TAMPA, Fla. — Joshua Chepeksir became the second student-athlete in the history of the UNC Pembroke cross country program to be a two-time All-American when he finished 8th at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday.

A native of Eldort, Kenya, Chepkesir covered the 10K course in a time of 30:39.5 and was just 41 seconds off of the pace of national champion Isaac Harding of Grand Valley State. Chepkesir was among the top six runners at the 8K mark, which was his highest place throughout the race.

The junior joins Olympian Pardon Ndhlovu as the only two athletes to be decorated with All-American honors for multiple seasons. Chepkesir claimed his first All-American status is 2019 with another 8th-place finish. He qualified for the national championship in 2020, which was canceled due to COVID-19.

Chepkesir was the only student-athlete from Conference Carolinas competing for a national title. His 8th-place finish marks the best Conference Carolinas finish since 2010 when Michael Crouch of Queens was crowned as the individual champion.