New Mexico, West Virginia Win 2026 Nuttycombe Team Titles
New Mexico's men and West Virginia's women secured commanding team victories at the 2026 Nuttycombe Invitational, where Colorado's Meshack Kipruto set a course record and Florida's Judy Chepkoech won a photo finish.
The 2026 Nuttycombe Invitational results delivered team victories for New Mexico's men and West Virginia's women on Friday in Verona, Wisconsin. The individual races featured a new course record from Colorado freshman Meshack Kipruto and a dramatic 0.1-second women's win for Florida's Judy Chepkoech.
Judy Chepkoech edged Iowa State's Betty Kipkore by a tenth of a second to win the women's 6K in 19:19.5. Kipkore finished in 19:19.6. In the men's 8K, Colorado's Meshack Kipruto broke the course record with a time of 22:30.1. He "basically outlasted his pursuers as he broke Habtom Samuel’s course record" from the 2024 Pre-Nationals by almost four seconds. Pasanjo Kitonga of New Mexico was the men's runner-up in 22:30.8. Both individual races were decided by less than a second.
Team race dynamics
New Mexico secured the men's team title with 59 points, comfortably ahead of Colorado's 93. Florida scored 111 points for second, with Northern Arizona third on 130.
Key performances and progressions
Kipruto and Kitonga made significant mid-race moves. Kipruto moved from 14th at the 2K mark to 10th at 4K before taking control in the final 2K, which he covered in 5:35. Kitonga advanced from 11th at 2K to 5th at 4K and into the lead at 6K. In the women's race, New Mexico's Mercy Kirarei led the pack through the first 4K before finishing third in 19:21.8. Chepkoech moved from sixth at 2K to second at 4K, while Kipkore produced a remarkable charge from 44th at 2K to 15th at 4K. Her final 2K was the fastest of anyone in the top ten.
Scoring and field details
The event featured large fields, with 226 runners in the women's 6K and 234 in the men's 8K. West Virginia's team victory was built on remarkable pack running. Their top five scorers finished in positions 5, 6, 11, 19, and 25, all within a 25-second span. The team had built a 36-point lead by the 2K mark and extended it to 59 points by 4K.
Additional team and individual placements
Behind the top two in the men's team race, BYU placed third with 146 points. Arkansas was fourth with 208, and Florida fifth with 221. The top individual men's finishers behind Kipruto and Kitonga were tightly packed. Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto was third in 22:31.1, with Wake Forest's Rocky Hansen fourth in 22:31.4. BYU's Tayvon Kitchen finished fifth in 22:37.3. New Mexico's team strength was shown at the 6K mark, where Evans Kiplagat and Collins Kiprotich were running sixth and seventh to support Kitonga's lead.
In the women's race, Toledo's Purity Chepkirui finished fourth in 19:22.3, and West Virginia's Joy Naukot was fifth in 19:22.6. West Virginia's scoring pack included Mercy Kinyanjui, who moved from 38th at 2K to finish sixth, freshman Sheila Chepkirui in 11th, and Naomi Kemboi and Alexis Lamb in 19th and 25th. Northern Arizona's women, nationally ranked third, finished third in the team standings, while New Mexico's women placed fourth with 157 points.
The men's race concluded with a frantic sprint. Pasanjo Kitonga said, "Right on Kipruto’s tail in a mad dash to the line by the top 4 finishers." West Virginia's women and New Mexico's men will look to build on this early-season success in upcoming conference championships.
