Cross Country's Emmanuel Rotich Begins Postseason Journey after Stellar Regular Season
Oct 27, 2016 | Cross Country
For many Tulane students, a light jog around the two-mile trail in nearby Audubon Park will suffice for a morning workout in the hot, sticky climate of New Orleans in the fall. For sophomore Emmanuel Rotich, the lead runner on Tulane cross country's men's team, that jog is just barely a warmup, and with the regular season in the books and a postseason challenge ahead of him, Rotich is now hot on the pursuit of an NCAA Championship berth.
Since Rotich arrived on campus in the fall of 2015 from his hometown in the Republic of Kenya, the distance runner has been making strides both on and off the cross country course. Most recently, however, Rotich has been recognized by the American Athletic Conference on four out of five possible occasions for his accomplishments through the rolling hills of the 2016 cross country regular season. For the last two months, Rotich has been setting the pace for the league.
"Emmanuel has demonstrated an unbelievable level of improvement from where he was last year as a freshman," director of track and field and cross country Eric Peterson said. "He wrapped up the regular season with a first-place finish in the White race at the ISU Pre-National Invitational, a race in which he placed 88th just a year ago. He's made so much progress in just twelve months, and I couldn't be more proud of him."
In five weekends of competition, which spanned from late August to mid-October, Rotich never finished lower than second place, claiming the top spot unattested on two occasions and crossing the finish line as much as ten seconds ahead of his competition. He also broke a school record in the 8K at the Stanford Cross Country Invitational on a quick time of 23:19.90, shattering his previous personal best.
"It has been a really good season up to this point in time for Emmanuel," Peterson said. "He was very motivated in the summer training portion of this year, and he did the work necessary to succeed at a high level throughout his five races. Now we're very excited about the postseason and what he can accomplish there."
Outside of training, Rotich has an impeccable track record around Tulane's campus as well. He holds a job in the James W. Wilson Center, tutors his teammates and also excels in the classroom in one of Tulane's most demanding majors – architecture. To make his accomplishments more outstanding, Rotich has overcome the obstacle of living, training and studying thousands of miles from home.
"Putting himself into a new culture and a new environment is probably the biggest adjustment that he and other international athletes have to make," Peterson said. "Coming from Kenya, he's even studying in a new language. But he takes everything very seriously – he came here to get a degree and to become the best athlete that he can possibly be. He's here to succeed."
For Rotich, all of these accomplishments have come in stride. A very motivated athlete and a hard-worker in the classroom, he sees no reason why he shouldn't be the best he can possibly be, both on and off the track.
"I work on the things that I know I'm not strong in, being patient with myself throughout the process and managing my time wisely," Rotich said. "It's important to use every opportunity that you have. I keep a positive attitude and stay away from stress because every minute matters. My motto is to leave no stone unturned."
A determined Rotich is expected to lead the Green Wave men at the American Athletic Conference Championships this weekend in Westchester, Ohio. On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 29, Rotich will once again lace up his running shoes, this time with a much larger goal in mind – with a solid showing in this race, he can put himself in good standing for the NCAA South Central Regional in mid-November.
Rotich next has his eyes set on qualifying for the NCAA National Championship meet on Nov. 19, and based on his star-studded accomplishments throughout the 2016 regular season and Rotich's solid can-do attitude, the sky is the limit.
Players Mentioned
