BOULDER - On the heels of a breakout season on the track, University of Colorado junior Shalaya Kipp has been named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Female Athlete of the Year.
Kipp ran the fastest time by an NCAA athlete this season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after clocking a time of 9 minutes, 43.09 seconds on April 29 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. The next fastest time in the NCAA is Illinois State's Aisha Praught (9:51.30). Kipp's time is the fourth fastest by an American this season.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, native took home the first individual Pac-12 Championship for the Buffs at the inaugural conference championships May 5-13 in Eugene, Ore., winning the steeplechase in 9:57.39. Kipp won the race by more than 10 seconds as Oregon's Kimber Mattox crossed second in 10:08.23. She followed up that performance by winning the quarterfinals of the steeplechase at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships May 24-26 with a time of 9:58.38.
Kipp is one of three Buffs headed to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.
