Kipruto Finishes as 10000m Runner-Up at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Wednesday, June 10

Eugene, OR

University of Louisville

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Kipruto Finishes as 10000m Runner-Up at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

June 11, 2026 | Track & Field

The freshman crossed the line in 27:54.04 to secure eight points for the Louisville men and earn the third All-American honor of his rookie campaign.

By: Sam Gercak

EUGENE, Ore. – University of Louisville men's track & field freshman Elsingi Kipruto finished as the national runner-up in the men's 10000m as the Cardinals concluded the first of four days of competition at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The freshman crossed the line in 27:54.04 to earn the third All-American nod of his young career, staying in the mix for the win throughout the duration of the race before ultimately claiming the silver. His runner-up performance also secured eight valuable points for the Cardinals in the team race, putting them in a tie for 11^th through the first six events of the weekend.

Kipruto will double back in the men's 5000m on Friday evening at 9:55 p.m. ET as he looks to add one final line to his historic freshman season resume.

Geoffrey Kirwa advanced to the final in the men's 3000m steeplechase for the second consecutive season, battling to a time of 8:25.43, the third-fastest time in the semifinals, to move on after making hard contact with the water barrier early in the race.

The sophomore will contest the championship final on Friday at 8:24 p.m. ET as the favorite to claim the first NCAA title of his career after finishing as the national runner-up a year ago.

In his first and only NCAA Championships appearance, Ryan Farrell earned Second Team All-American distinction in the men's 800m, placing 15^th in the event with a time of 1:46.99 to close his collegiate career. The redshirt senior ends his Louisville career as the best 800m runner in program history, holding both the indoor and outdoor school records in the event and making history as the program's first ACC 800m champion earlier this season.

Roman Kuleshov also earned Second Team All-American honors in the men's long jump, posting a mark of 7.45m (24-5.5) to finish 16^th overall. He will double back on Friday in the men's triple jump, which will begin at 8:10 p.m. ET.

After equaling his outdoor personal best of 5.35m (17-6.5) in the men's pole vault at the NCAA East First Round to punch his ticket to the national championship meet, Ty McPhail posted a matching clearance on Wednesday to place 18^th and garner Honorable Mention All-American distinction to wrap up his collegiate career.

Through the first five events of the men's decathlon, KJ Byrd sits third in the overall standings with a total of 4,256 points after recording three personal-best marks on the first day of competition.

The 2026 NCAA runner-up in the heptathlon during the indoor season notably posted personal-best marks of 10.79 in the 100m and 13.68m (44-10.75) in the shot put, while also equaling his lifetime best in the high jump with a clearance of 2.13m (6-11.75).

The final five events of the decathlon (110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, 1500m) will take place tomorrow, with the 110m hurdles set to get Thursday's action underway at 1:45 p.m. ET.

In addition to the continuation of the decathlon, the Louisville women will begin competition in Eugene tomorrow afternoon, with the Cardinals set to field four women across three different events. The full schedule of Thursday's events for Louisville athletes can be found below.

Thursday Competition Schedule
1:45 p.m. ET | Men's 110m Hurdles (Decathlon) | KJ Byrd
2:35 p.m. ET | Men's Discus Throw (Decathlon) | KJ Byrd
3:45 p.m. ET | Men's Pole Vault (Decathlon) | KJ Byrd
6:15 p.m. ET | Men's Javelin Throw (Decathlon) | KJ Byrd
8:35 p.m. ET | Women's Pole Vault | Ashley Callahan, Iliana Triantafyllou
9:40 p.m. ET | Women's Long Jump | Eve Divinity
10:10 p.m. ET | Women's Shot Put | Kaia Tupu-South
10:43 p.m. ET | Men's 1500m (Decathlon) | KJ Byrd

The link to live results for the meet can be found here, while the full schedule of the day's events can be found here. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET, while field event-specific streams can be found on ESPN+ throughout the day.

NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships – Day One
June 10, 2026
Eugene, Ore. | Hayward Field

* = Personal Record
(T) = Tied Personal Record
(Q) = Qualified for Finals

Men's 800m (Semifinal)
Ryan Farrell – 1:46.99

Men's 10000m
Elsingi Kipruto – 27:54.04

Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)
Geoffrey Kirwa – 8:25.43 (Q)

Men's Long Jump
Roman Kuleshov – 7.45m (24-5.5)

Men's Pole Vault
Ty McPhail – 5.35m (17-6.5) (T)

Men's Decathlon (through five events)
KJ Byrd – 4,256 points

Men's 100m (Decathlon)
KJ Byrd – 10.79 *

Men's 400m (Decathlon)
KJ Byrd – 49.72

Men's High Jump (Decathlon)
KJ Byrd – 2.13m (6-11.75) (T)

Men's Long Jump (Decathlon)
KJ Byrd – 7.30m (23-11.5)

Men's Shot Put (Decathlon)
KJ Byrd – 13.68m (44-10.75) *

For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagramand X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.