Joan Jepng’etich, a Kenyan student with a sports scholarship at Carl Sandburg College in Illinois, USA, died in an automobile accident in Chicago on Thursday, December 26.Jepng’etich, 24, was travelling with two other individuals and died on the scene, while the other two occupants of the automobile were taken to the hospital, according to a family source in Kapsabet.
Family spokesperson Thomas Meli told the press from the family’s home in Kapsabet, Nandi District, that Carl Sandburg College had notified them that their daughter had been involved in a traffic accident.
“We received a call from the school last night (Thursday 26 December) informing us of the accident and asking us to wait for more information because they need to wait for a police report to get information on what really happened,” Meli said on Friday, December 27.
Jepngetich, the youngest of seven children, received a scholarship to study in the United States in August of 2023.
She began attending Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, before transferring to Carl Sandburg College in Illinois.
Kenyan coach John Kosgei, who has been teaching Kapsabet athletes, expressed sadness over the loss of such a vivacious girl who was studying nursing and competing for her school.
Kosgei stated that when Jepng’etich joined their training group, she demonstrated self-discipline and remained focused on the task at hand.
“Jepng’etich was an easygoing athlete and she was always focused and that is why when she joined my group she did not finish a year before she managed to qualify for the scholarship programme and joined the institution after getting her travel visa in Mozambique,” said Kosgei.
Through his curriculum, Kosgei has helped over 100 students gain admission to various colleges in the United States.
Tributes have flooded in for the slain hero, with many US-based athletes recalling her as one of the best athletes they have worked with in National Collegiate Athletic Association sports such as cross country, indoor and outdoor track.
