Courtesy: press release

Sally Kipyego, a Texas Tech University junior, has been chosen for the second year in a row as the nation's top collegiate female cross-country athlete. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 32nd year.

Kipyego's victory will once again earn her the 2008 Honda Sports Award, given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, along with automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She was voted over three other nominees: Jenny Barringer, a junior at the University of Colorado; Susan Kuijken, a sophomore at Florida State University; and Diane Nukuri, a senior at the University of Iowa. The candidates were selected based on their finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

"I'm really honored to win the Honda Sports Award and it's special for me to win it for the second year in a row, since the competition seemed to be much harder this year," said Kipyego. "One of the things that makes the award mean so much to me is the fact that Kim Smith, who won the award two years ago, has been a role model for me as a collegiate level Cross Country athlete."

Kipyego is a native of Kenya. She claimed her second straight NCAA championship this year with a time of 19:30.9, and earned her fifth All-America honor. Undefeated in her last two seasons, she repeated this year as Mountain Regional Champion and Female Athlete of the Year, as well as Big 12 and Chili Pepper Champ. She earned a place this year on the All-Academic Big 12 second team and set a personal best at the Red Raider Jackrabbit Open with a 3-mile time of 15:46.3. She is her school's all-time leader in national titles won.

Kipyego has six siblings including her brothers Chris and Mike who run professionally. She currently attends Texas Tech's School of Nursing and looks forward to continue running, perhaps becoming a professional runner someday like her brothers.