Tulane University
NCAA Championship
Cross Country’s Emmanuel Rotich Closes 2016 Season at NCAA National Championships
Nov 19, 2016 | Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Cross country's Emmanuel Rotich wrapped up his sophomore season on Saturday morning at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, running his final race of the year at the 2016 NCAA National Championships.
"I'm very pleased with this season overall, even though it did not end the way we wanted it to" director of track and field and cross country Eric Peterson said. "This particular place finish was not what we were hoping for, but the experience is very valuable at this stage in his career. He's a young athlete who gained a lot of experience from this meet, and he will only get better moving forward."
At the meet, Rotich came away with an 85th place finish in a field of the 251 fastest collegiate runners in the nation. His time of 30:46.5 in the 10K race was the fourth-fastest time in school history, and Rotich has now scratched his name twice on Tulane's all-time list.
"Today's race was crazy," Rotich said. "There were a lot of tough runners, and it was difficult to move up in the pack. This was my first race on the national stage, so now I've figured out what to do and what not to do. Now I know how I should work to get better next year. For now, I'm very proud of my improvements over last season."
As the team's top runner, Rotich's trip to nationals was the culmination of a season of successes. His sophomore year told a story of immense improvement, as Rotich has made great strides since his first year as a member of the Green Wave cross country squad.
Rotich closed out the year with seven top-three finishes as well as school records in both the 8K and the 10K. In addition, Rotich was the first Tulane runner to compete at the national meet since the pre-Katrina era.
With the 2016 season in the books, Rotich now looks to his junior year, in hopes of making another trip to the national meet and moving up in the placings.
"The most significant takeaway from this type of meet is the learning experience that goes along with it," Peterson said. "Today was great not only because he gained that experience, but also because he emerged as an athlete that people will take seriously moving forward. It's not easy to place high in a conference championship or win the regional meet, and I know he's set himself up nicely for a lot of future success."
Players Mentioned
