But it does force the US kids to get better. The days of old are gone.
You probably can’t be a 60 miles a week, skinny kid that finds running at 15 and does pretty good. If you are an American high schooler it is time to train, to REALLY train. Take the sport seriously, get on the details and get fast.
The rules aren’t changing so get out there and earn that spot
Are there cases of discriminating against foreign students in other departments at US universities? Even for simple admission? If so then maybe there is precedent. Otherwise, this is simply an entitled niche whine.
Though history doesn't state when exactly Kenyan recruiting began, John Chaplin/Washington State University is generally acknowledged as the "pioneer" of Kenyan distance recruiting to US universities.
Prior to him, most international distance recruits were from England & Ireland, headlined by 1972 NCAA xc champ Neil Cusack/Eastern Tennessee State then 1974 xc champ Nick Rose/Western Kentucky. If fact, WSU considers Rose the leader of a "British invasion" of distance runners recruited in the early 70s by Englishman head coach Alan Launder.
Chaplin became head xc coach in 1968 then head t&f coach in 1974. WSU was very good in the late-60s/early-70s due to one Gerry Lindgren and his continuing influence. WSU had no Kenyans on the team in those days, at least none that appear in NCAA results.
That changed in 1972 when John Ngeno arrived. His effect was immediate, finishing 43rd at that fall's NCAA xc championships as WSUs #2 man. His first NCAA championship was the 6-mile in 1974, going on to win many others.
Ngeno was the first in a long line of Chaplin Kenyan recruits, soon followed by Josh Kimeto & Samson Kimobwa in 1975 then Henry Rono in 1976.
So, when one thinks of all-time Kenyan recruits to US universities, Henry Rono usually is the first to come to mind due to his overwhelming successes on the world stage while still in school. Henry was certainly in the vanguard -- likely the one to be considered as having opened up the floodgates -- but John Ngeno appears to have the distinction of being the first.
Which leads one to wonder: there was no Scholarbook or other recruiting agencies back then, at least none I ever read about in T&F News which was about the only source of t&f info at the time. So, how did Chaplin -- then Ted Banks/UTEP -- get all these guys over from Kenya? Did they literally go on safari recruiting trips to Eldoret & Iten? What connections did Chaplin have in Kenya?
Suspect that a direct line can be drawn from what is happening today to whatever Chaplin's Kenyan recruiting methods were over 50 years ago.
It was well known that Boit, Kimeto and Ngeno were student athletes in the prototypical form. But Nova, Providence and others (including WSU) had tapped into the Irish and Canadian pipelines for years. Heck, we even let Art Boileau pretend that he was American only because we couldn't prove nuttin' on him.
NAIA and JUCO were tantamount NCAA farm leagues. But if you get one Mike Boit as an affable and articulate advocate for his people back in Kenya then you can see how these lasting relationships could be formed and expanded.
College aged students from all over the world wanted to come to America. And athletics was a way to get their foot in the door.
People don't realize that Kenya only became a Republic in 1964 with a population of only 9 million people. Its over 50 million now! The reason why there seems to be more Kenyans here now is because there are literally MORE of them here and all of them are seeking the opportunities that are available. You mean if I can run I can go to college in America? Sign me up. Duh!
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
. . . So, when one thinks of all-time Kenyan recruits to US universities, Henry Rono usually is the first to come to mind due to his overwhelming successes on the world stage while still in school. Henry was certainly in the vanguard -- likely the one to be considered as having opened up the floodgates -- but John Ngeno appears to have the distinction of being the first. . . .
As a poster mentioned above, add Mike Boit to the equation.
Following his 800 bronze medal and 4th place finish in the 1500 at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he enrolled in Eastern New Mexico University where he went on to continued athletic glory.
ENMU?! How did a Kenyan Oly medalist end up in Portales, New Mexico? Would love to know this backstory.
So, appears he & Ngeno led the Kenyan "invasion" which continued to grow as the years went on.
Boit is still very much alive. Now Dr. Michael, quite a man of science & letters is he.
Eastern New Mexico University announced today that the guest speaker for the spring 2025 commencement will be Michael Boit, Olympic medal winner, and 1976 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University.
. . . So, when one thinks of all-time Kenyan recruits to US universities, Henry Rono usually is the first to come to mind due to his overwhelming successes on the world stage while still in school. Henry was certainly in the vanguard -- likely the one to be considered as having opened up the floodgates -- but John Ngeno appears to have the distinction of being the first. . . .
As a poster mentioned above, add Mike Boit to the equation.
Here's more on the NAIA pipeline. Kenya, New Zealand, Great Britain, Sweden. Tommy Fulton's USA epic quadruple.
