NWACC has a ‘first’ with runner

A runner originally from Kenya who signed with a college in Virginia normally isn’t big news in Arkansas, but this is different.

Emmanuel Kipchirchir signed with Virginia State on Jan. 19, which marked the first time an athlete from Northwest Arkansas Community College will continue his athletic career at a four-year school.

This is the vision for the new sports program at Northwest Arkansas Community College, which hired Brooke Brewer as its first fulltime athletic director in July.

So, that’s two “firsts” in less than a year for NWACC, which will announce a second sport in March to go along with cross country for men and women.

Kipchirchir, who finished third in the men’s college event at the Chile Pepper in 2022, will take the experience he gained at NWACC to Virginia State, where he’ll compete in cross country and indoor track and field. The Trojans are a Division II program that competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association with 12 other colleges.

“Emmanuel signing with Virginia State is a historic event for our college, and we are all so proud of him,” Brewer said. “As a new athletic program, we have so many ‘firsts’ to look forward to, and this is one of the firsts I have been the most excited about. To show that student-athletes can come to NWACC, receive an excellent education, have a top-tier athletic experience with premier coaches, and then we can help them fly forward to the NCAA level is one of our program’s goals.”

I’ve long been a proponent for the junior college brand, whether for athletic or academic pursuits. My brother, Gary, and I both attended a a junior college in Michigan before moving on to a four-year college. He went to Grand Valley State (Mich.) to play baseball, while I transferred to Arkansas State to study journalism.

So, I know the valuable link a junior college can provide for students who may not be ready yet for a variety of reasons for a four-year institution.

There is a huge amount of athletic talent at the high school level in Northwest Arkansas, and having a junior-college sports program here will prove beneficial. I don’t know many many times I’ve attended signing ceremonies where athletes head to two-year schools in Oklahoma or Kansas to begin their college careers. Now, with NWACC dedicated to expanding its sports programs, they could soon have the option to stay closer to home. Having a vibrant sports program can also attract top athletes from afar like Kipchirchir, a two-time Regional II champion who placed sixth at the National Junior College Athletic Association cross country national finals in 2022. Kipchirchir signing onto a four-year college will serve as a recruiting tool moving forward for NWACC cross county coach Josphat Boit, who competed in track and cross county with the University of Arkansas.

“Emmanuel embarking on a new chapter is a huge accomplishment not only for him, but for all the NWACC family,” said Boit, who also is originally from Kenya. “The path ahead is paved with determination and the promise of continued greatness for that young man.”

Kipchirchir came to Arkansas and prospered while learning a whole new culture, starting with language and down even to the food we eat. Hopefully, he’ll continue his success and take a little bit of Arkansas with him wherever he does.

That’s the vision for Northwest Arkansas Community College, which now has a sports program it can call its own.