Note: One of a series of stories that take a look back at some of the many titles won by Oklahoma Christian teams and individuals through the decades. Today's story is about Silas Kisorio winning the 2009 NAIA title in the outdoor 800 meters.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 22, 2020) – He's now considered an Oklahoma Christian athletic legend – and probably the greatest runner in the OC track and field program's history – but once upon a time, Silas Kisorio was an unknown quantity for the Eagles.
In his collegiate debut in the 2008 indoor track and field season, Kisorio – from Eldoret, Kenya – did qualify for the NAIA Championships but finished only ninth in the 1,000 meters. He didn't compete during the 2008 outdoor season and merited only a passing mention in a preview story for the 2009 outdoor season: "Silas Kisorio … also looks to have a big season."
For good reason, he wasn't even considered OC's top middle-distance prospect at the time. His teammate, Jordan Powell, was the two-time returning Sooner Athletic Conference champion in the 1,500 meters and another teammate, Josh Wayland, had won the NAIA indoor 1,000-meter title that March. Both were multiple-time All-Americans.
But Kisorio quickly improved by leaps and bounds that spring and began winning meet titles at both 800 and 1,500 meters. At the 2009 SAC meet, hosted by Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Kisorio (1:52.17) outdueled Wayland (1:52.51) to win the 800-meter title, with both surpassing a 13-year-old league record in that event. In the 1,500, Kisorio (3:54.82) and Powell (3:58.20) finished 1-2.
Kisorio then announced himself as one of the NAIA's top runners at the NAIA Outdoor Championships in Edwardsville, Ill. His grueling schedule running both the 800 and 1,500, along with the 4x800-meter relay, meant he'd have to run five 800s and two 1,500s in three days.
In the open 800, he breezed through the trials and finished second in 1:54.40 in his semifinal heat behind Andre Thomas of Oklahoma Baptist, looking to conserve energy while still qualifying for the title race. He did win his 1,500 semifinal heat with a time of 3:56.13.
On the meet's final day, the 1,500 final was first and disaster struck Kisorio, as he lost a shoe during the race. Even with that significant issue, he still managed to place second in 3:45.63, just behind the defending event champion, Aron Rono of Azusa Pacific (Calif.), who finished in 3:45.09.
Putting that disappointment behind him, Kisorio focused on the 800. In a tightly packed eight-man field, the first seven runners finished just 1.54 seconds apart, but Kisorio clearly was in front with a winning time of 1:49.42, with Thomas second in 1:50.18. The individual national title was the 24th in OC track and field history.
"Silas caught everybody's attention," then-OC coach Randy Heath said after the race. "He's really talented, and he's a great team player. To come back after (losing his shoe in the 1,500) and win the 800 was just a tremendous effort. It's always special when somebody wins an event."
It was the first of many wins for Kisorio at the national level. During his four track and cross country seasons, he won a whopping 12 NAIA individual titles – the most in OC history – at distances ranging from 800 to 8,000 meters (in cross country) and he still holds the NAIA 1,500-meter record of 3:41.39, set in his final NAIA outdoor meet in 2012.
Kisorio also led OC's 2011 team that won the NAIA cross country title, a championship he often said meant the most to him, because he could share it with teammates.
All told, he earned NAIA All-America status 21 times – also an OC record. Only one other OC athlete, star hurdler and sprinter Landon Huslig, has earned as many as 10 All-America honors (five in NCAA Division II competition, five at the National Christian College Athletic Association level).
Kisorio became the first – and to this date, only – OC athlete ever to be inducted into the OC Athletic Hall of Fame while still a student, as he was part of the 2012 induction class.