1973 NAIA Championships Wednesday, May 23 7:45 pm 1 mile heats 1. 4:08.3 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern 2. 4:08.8 Mike Boit, KEN Eastern New Mexico
9:20 pm 880 heats 1. 1:50.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
10:30pm 3 mile heats 1. 13:58.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern ------------------------- Thursday, May 24 8:40 pm 880 semi-finals 1. 1:50.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
9:20 pm 3 mile final 1. 13:33.4 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern 2. 13:34.2 Rex Maddaford NZL Eastern New Mexico 3. 13:38.2 Phillip Ndoo KEN Eastern New Mexico ----------------------------- Friday, May 25 7:45 pm 1 Mile final 1. 3:57.8 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern 2. 3:58.5 Bob Maplestone, GBR Eastern Washington 3. 4:00.3 Mike Boit, KEN Eastern New Mexico
8:45 pm 880 final 1. 1:47.7 Mike Boit, KEN Eastern New Mexico 2. 1:48.8 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
9:15 pm 6 mile final 1. 28:42.2 Peter Fredrikkson, SWE US International 2. 28:55.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
This post was edited 3 minutes after it was posted.
“I’m going to compete against those really top teams in my conference, I’ve got to go find other countries and other places to find athletes,” said Jon Murray, head coach at Texas Tech, which helps fund the time trials.
Fun fact: he was my coach starting my sophomore year at TTU. It would have made things easier if he would have just said this to the existing team when he got there.
I wish the Washington Post article wouldn’t have glossed over the death of Joseph Hussein Njagi. They didn’t even mention his name, nor the suspicious circumstances of his death. What if something like that happened in the US?
And by “suspicious circumstances,” I mean:
He was rushed to Uasin Gishu District Hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival.
The date of his death was reported to be September 27, but was actually September 18.
His body was transferred to Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital morgue, where a post‑mortem was supposed to be conducted “pending” to determine cause of death.
There is no traceable record of the autopsy results or a medical examiner’s finding in Kenyan media or public health records.
No credible source cites an official cause of death.
No disclosure or follow-up from Athletics Kenya or local government that clarifies what the post-mortem revealed.
No forensic or scientific analysis made public to either confirm or refute suspicions.
Yet he’s brushed off as being solely responsible for doping if in fact that’s what caused his death. The quote “Twenty-five years ago, I would have laughed at you and said there is no way these people are doping. No way. But now I question it with almost everyone” reminds me of how Federico Rosa phrases his answers when questioned after one of his athletes is caught. Doesn’t prove anything, but there’s a pattern of deflection.
Someone once referred to the NAIA as the National Association of Ineligible Athletes.
Cynical reference to low academic entrance requirements . . . although it was good for a few laughs when I first read it.
No problems with academics at ENMU and elsewhere (including Stanford) for one Dr. Michael Boit.
However, the "ineligible athlete" moniker might apply to him as well, given the under-the-table payments to athletes in those days of Avery Brundage amateurism. Sorta hafta believe an Olympic medalist would be getting a little clandestine help along the way.
. . . So, when one thinks of all-time Kenyan recruits to US universities, Henry Rono usually is the first to come to mind due to his overwhelming successes on the world stage while still in school. Henry was certainly in the vanguard -- likely the one to be considered as having opened up the floodgates -- but John Ngeno appears to have the distinction of being the first. . . .
As a poster mentioned above, add Mike Boit to the equation.
Following his 800 bronze medal and 4th place finish in the 1500 at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he enrolled in Eastern New Mexico University where he went on to continued athletic glory.
ENMU?! How did a Kenyan Oly medalist end up in Portales, New Mexico? Would love to know this backstory.
So, appears he & Ngeno led the Kenyan "invasion" which continued to grow as the years went on.
Boit is still very much alive. Now Dr. Michael, quite a man of science & letters is he.
Long before John Chaplin was recruiting Kenyans to WSU, Wayne Vandenburg at UTEP had athletes from all over, including Jon Bednarski and Kerry Pearce.
Forget? Never recall hearing of Bill Silverberg until now. Just read he ran track at Kansas back in the early 1960s, becoming ENMU's head t&f coach in 1968 or 1969. Boit & Ndoo enrolled in the fall of 1972. Kiwi Maddaford preceeded them, being an ENMU student from 1969-1971 after having completed for New Zealand at the Mexico City Olympics. Boit & Ndoo apparently were Silverberg's first Kenyan recruits.
Wayne Vandenburg is a name I vaguely recall. Yes, he did recruit worldwide. However, UTEP didn't begin recruiting Kenyans until Ted Banks became head t&f coach in 1972. Wilson Waigwa was his first Kenyan recruit, finishing 34th as a frosh at the 1973 NCAA xc meet.
So, Chaplin becomes WSU's head coach in 1972, bringing in John Ngeno that fall. Silverberg recruits Boit & Ndoo to ENMU in 1972. Ted Banks becomes UTEP's head coach in 1972, bringing in Waigwa in 1973.
Appears that Kip Keino's and his Kenyan teammates' successes at the 1968 & 1972 Olympics caught Chaplin, Silverberg and Banks' attention. There it began.
Thirty years ago, as a college senior I spent time teaching in Nyanza province Kenya and coaching the high school team at my school in Kisii. I toured many schools with Stephen Ole Morai (144.4 guy in the 80s) including the school that produced 1st, 2nd, and 9th at the national secondary school meet that year (1996). Stephen and I discussed the system in which European agents would exploit Kenya nationals for financial gain leaving the runners no better off.
