Gators Duo Claims 2025 SEC Cross Country Awards, Will Palmer Named SEC Women’s Coach of the Year
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | Cross Country
Cheruiyot becomes first Gator to win Men’s Freshman of the Year and Men’s Runner of the year in the same season, as Chepkoech picks up second Newcomer award for the Gators.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two Gators and Head Coach Will Palmer earned 2025 SEC Cross Country Awards, the conference announced Tuesday. Kelvin Cheruiyot and Judy Chepkoech claimed honors for the Gators, with Cheruiyot being named SEC Men's Runner of the Year and SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Year, as Chepkoech nabbed SEC Women's Newcomer of the Year.
Cheruiyot's accolades evolved from a season of success, after consecutively finishing first in his last three meets. He became the first Florida men's runner to claim SEC Men's Runner of the Year since the award's inception in 1992 and only the second male athlete in SEC history to earn both Runner of the Year and Freshman Runner of the Year in the same season. His freshman honor marks the first for a Gator since Jimmy Clark in 2011 and makes him just the third Florida men's runner to receive the league's top freshman award.
Chepkoech earned SEC Women's Newcomer of the Year honors after arriving from the Big 12. She recorded three top ten finishes during her debut SEC campaign, twice led Florida as its top runner, and placed second at the SEC Cross Country Championships. Her award marks Florida's second consecutive SEC Women's Newcomer honor since its establishment in 2024, following Beth Morley's recognition last year.
Palmer was announced as the 2025 SEC Women's Coach of the Year after leading the Orange and Blue to their second conference championship in three years. Under his guidance, Florida's women's team held a national ranking of No. 3 from USTFCCCA's Week 2 poll onward, finishing atop both the SEC and the South Region. This marks Palmer's second SEC Women's Coach of the Year honor, with his first coming in 2023. He becomes the fifth UF coach to earn the award and accounts for the eighth overall time a Florida coach has received the recognition.
2025 SEC Cross Country Awards presented by Allstate
Men's Runner of the Year: Kelvin Cheruiyot, Florida
Men's Freshman Runner of the Year: Kelvin Cheruiyot, Florida
Men's Newcomer Runner of the Year: Kidus Misgina, Ole Miss
Men's Coach of the Year: Dan Waters, Alabama
Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Cooper Cawthra, Texas A&M
Women's Runner of the Year: Doris Lemngole, Alabama
Women's Freshman Runner of the Year: Caren Kiplagat, Alabama
Women's Newcomer Runner of the Year: Judy Chepkoech, Florida
Women's Coach of the Year: Will Palmer, Florida
Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sydney Vaught, Arkansas
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Cheruiyot's accolades evolved from a season of success, after consecutively finishing first in his last three meets. He became the first Florida men's runner to claim SEC Men's Runner of the Year since the award's inception in 1992 and only the second male athlete in SEC history to earn both Runner of the Year and Freshman Runner of the Year in the same season. His freshman honor marks the first for a Gator since Jimmy Clark in 2011 and makes him just the third Florida men's runner to receive the league's top freshman award.
Chepkoech earned SEC Women's Newcomer of the Year honors after arriving from the Big 12. She recorded three top ten finishes during her debut SEC campaign, twice led Florida as its top runner, and placed second at the SEC Cross Country Championships. Her award marks Florida's second consecutive SEC Women's Newcomer honor since its establishment in 2024, following Beth Morley's recognition last year.
Palmer was announced as the 2025 SEC Women's Coach of the Year after leading the Orange and Blue to their second conference championship in three years. Under his guidance, Florida's women's team held a national ranking of No. 3 from USTFCCCA's Week 2 poll onward, finishing atop both the SEC and the South Region. This marks Palmer's second SEC Women's Coach of the Year honor, with his first coming in 2023. He becomes the fifth UF coach to earn the award and accounts for the eighth overall time a Florida coach has received the recognition.
2025 SEC Cross Country Awards presented by Allstate
Men's Runner of the Year: Kelvin Cheruiyot, Florida
Men's Freshman Runner of the Year: Kelvin Cheruiyot, Florida
Men's Newcomer Runner of the Year: Kidus Misgina, Ole Miss
Men's Coach of the Year: Dan Waters, Alabama
Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Cooper Cawthra, Texas A&M
Women's Runner of the Year: Doris Lemngole, Alabama
Women's Freshman Runner of the Year: Caren Kiplagat, Alabama
Women's Newcomer Runner of the Year: Judy Chepkoech, Florida
Women's Coach of the Year: Will Palmer, Florida
Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sydney Vaught, Arkansas
FOLLOW THE GATORS
Instagram: @GatorsTF
X: @GatorsTF
#GoGators
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