
Monday, June 16
Just the beginning for the Prince 📈
Monday, June 16
