Kirami Yego claims 8k victory in Razorback debut, leads team win
FAYETTEVILLE — A successful Razorback debut had junior transfer Kirami Yego winning the McDonnell Memorial 8,000m race in 23 minutes, 14.1 seconds, on a hot Friday evening at Agri Park as Arkansas defended its team title with a score of 18 points.
Finishing behind the No. 22 Razorbacks in the team score was Western Colorado, who rank No. 11 in Division II, with 93 points as Incarnate Word, who are No. 5 in South Central region, placed third at 137.
The rest of the top 10 teams included Arkansas State (158), Oklahoma (235), Rice (277), Nebraska-Kearney (293), Central Missouri (294), Trinidad State (315), and Central Arkansas (334).
In producing the fastest winning time over recent Chile Pepper Festival 8,000m races, Yego led the entire race, splitting 4:40.1 at the first mile, and 15:40.1 at 5.5k. His winning margin was 22.5 seconds over teammate Ben Shearer, runner-up in 23:36.6. Shearer split 4:40.8 at the mile and 15:55.7 at 5.5k.
“Coach told me I didn’t need to do anything crazy,” noted Yego with race temperatures in the high 80s. “Just chill for the first 2 or 3 miles, then the last couple of miles we run like a workout. Real races are coming, so that was just a warmup.
“We train on this course, so I knew all the corners to make moves and when to relax. It was good to win as a team.”
Recent Winning Times | Chile Pepper Festival 8k
| Year | Winner | Top Razorback |
| 2023 | 23:14.1 Kirami Yego (Ark) | 23:14.1 Kirami Yego |
| 2022 | 23:18.3 Sanele Masondo (ColbyCC) | 23:24.6 Patrick Kiprop |
| 2021 | 23:28.5 Zouhair Talbi (OkCity) | 23:33.5 Myles Richter |
| 2019 | 23:35.9 Cameron Griffith (unat) | 23:51.2 Matt Young |
| 2018 | 24:05.4 Frankline Tonui (Ark) | 24:05.4 Frankline Tonui |
| 2016 | 23:03.6 Vincent Kiprop (MoSo) [4.97 Mile] | 23:32.8 Alex George |
| 2015 | 23:30.9 Marc Scott (Tulsa) | 23:35.7 Alex George |
| 2014 | 23:53.5 Stanley Kebenei (Ark) | 23:53.5 Stanley Kebenei |
| 2013 | 23:28.1 Kennedy Kithuka (TxT) | 23:34.8 Kemoy Campbell |
A trio of Razorbacks placed 4-5-6 with Elias Schreml utilizing a kick at the finish to pass teammate Reuben Reina. Schreml posted a time of 24:04.4 with Reina crossing the line in 24:06.0. Myles Richter clocked 24:10.1 to finish sixth and completed the Arkansas team score.
Tommy Romanow placed 10th in the field with a 24:32.0 as the sixth Razorback. Josh Shearer finished 30th in 25:01.0 while Jack Williams placed 33rd in 25:06.1.
