Arrigoni Hall of Fame
Richard Kiplagat '06 is one of the most decorated cross country / track & field performers and student-athletes in Iona College history. He earned 10 All-American honors during his tenure including three cross country, five on the indoor track and three on the outdoor track. Kiplagat’s running prowess was displayed from his first MAAC Cross Country Championship appearance in 2002 – where he ran a MAAC record and the second fastest 8k time in school history at Van Cortlandt Park – to his final race in 2006 and his 10th All-American performance as a third place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championship 5,000-meter event.
In between, Kiplagat became the first three-time cross country All-American at Iona, finishing 15th as a freshman, 20th as a sophomore and second as senior at the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championship, the highest finish in school history. He broke the school record 8k mark at Van Cortlandt Park in his senior year debut. Kiplagat’s Meet of Champions time of 23:54.4 also stands as the fourth fastest time in the historical venue’s course history.
On the indoor track, Kiplagat finished fourth in the NCAA Championship 5k in 2003 and improved to third in 2004. As a junior, he tackled the 3,000-meter event and finished fourth overall. As a senior in 2006, he won two All-American honors by finishing fourth again in the 3k and second in the 5k at the University of Arkansas. Kiplagat was also the first-ever Iona harrier to run a sub-four minute mile with his time of 3:57.40 at the 2006 NYC Gotham Cup.
Outdoors, his All-American honors came as a freshman and senior. In 2003, he showed his versatility in the middle-distance events by finishing seventh overall in the NCAA Championship 1,500-meter event. In his last career event at Iona, he finished third in the NCAA 5k event.
Kiplagat won all nine career MAAC Championship events he participated in and was a six-time IC4A Champion. Upon graduation, he held Iona records in the indoor mile, 3k and 5k and outdoor 5k events.
