Rhode Island Standout Who Grew Up In Soccer Produced Standout Track Times And Now Finds That Longer Distances Also Suit Him

By Mary Albl of DyeStat/John Nepolitan Photo

Devan Kipyego doesn’t know if he’s a cross country runner or a track runner.

The St. Raphael (Pawtucket, R.I.) senior owns a 4:00.36 mile time, 1:51.32 personal best in the 800, and is a national champion in the 2,000-meter steeplechase.

Yet, he’s also proven himself to be a force on the trails this fall, most recently winning the prestigious Eastern States title Oct. 8 at the 2.5-mile Manhattan Invitational in 14:12. 

“I feel like last cross country season I really was just getting the mileage in and I wasn’t training like I am now,” Kipyego said. “I think I'm kind of showing that I’m one of the best in the country and I think I have a chance to go for that national title.” 

With the goal of contending for a national title this fall, Kipyego will take the first steps toward that postseason chase with the Rhode Island Class Championships on Saturday at the Covered Bridge Trail at Ponaganset High. 

“In terms of his dedication, he wants to be the best and is trying to achieve that goal this cross country season,” St. Raphael head coach Chris Magill said. 

As the youngest in a family of runners, taking up the sport was expected but never forced on Kipyego. His dad, Evans Kipyego, who was a middle-distance runner in Kenya, and his older brother Darius, now a sophomore on the Iowa State track and field team, both carved out names for themselves in the sport. Devan's running started a little later, as the soccer pitch was his primary focus and running was secondary.

The leading scorer for St. Raphael’s soccer team as a freshman, it wasn’t until he sustained a serious injury his sophomore year that made him reevaluate his desires. 

“It was very hard to give up the sport because that was something I always played since I was a young kid,” he said. “(But) it was a sport I had to give up to become better at the sport of running.”

Magill said once Kipyego decided to go all in on running, he’s taken off, literally, and never looked back. 

“I knew he was talented, but once he got it in his mind that he wasn’t going to play soccer anymore, boy, after his sophomore year, he suddenly exploded,” Magill said. 

In his first full season on the cross country team as a junior, Kipyego won the Class C state title (16:25.7) and guided the Saints to a runner-up team finish. He followed that up with a state title (15:32.3) and was a top 15 finisher at the New England Championships. Kipyego’s progress continued to the oval as he won indoor state titles in the 1,000 (2:34.61), 1,500 (4:03.38) and 3,000 meters (8:37.64). On Feb. 27 at the Boston University Last Chance Meet, he ran an indoor personal-best 4:10.12 in the mile. 

“His development and trajectory has almost been second to none,” Magill said. “His recovery time in between races, I’d never seen. It’s amazing.”

Magill said Kipyego rose to a new different level last spring, excelling in multiple events and pushing himself to new limits. 

“I like to race a lot,” Kipyego said. “I've always just wanted to race.”

During the outdoor season, Kipyego won state titles in the 1,500 (3:57.88) and 800 (1:51.32). In April, instead of competing in the Penn Relays high school boys mile, which included sub-four miler Gary Martin, he opted to create a memory with his team and anchored the Saints’ Distance Medley Relay to a second-place finish (10:15.41) with a 1,600-meter split of 4:04.35, moving his team up six spots. 

“My kick has always been strong, so I think it has always helped me a lot,” Kipyego said. 

Added Magill: “He’s confident and very positive, and he makes me feel good as a coach. He always makes me feel good about my decisions and what races I put him in. He’s always willing to help his teammates and he’s a team player and great captain.” 

Kipyego capped his outdoor season with a national title in the 2,000 steeplechase at New Balance Nationals and he was also part of an historic Brooks PR Invitational boys mile in June in Seattle that featured a sub-four minute performance and five runners going 4:02 or faster. Kipyego picked up a big PR as he placed third in 4:00.64. 

“It builds my confidence a lot,” Kipyego said. “It kind of just shows me how good I can be within a year, and how good I can be, really.”

Aside from his athleticism and work ethic, another big push for Kipyego has been the voice and influence of his older brother Darius, a highly decorated middle-distance runner who is the Rhode Island state record holder in the 800 (1:48.82). Darius provided his younger brother with a blueprint for working hard and competing.

“I think he was always on another level than I was,” said Devan, who was a sophomore when Darius was a senior.

“He kind of inspired me to be better and inspired me to be a better runner. After he committed (to Iowa State) and he left, he left it like, ‘Hey, you can be really good and you can have the same success as I did, but it’s your choice. We’re not forcing you but you have that choice.’ He left it up to me, and I kind of took that and ran with it.”

With a solid summer of training, Kipyego’s senior season has been one for the record books. In September at the Ocean State Invitational, he broke the course record of 14:58.68 set by Gavin Sherry in 2021 with a winning time of 14:57. That made him the third Rhode Island prep to break 15 minutes in the 5K in cross country. He won the Manhattan Invitational's Eastern States title at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City, running 12:14.4.

While he had Edward Cheserek’s record in mind, he destroyed the Rhode Island best of 12:30 by Max Dimuccio of La Salle Academy. 

“That record was on my mind, I really wanted to break it,” Kipyego said. “It wasn’t my best day but you know the goal is a national championship at NXN. That’s the big thing. I’ve talked (with the guys at) Newbury Park and we want to have the best race. I think it’s going to come down to who's the best runner on that day and I think I have a possibility to be that best runner.”