Embrace the Victory: Champions! Kipkosgei and Telfer Take Home National Titles

Embrace the Victory: Champions! Kipkosgei and Telfer Take Home National Titles
Posted: May 28, 2019

FULL RESULTS (PDF)

NE10 Produces 13 All-Americans, Including 10 on First Team.

MANSFIELD, Mass. – American International’s Leakey Kipkosgei and Franklin Pierce’s CeCe Telfer each earned National Champion status this past weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas – taking gold in the 3000m steeplechase and 400 meter hurdles, respectively.

Of the 19 student-athletes representing the Northeast 10 Conference, 13 of them achieved All-American status – with 10 of those 13 earning First Team accolades. Telfer was a First Team All-American in the 100 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles, the only NE10 athlete to garner multiple First Team nods.

For a complete list of All-Americans, as well as information surrounding the national titles for Kipkosgei and Telfer, please see below.

Kipkosgei Earns Second National Title

Day 1:

  • Kipkosgei's time of 9:07.54 in the prelims was roughly two seconds faster than his gold medal run at the Northeast 10 Outdoor Championship back on May 3. He entered the finals with the best time of the two prelims by almost five seconds.
  • Last season, Gatien Airiau of the Academy of Art won the steeplechase with a time of 8:47.99. Kipkosgei's fastest time this season came at the Penn Relays when he finished in 8:44.13.

Day 2:

  • Kipkosgei's national title is the second of his career. His title is just the third in school history, all of which belong to the men's track and field program. The first came in 2012 when Dominic Smith won the 400-meters. In 2016, Chandler Cotton Jr, Kemani Hume, Kipkosgei, and Miller took home the gold in the distance medley relay.
  • With his finish in the steeplechase on May 24, Kipkosgei earned his 10th All-American honor between cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.

Telfer Makes Impact at NCAA Championship

KINGSVILLE, Texas– In just its seventh year of existence, the Franklin Pierce women's track & field team has its first national champion. Senior CeCe Telfer took control of the 400-meter hurdles down the back stretch on Saturday night and went on to post victory by more than a second, in a personal collegiate-best time of 57.53 seconds. Telfer also added All-America First Team accolades in the 100-meter hurdles earlier in the day, on the third and final day of the NCAA Championships, hosted by Texas A&M-Kingsville, at Javelina Stadium.

Telfer is the first student-athlete in Franklin Pierce history to collect an individual national title. It marks the seventh NCAA national championship overall in the history of the University, with all the previous crowns coming on the soccer field. The men's soccer program took home the 2007 title, while the women's soccer program finished at the top of the heap in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999.

Telfer capped her senior season with a run all the way to the top of the 400-meter hurdles. The top qualifier from Thursday's preliminary heats, she ran out of lane 4 on Saturday, and did not disappoint. She took the lead heading down the back stretch and held it the rest of the way, pulling away from the field in the final turn and down the home stretch. When Telfer crossed the line as a national champion, she did so by posting her best time at the collegiate level, with a mark of 57.53 seconds.

USTFCCCA All-Americans

FIRST TEAM
Leakey Kipkosgei, AIC (3000M Steeplechase)
Dahsia Middlebrooks, AIC (Triple Jump)
Chad Miller, AIC (400M Hurdles)
Abigail Jones, Assumption (Heptathlon)
Paola Brena, Franklin Pierce (High Jump)
CeCe Telfer, Franklin Pierce (100M Hurdles)
CeCe Telfer, Franklin Pierce (400M Hurdles)
Patrick Forrest, Merrimack (400M)
Briana Burt, SCSU (100M Hurdles)
Oghenefejiro Onakpoma, SCSU (Triple Jump)
Stephen Vercollone, Stonehill (800M)

SECOND TEAM
Victoria Major, Adelphi (High Jump)
Abigail Jones, Assumption (Long Jump)
Kialeigh Marston, Assumption (3000M Steeplechase)
Lucas Taxter, Stonehill (1500M)

-Information provided by AIC and Franklin Pierce athletic communications staffs-

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete. 

Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.