Tulane's Silas Kiptanui rewrote program history Friday, placing second in the NCAA steeplechase final.
Tulane Green Wave track standout Silas Kiptanui took the world by storm at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, from winning his first heat to putting on an incredible showing in the final race.
Kiptanui finished as the national runner-up in the 3,000 meter steeplechase event on Friday night, becoming the first track and field athlete in program history to finish with the silver in any event, ever. His time of 8:18.20 was just shy of his 8:18.09 school-record time that he set just a few weeks ago in the first round of competition. The sophomore was edged out by Louisville Cardinals standout Geoffrey Kirwa by less than one second. He was more than two seconds ahead of the third place finisher, Kristian Imroth of the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
Additionally, the Rift Valley, Kenya, native helped put the Green Wave on the leaderboard. The team tied for 30th place at the meet thanks to Kiptanui's eight points. In fact, he scored more points than some entire teams did.
All in all, it was a successful season for Tulane as a whole. The Green Wave saw five athletes reach the NCAA East Regional, meaning they placed among the best in their respective events.
Cara Salsberry was the lone individual to compete in two postseason events. The graduate student from Boynton Beach, Florida, represented the Olive Green and Sky Blue in both the discus and the hammer throw. Blezzin Kimutai was the other female representative for Tulane, competing in the 10,000 meter race. Additionally, both Tommy Rice and Rogerio Amaral qualified and competed in the men's 10,000 meter race.
The Green Wave is set to have just as much success next year, especially since all of the team's postseason representatives except for Salsberry should be back. With so many of these competitors setting program records this past year, the sky is truly the limit in 2027.
Tulane will have a nice stretch of break from team activities before getting into cross country season. The Green Wave had a historic cross country season in 2025, with the men's team finishing the season ranked 21st in the nation and the women capturing the American Conference championship. Both programs have been exceptionally strong in recent years, and they will look to continue that recent success when the new athletics year begins. From there, Tulane will roll right into indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
