SEC Cross Country honors for Patrick Kiprop, Chris Bucknam

FAYETTEVILLE – SEC Cross Country awards for the 2024 season include Razorback Patrick Kiprop being named men’s SEC Runner of the Year along with Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam earning SEC Coach of the Year for the 12th time in cross country.

The conference office announced the awards on Tuesday. Selections for the honors were based on votes by the league’s coaches.

In his 17th season with the Razorbacks, Bucknam collected his 12th SEC cross country team title and his 33rd SEC championship overall when including indoor (12) and outdoor (9) track and field titles.

This marks the sixth consecutive, and 12th SEC Coach of the Year honor for Bucknam among the past 13 conference championships held across cross country (4), indoor (4), and outdoor (4) track and field seasons dating back to 2020 cross country.

Kiprop won the SEC individual title in a course record of 21:51.1 over an 8,000-meter distance after placing second the two previous years to Alabama’s Victor Kiprop.

In bettering Texas A&M’s Watts course record of 22:01.4 set earlier this season by Texas Tech’s Solomon Kipchoge, Kiprop defeated Victor by 10 seconds for the 2024 title.

Kiprop became the first Razorback individual SEC winner since 2018, when Gilbert Boit produced the previous fastest 8k winning time in conference history with a 22:20.2 victory on Auburn’s course.

Behind the dominate victory by Kiprop the No. 3 nationally-ranked Razorbacks defended the SEC team title they claimed in 2023, matching the team score of 38 points. It marked the 29th SEC cross country team title for Arkansas since joining the league in 1991.