Kipyego Named NJCAA Female Athlete of the Year

South Plains College track and field standout Sally Kipyego of Kenya has been named the 2006 NJCAA Betty Jo Graber Female Student Athlete of the Year.

Kipyego, the Female Athlete of the Meet at the 2005 and 2006 NJCAA National Outdoor Track and Field championships, holds NJCAA National Meet records in the1,500-meter run (4:22.53) and 5,000-meter run (16:48.40); and holds school records in the 1,500-meter run, 3,000-meter run, 5,000-meter run and the 10,000-meter run.

Kipyego is a seven time all-American and has six national championships in track and field and one in cross country. She was named Lady Texan Track MVP in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 and the Lady Texan Cross County MVP 2005-2006.

Balancing school and athletics is what makes Kipyego stand out. During her tenure at South Plains she has lost only one race to a collegiate runner and finished undefeated against two-year college athletes. Academically, Kipyego, who maintains a 3.34 GPA, received the Kathleen Truelock Award for Academic Excellence in 2005-2006.

"Sally is without a doubt the best distance runner I have ever coached and probably ever had the pleasure to know," said South Plains College Head Coach Chris Beene. "In my opinion, she is not only the best athlete in junior college, she may be one of the best athletes to ever compete at the junior college level. She is also a very sweet and kind young lady with a very hard work ethic and lust for life."

Kipyego  will continue her academic and athletic endeavors at Texas Tech University .

Betty Jo Graber spent 35 years advancing opportunities for women in NJCAA athletics. Along with a successful basketball coaching career at Weatherford College , she was also the Region V Women's Director, the NJCAA Women's Basketball Committee Chair and a founding member of the NJCAA Women's Division. Graber is member of the inaugural class inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Tennessee . Graber was the perfect model of hard work, discipline, ethics and excellence in community college athletics. This award is given annually to the NJCAA Student-Athlete that best exhibits these traits.