WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - EKU swept the 2026 United Athletic Conference (UAC) Women's and Men's Cross Country championships in dominant fashion on Friday, October 30 at the University Club at Arlington in Richmond, Kentucky.

EKU won the women's 5k championship with 20 points after placing five Colonels inside the top-eight led by freshman Brighter Jepchumba who was named the UAC 2026 Women's Runner and Freshman of the Year after winning the individual championship with a time of 16:24.4. Jepchumba became the first EKU freshman to win a women's conference cross country championship since 2019. Edna Chelulei, Morgan Kobylinski and Metrine Jelimo also finished inside the top-five for EKU.

The Colonels' men's team claimed their fifth-consecutive conference title after posting a perfect score of 15 points in the 8k championship, EKU's first perfect score at a conference meet since 2014. EKU occupied the top six placements led by freshman Abel Kirui who claimed the individual championship with a time 23:52.6 and was awarded the UAC 2026 Men's Runner and Freshman of the Year honors. 

EKU's Cory Erdmann was selected as the UAC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year as voted by the leagues' nine head coaches.

Women's Team Scores
1. EKU - 20
2. UT Arlington - 53
3. Central Arkansas - 87
4. Tarleton State - 110
5. Abilene Christian - 158
6. Little Rock - 160
7. Austin Peay - 190
8. North Alabama - 196
9. West Georgia - 244

Men's Team Scores
1. EKU - 15
2. UT Arlington - 85
3. Central Arkansas - 91
4. Abilene Christian - 104
5. North Alabama - 107
6. Tarleton State - 174
7. West Georgia - 191
8. Little Rock - 211
9. Austin Peay - 221

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About the United Athletic Conference

The newly rebranded United Athletic Conference (UAC) is a competitive NCAA Division I conference sponsoring sixteen (16) sports and championships with nine (9) full member institutions including Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Texas), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Little Rock, Ark.), Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.), the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Ky.), the University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Texas), the University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, Texas), and the University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.) with the University of West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.) as an affiliate member in football.