- 2021 USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete (cross country)
- 2021 Academic All-RMAC honor roll (cross country)
- 2020 Academic All-RMAC honor roll (cross country)
- 2020 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, spring semester
- 2019 All-RMAC second team (cross country)
- 2019 MSU Denver Student-Athlete of the Week, Oct. 8
College Bests
| INDOOR |
|
OUTDOOR |
|
XC |
|
| 800 |
2:00.07 |
800 |
1:58.65 |
|
|
| Mile |
4:17.82 |
1500 |
4:13.45 |
|
|
| 3000 |
9:12.99 |
3000S |
10:40.54 |
|
|
| 5000 |
15:24.27 |
5000 |
15:29.55 |
8K |
24:41.4 |
|
|
10,000 |
30:51.16 |
10K |
31:40.7 |
Career: Entering the 2022-23 season, Kefle ranked as the fourth-fastest individual in program history in the outdoor 10,000 meters at 30:51.16 (which was also sixth-fastest among all competitors) and was part of the program's fifth-best indoor distance medley relay.
2022 Outdoor: Finished 13th in the 10,000 meters at the RMAC Championships on April 29, clocking 32 minutes, 17.98 seconds. ... Became the program's fourth-fastest individual ever in the 10,000 meters by posting the program's sixth-best time ever at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 13, finishing 19th in 30:51.16. ... Ran a personal-best 800 times of 1:58.65 to place 19th, and was also ninth in the 5000 in 15:29.55 at the Maverick Invitational on April 1 and 2. ... Made his 3,000 steeplechase debut in his first meet of the season, the Spank Blasing Invitational on March 26, and finished seventh in 10:40.54.
2021-22 Indoor Track & Field: Ran a personal best 5000 time of 15:24.27 at the GVSU Big Meet (Friday) on Feb. 11, placing 20th. ... Finished fourth in the 3000 at the Mountain Lion Open on Jan. 29 in 9:13.91, less than a second off his personal best. ... Opened the season Jan. 22 at the UCCS Invitational and finished fourth in the 800 (2:01.29) and sixth in the mile (4:36.82).
2021 Cross Country: Turned in a 10-kilometer personal best time of 31:40.7 for finish 42nd at the South Central Regional on Nov. 6. ... Placed 37th at the RMAC Championships on Oct. 23 after running 8K in 26:33.7. ... Ran an 8K personal best of 24:41.4 to place 30th at the Alabama-Huntsville Invitational on Oct. 9. ... Finished 15th at the Roadrunners Invitational on Sept. 17, with an 8K time of 25:35.6. ... Opened the season by finishing ninth at the UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 4, running 8K in 25:51.3.
2021 Outdoor: Ran the 10,000 at the Mines Pre-Conference Invitational on April 24, finishing 17th in 33:10.51. ... Finished 12th in the 5000 at the Maverick Multi & Open (15:30.97). ... Made his MSU Denver outdoor debut at the Spank Blasing Open on March 26 and 27, finishing 21st in the 5000 (15:33.09) and 41st in the 1500 (4:13.45).
2020-21 Indoor Track & Field: Won the 3000 meters in a personal-best 9 minutes, 12.99 seconds at the Mines Front Range Invitational #4 on Feb. 20. ... Ran the mile in 4:42.95 and the 3000 in 9:26.88, placing 11th and 12th, respectively, at the Grizzly Invitational on Feb. 6. ... Opened the season in a triangular at Western Colorado on Jan. 30, finishing seventh in the 3000 in 9:33.61.
2020 Cross Country: At the RMAC Championships on Oct. 24, ran eight kilometers in 26:34.0, placing 50th. ... Ran 8K in 26:02.5 to finish 25 at the Maverick Invitational on Oct. 10. ... Finished 10th at the season-opening UCCS Open, running 8K in 27:25.9.
2020 Outdoor: No season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019-20 Indoor: Ran a leg for the seventh-place distance medley relay at the RMAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 29. ... Finished sixth in the mile (4 minutes, 37.58 seconds) at the Mines Friday Night Invitational on Feb. 21. ... On Day Two of the Grand Valley State (Mich.) Big Meet on Feb. 15, ran a personal-best 800 meters time of 2:00.07, placing 39th, while also competing for the 13th-place distance medley relay. ... On Day One of the GVSU Big Meet, ran an indoor personal-best mile time of 4:17.82 to finish 35th. ... Ran on winning distance medley relay at the Mountain Lion Open on Feb. 8. ... Ran on fourth-place distance medley relay and placed 20th in the mile (4:47.00) at the Mines Winter Classic on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. ... Finished first while running an indoor personal-best 3,000 meters time of 9:16.39 at the Chadron State Open on Jan. 18. Also finished second in the mile (4:26.98). ... Made his indoor debut at the Potts Open Jan. 10-11, finishing 18th in the mile (4:30.48) and running on the eighth-place 4x400-meter relay.
2019 Cross Country: Capped a strong freshman season by running 33 minutes, 2.7 seconds over 10 kilometers to place 41st at the Division II South Central Regional on Nov. 9. ... Ran an 8K personal best of 25:01.8 to finish 25th at the RMAC Championships on Oct. 26. ... Led MSU Denver to team title with a 14th-place time of 26:13.2 over 8K at the Roadrunner Invitational on Oct. 5. He was third among collegians and second among Division II runners in the event. ... Finished 17th at the Colorado College Invitational on Sept. 14, running 8K in 26:46.9. ... Made solid MSU Denver debut with 30th-place finish at the UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 7, running 8K in 26:03.5.
High School: Denver South High School class of 2019...Ran on 4x800 relay that ranked seventh nationally in 2017...Finished 14th at the Class 5A state cross country championships as a sophomore and 21st as a junior...Cross country all-state second team (2016) and honorable mention (2017)...Two second-place finishes at the Denver Public Schools cross country meet...Personal bests of 1:58.17 (800), 4:22.93 (1,600) and 9:41.49 (3,200)...DPS champion in the 3,200 in 2017...Also had two second-place finishes at the DPS meet in the 800, plus one second-place finish in the 1,600 and another in the 3,200...Coached by John Walsh...Three-time letterwinner in cross country and track..Member of National Honor Society.
Personal: Born Yonatan Fiseha Kefle...Birthday is Nov. 4...Son of Fiseha and Yohanis. ... Known as Yoni (Yo-nee), his names are pronounced Yo-na-ten and Kef-la. ... Majoring in mechanical engineering. ... The story of his escape from Eritrea is told
here.
