Lokedi tabbed Big 12 Runner of the Year

IRVING, Texas – Kansas sophomore Sharon Lokedi was named the Big 12 Women’s Runner of the Year after the conference announced its postseason cross country awards Tuesday. Lokedi was the Big 12 champion at the league meet last month and was the conference’s highest finisher at the NCAA Championships last weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana. This announcement marks the first year the conference has named male and female runners of the year. The winners were voted on by the league’s coaches.
 
Lokedi, who hails from Eldoret, Kenya, recently concluded a stellar sophomore season, one that saw her finish in the top-10 and lead the Jayhawks in all five outings. The sophomore claimed the conference championship at the Big 12 meet on Oct. 29 in Lubbock, Texas, the first league title won by a KU female. She then went on to post a runner-up finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
 
Lokedi claimed a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships last weekend, completing the 6K loop in a personal-best time of 19:52.2. The performance was the best among Big 12 runners and earned her All-America status for the second-straight season. The fifth-place finish was also the best NCAA Championship outing by a Jayhawk runner – male or female – since 1965.
 
While this is the first year the league has announced a runner of the year, it is not the first postseason conference award earned by a Jayhawk. In 2014, Jacob Morgan earned Newcomer of the Year honors following his junior season.
 
Lokedi and the rest of her KU teammates will now look forward to the indoor track season, which is set to begin in just over a week. The Bob Timmons Challenge is set for Friday, Dec. 2 in Anschutz Sports Pavilion. The first field events are set for 1 p.m., while races on the track will begin at 3 p.m.
 
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