Tulane University
NCAA Championship
Cross Country's Emmanuel Rotich Prepares for NCAA National Championships
Nov 18, 2016 | Cross Country
Men's 10K Map
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A stellar 2016 season for cross country sophomore Emmanuel Rotich culminates this weekend at the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Rotich will run his final race of the year on Saturday, Nov. 19, a 10K at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.
"I'm very impressed with the level of improvement that Emmanuel has demonstrated this season compared to the level of competitor that he was one year ago," director of track and field and cross country Eric Peterson said. "He has made dramatic levels of improvement throughout the season. Though he hasn't had true national-level exposure yet, I know that he is well prepared and very excited about the opportunity to compete in the national championship."
The action kicks off in Terre Haute at 10:00 a.m. with the women's 6K. Rotich will run in the 10K at 11:00 a.m.
Despite the elevated level of competition, Rotich should feel comfortable on the course. He last competed at LaVern Gibson in the ISU Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 15, notching his second top finish of the year on a quick time of 24:36.5. In addition, weather conditions for Saturday's championship race will be optimal, with cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies.
Just a week ago, Rotich competed in his second-ever NCAA South Central Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, blowing away the competition with a gold-medal finish and a school record in the 10K on his time of 29:58.9. For his record-setting effort that Friday, Rotich received All-Region honors and was named the South Central Male Athlete of the Year, a title reserved for the Regional champion.
Another benchmark finish for Rotich came at the Stanford Invitational, as the sophomore broke a fifteen year-old school record in the 8K on his time of 23:19.90, finishing second only behind an unattached runner from Stanford.
Rotich's lowest placing of the year has been a third-place finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships on Oct. 29. In the rest of his races, Rotich has finished as either a runner-up or a leader of the pack. As a result, he was named the American Athletic Conference Male Runner of the Week on four out of five possible occasions.
Though the competition will be stiffer at the national meet, Peterson believes that his sophomore standout has prepared well and is setting a high standard for the future of Tulane cross country.
Friday's meet will be streamed live through FloTrack. Live results will be available here.
For the latest in Tulane cross country action, fans can follow along on Twitter (@GreenWaveXCTF) or find the team on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
