Washington State University Athletics

John Ngeno was one of the very best distance runners in the world during his Cougar career, 1972-76.  At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he held WSU, Pacific-10 Conference and collegiate records for races covering 5,000m, six miles, 10,000m and 21 kilometers.  In 1975 Ngeno, a native of Kenya, was named the outstanding performer at the NCAA outdoor championships, capturing championships in both the three-mile and six-mile races.  In all, Ngeno won seven indoor and outdoor NCAA titles as a Cougar, setting three meet records in the process.  Only two other collegians ever had won more titles than the 5-9, 145-pound Cougar runner.  Often his championships were run in record-setting times.  In 1974 he set the NCAA indoor meet mark over three miles, then broke his own record the following year.  In 175 he added the three-mile and six-mile outdoor titles, garnering the outstanding performer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. A year later, as a senior, he set the NCAA outdoor meet record at 10,000m.  Ngeno was just as dominating in distance races at the Pac-10 outdoor meets, winning seven conference titles, including three consecutive six-mile races.  Not limited to world-class times touring the oval tracks, Ngeno also captured the 1974 national AAU cross country championship over the 10,000 meter course.  The first in a long line of world class distance runners from Kenya, Ngeno won his first NCAA title outdoors in 1974 at six-miles.