Rotich Crowned Champion at NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional

Friday, November 10

Watts Cross Country Course, College Station, TX

W: 9:15 a.m. / M: 10:15 a.m.

Tulane University

NCAA South Central Regional Championship

XC - 2017 Rotich at NCAA South Central Regional

Rotich Crowned Champion at NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional

Nov 10, 2017 | Cross Country

Women's results | Men's results

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior Emmanuel Rotich repeated as champion at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country South Central Regional Championship Friday morning, claiming first place in men's 10k with a time of 29:49.1 to qualify for next weekend's NCAA National Championships and lead the Green Wave men to a 13^th place finish.

"Emmanuel has won this championship before, but he came into this one with a different mindset," director of cross country and track & field Eric Peterson said. "He treated this meet as a qualifier for the national championship, and he went out there seeking an opportunity to advance. Emmanuel's really strong and really confident, and it allowed him to make a strong final push at the end of the race. We're looking forward to him having an opportunity to be successful at the national championships, and I know Emmanuel is excited to return because he wants to improve upon last year's performance."

Rotich maintained a pace of 4:47 per mile, setting a new personal best in the 10k and setting a new school record in the event, and defeated Houston's Brian Barraza by two seconds to win the title. Last season at the regional championships, Rotich won the event with a time of 29:58.9, qualifying for the national championships in the process, and led Tulane's men's team to an 11^th place finish.

With the win, Rotich has won five consecutive meets, dating back to the Temple Invitational, Sept. 1 in Philadelphia. The win also marks the second consecutive meet in which he has finished ahead of Barraza, his American Athletic Conference foe. Two weekends ago, Rotich took first place in the men's 8k race at The American Championships in Philadelphia, finishing in 24:58.6, nearly eight seconds ahead of Barraza.

Senior Moses Aloiloi finished 47^th (31:33.0) and junior Joshua Cheruyot finished 78^th (32:08.6) to round out the top-100 finishers for Tulane. Senior Stephen Medlin, sophomore Carlos Zervigon, freshman Andrew Kipkemboi and junior Pierce Hill finished 110^th, 116^th, 132^nd and 153^rd, respectively, to earn the men's team its 13^th place finish.

On the women's side, senior Lauren Bartels recorded a 22^nd place finish with a time of 20:35.8, setting a new personal record in the process, while guiding the women's team to an eighth place finish. Bartels' time surpasses her previous top 6k time of 21:30.3, which she set at the 2015 NCAA South Central Regional.

Bartels also received All-Region honors by finishing among the top 25 runners, while senior Emma Newton, redshirt sophomore Mckenzie Melius and freshman Bridgid Selfors finished 22^nd (20:35.8), 34^th (20:58.5), 64^th (21:39.0) and 71^st (21:43.9), respectively.

"I'm proud of the way our team competed today to end their season," associate head coach Michael Nussa said. "Finishing off the year with seven lifetime bests and our highest regional finish ever is a testament to the work they've done all season. Lauren has been an important part of our team for four years, and it was exciting for her to finish her cross country career with her first All-Region honor."

Rotich will compete at the NCAA Championship in Louisville, Ky. next Saturday, Nov. 18. The men's race is set to begin at 10:45 a.m.

Fans can follow along for live results, updates and news on Twitter (@GreenWaveXCTF) or find the team on Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.