The University of Mississippi Athletics
Barnabas Kirui Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
3/25/2011 | Track and Field
March 25, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Based on excellence in academics and athletics, Ole Miss' Barnabas Kirui has been selected to receive a scholarship from the NCAA for graduate studies.
The NCAA fall sports postgraduate scholarship winners were recently announced, with 29 male and 29 female fall sports student-athletes each receiving $7,500. Out of four different men's sports represented, Kirui was one of two student-athletes from Southeastern Conference institutions to receive the scholarship. The other was Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.
To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and athletically, be in their final year of eligibility and plan to pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution's faculty athletics representative.
A three-time SEC cross country champion, Kirui's career accomplishments also include an NCAA outdoor track and field title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, four SEC track and field individual titles, two SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year awards and three SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Year awards. He was a two-time All-American and holds the majority of Ole Miss' record times for long-distance events. He has also been honored on the SEC Community Service team and on ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America team during his career.
In the classroom, the Kenya native earned his bachelor's degree in accounting last year with a 3.40 cumulative GPA. He began working toward a master's in accounting in the fall while competing in his final cross country season and achieved a 3.33 GPA in his first semester of graduate school.
Created in 1964, NCAA postgraduate scholarships promote and encourage education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes. Additional information is available on the NCAA website.