We wanted a change for better opportunities. I sent many letters (snail mail) to college coaches with potential college running candidates (adequate grades and TOEFL scores) from Nyanza and Transmara. NOT ONE REPLY.
I was surrounded by many hard working students and runners. I am sure its still the case. We actually walked to our district xc meet (about 5 miles away). I am happy for Kenyan's who are finally getting a slice of the pie. Although now that the NCAA pie is all business , its not the same as we envisioned.
Note, I currently coach at a high school and had three of my runners on our local D1 college xc team in 2024 (SEC). Two of them were let go this spring to make room for international athletes ( and yes from Kenya). I have empathy Info for both sides. Life takes and gives.
“I’m going to compete against those really top teams in my conference, I’ve got to go find other countries and other places to find athletes,” said Jon Murray, head coach at Texas Tech, which helps fund the time trials.
Fun fact: he was my coach starting my sophomore year at TTU. It would have made things easier if he would have just said this to the existing team when he got there.
Lols how many years did you score at Big XII for TTU?
Kenyans were here before Rono but there now seems to be many more of them.
I know that the NCAA holds athletic programs somewhat accountable for graduation rates and that sort of thing. I would like to see the standards increased. The Kenyan imports are being brought in for sole purpose of bolstering programs. That is fine but also make them meet standards in the classroom as well.
Its true that there are more Kenyans here than before because Kenya had a rapidly growing country back in the 70s. It literally has a much larger population now.
The first Kenyan in college that I knew of was a chemistry TA who conducted a lab class my freshman year. He didn't run at all. Just a grad student trying to further his education in America. I suspect that there are more of them (Mike Boit was one) than there are hired guns here to run.
Things don't have to be shaded by a nefarious intent.
I believe the first Kenyan to run at a US university was Stephen Machooka who ran at Cornell in the early 60s. John Ngeno won the NCAA six mile in 1974 the three and six in 1975, though I thought by then the distances were metric, I guess not. He ran 13:27 for 5,000 that year which I'd say was world class at the time.
And given your knowledge of the history of the sport, who do you recall as the first Kenyan to win a major US road race? The first I can think of was Philip Ndoo who won the 1974 Charleston Distance Run. And would you consider him as world class? He ran marathon and 10,000 at the 1970 Commonwealth Games?
Don't blame them... College coaches have to score points and win..... No one cares that you developed young Americans to almost score or almost make nationals. The only thing positive is it is forcing the Americans to step up if they want to be competitive.
The current landscape of the NCAA is the most competitive that it has been in history. Thanks to international kids making college running basically a professional league/competition.
If you want accolades this probably not the era to be in but if you want to say you competed against the best you can get all you want in the P4.
That is always the counter point and it's a good one. Look at a team like Alabama or even MTSU, they don't even pretend to look at local talent, it's all East African, the "coach" is basically a van driver.
That being said, had they recruited US talent and not won the conference, would the AD care that they developed some "really good runners", just not GREAT runners? I think the answer is no.
I am all for foreign athletes, but I do think there should be a limit.
It didn't seem as though Ethan Strand, who ran at Vestavia in Alabama, was recruited by the Tide very much at all. Then again, Alabama doesn't develop running talent in the least, so it was a gift in disguise.
They tried to make it sound like this is a new phenomenon that is greatly linked to the NIL changes. Is that really true?
Like is the number of Kenyans really drastically up in the NCAA? I guess the NIL - which by the way is illegal for foreigners, correct? - changes have made it easier for people to let semi-pros in. No one seems to be sanctioning people who clearly were on pro deals before the NCAAs.
People conflate the NCAA's NIL rules with the Supreme Court's decision in NCAA v. Alston. These changes are not really about NIL. They're about Alston.
Alston was a weird case because the plaintiffs waived a lot of the big arguments, instead focusing on a really small issue--whether the NCAA can restrict reimbursement for education related expenses. The Supreme Court ruled for the plaintiffs and said that the NCAA cannot,but in doing so, the Court laid out a legal framework that almost certainly means that restrictions on compensation are unlawful (and even criminal). The Court (and Justice Kavanaugh in particular) basically said, "bring us a bigger case against the NCAA, and we'll give you an even bigger win next time."
The NIL rules were the NCAA's response to Alston, to try and head off a follow-on lawsuit. The reason the NCAA isn't doing anything about pro athletes is that they know that if they try, they'll just lose in court again.
Kenya was a British colony, English is taught at a lot of the schools there. Also, their school system is somewhat structured like the US high school system age wise. It is easier to get kids to the US and keep them eligible if they have some English background.
There have been a few more Ugandans to come over recently, more will be coming soon.
As for Ethiopia, Sudan, etc. less kids learn English in school, and it is harder to get Visas to come to the US.
There are very few Eastern Europeans in the NCAA for track for the same reasons. Those that do come over usually went to a private school where English was taught.
Less Scandinavian kids are coming because school is FREE over there