NIACC's Kipkemboi wins Trent Smith Invite
MASON CITY - NIACC sophomore Melvin Kipkemboi won the fifth annual Trent Smith Invitational on Friday on the NIACC campus.
Kipkemboi won the race in a time of 25 minutes, 22 seconds on the 8-kilometer course to help lead the No. 9 (NJCAA Division II) Trojans to a second-place team finish with 39 points. Indian Hills was the team champion with 30 points.
Kipkemboi's time of 25:22 is the second fastest time in meet history. NIACC's Brian Jacques holds the meet record with a time of 25:17 in 2017.
Kipkemboi became the third different NIACC runner to win the Trent Smith Invitational in the five-year history. Jacques won in 2017 and Abdiaziz Wako won in 2018 in 26:41.
Indian Hills' Nick O'Connor was second in Friday's race in a time of 27:13 and the Warriors' Isaac Bryant was third in 27:18.
Also for the Trojans on Friday, Pudens Kipkosgei was seventh (27:56), Richard Marcoux was eighth (27:59), Christian Rodriguez was 11th (28:42) and Peyton Seiler was 12th (28:53).
NIACC's Bryden Juelsgaard was 18th (29:43), Caleb Sledd was 19th (30:22) and Maxwell Deeter was 25th (33:09).
TRENT SMITH INVITATIONAL HISTORY
PAST TEAM CHAMPIONS
MEN
2017 – NIACC 36 points
2018 - Hawkeye CC 28 points
2019 - University of Minnesota-Duluth 27 points
2020 – NIACC 20 points
2021 - Indian Hills 30 points
WOMEN
2017 - Iowa Western 22 points
2018 - Hawkeye CC 44 points
2019 - Minnesota State 22 points
2020 - Iowa Central 30 points
2021 - Indian Hills 24 points
PAST INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
MEN
2017 - Brian Jacques (NIACC) 25:17
2018 - Abdiaziz Wako (NIACC) 26:41
2019 - Benjamin Allen (Concordia) 26:15
2020 - Sam Mickelson (Hawkeye CC) 26:17
2021 - Melvin Kipkemboi (NIACC) 25:22
WOMEN
2017 - Joanna Topham (Hawkeye CC) 19:20
2018 - Marissa Kuik (Waldorf) 18:44
2019 - Allyssa Reeves (Minnesota State) 18:48
2020 - Sarah Bertry (NIACC) 19:31
2021 - Sarah Bertry (NIACC) 18:32
Top 10 Trent Smith Invitational men's times (8K) (2017-21)
Brian Jacques (NIACC) 25:17 (2017)
Melvin Kipkemboi (NIACC) 25:22 (2021)
Brian Kitur (Unattached) 25:47 (2017)
Wal Khat (NIACC alumni) 25:47 (2017)
Blake Keller (NIACC) 26:05 (2017)
Benjamain Allen (Concordia University) 26:15 (2019)
Sam Mickelson (Hawkeye CC) 26:17 (2020)
Melvin Kipkemboi (NIACC) 26:21 (2020)
Cole Lebourgeois (University of Minnesota-Duluth) 26:24 (2019)
Jorge Ruiz (NIACC) 26:25 (2020)
Top 10 Trent Smith Invitational women's times 5K (2017-20)
Sarah Bertry (NIACC) 18:32 (2021)
Marissa Kuik (Waldorf) 18:44 (2018)
Allyssa Reeves (Minnesota State) 18:48 (2019)
Joanna Topham (Hawkeye CC) 18:51 (2018)
Carisa Weyenberg (Minnesota State) 18:54 (2019)
Amanda Montplaisir (Minnesota State) 19:16 (2019)
Joanna Topham (Hawkeye CC) 19:20 (2017)
Ivy Glade (Minnesota State) 19:23 (2019)
Alayna Kollasch (unattached) 19:28 (2018)
Emma Davison (NIACC) 19:30 (2019)
