THE DISTANCE

When Athanas Kioko finished third in the nation at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships held in Tallahassee, Fla., in November, his finish marked the best ever for a Campbell runner in the NCAA Championships (the previous best was Amon Kemboi’s seventh-place finish in 2018).

During the race, Kioko remained with the lead pack, taking the lead at multiple splits on the course throughout the day. His 10K time of 28:40.9 set a school-record, outpacing Lawrence Kipkoech’s 28:45.3 set at the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regionals.

His finish made Kioko an All-American. He was later named the 2021 Big South Conference Men’s Runner of the Year.

The Machakos, Kenya native is one of the most decorated runners in Campbell and Big South history. He is a Big South Male Athlete of the Year (2020-21), two-time All-American, Big South Track Athlete of the Year (2021) and two-time Big South Championships Most Valuable Athlete.

VOLLEYBALL’S BIG YEAR

Campbell won its first ever Big South Championship in thrilling fashion in November, winning a five-set match over top seeded High Point Sunday at Gore Arena. The win secured Campbell’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and a first-round match-up against one of the top programs in the nation, Nebraska. The Camels, who featured no first-team all-conference selections, topped a High Point squad that featured four first-team players along with the player of the year, freshman of the year, libero of the year, co-setters of the year and coach of the year.

For the second time in 2021, the Campbell community stepped up in a big way for students and programs with more than 2,000 total gifts on CAMPBELL GIVING DAY, exceeding the goal of 1,887 in honor of the University’s founding year.

For the second time in three years, CAMPBELL MEN’S SOCCER won the Big South Conference regular season title and the tournament championship to advance to the NCAA College Cup. The Camels’ season ended with a tough 2-1 loss to Va. Tech.