Rotich Falls Just Shy of Championship Race Berth in Oregon
Jun 6, 2018 | Men's Track and Field, Track & Field
Race Results
EUGENE, Ore. – Emmanuel Rotich's season and a shot at the national championship came to an end as he placed sixth in his heat of the 3K steeplechase at the national semifinals at Hayward Field on Wednesday evening.
The junior, running in the second of two heats, placed 13th overall with a time of 8:45.44, missing out on an automatic qualifying spot in Friday's championship race given to the top-five finishers in each heat. He also fell short of an at-large berth given to the fastest two runners among non-automatic qualifiers.
"He did not race today like he normally does, and unfortunately that's not good enough at the national meet," said Eric Peterson, Tulane's Director Cross County and Track & Field. "Emmanuel is a great athlete and really good competitor. He works really hard, and he's a great leader within our program. The one thing that he has yet to do as a collegiate runner, though, is get to the national meet and finish with his best day. That's something that we're both going to be very committed to solving in his senior year."
Rotich hung with the lead pack for the vast majority of the race, and it wasn't until the bell lap that a clear top four separated itself.
Running in fifth place – good enough for an automatic berth in the championship race – and clearing the final water obstacle, Rotich rounded the last turn with Michigan State's Max Benoit close behind.
Over the last 100 meters of the 3,000-meter race, Benoit proved to have the better kick on the day when he passed Rotich for fifth with about 40 meters to go and claimed the final automatic berth into the championship race.
The afternoon's first heat was much faster, and the two at-large spots went to the sixth- and seventh-place finishers from that heat with times of 8:40.24 and 8:40.25.
"He just wasn't himself today," Peterson said. "Normally he has no problem settling into the rhythm of a race, letting the race unfold and then – at a good, strategic moment – pushing himself up to the front, running with the leaders and giving himself a chance to win. He just did not have that today."
Despite his season ending Wednesday, Rotich wrapped up another tremendous year at Tulane as a junior. He won the 3K steeplechase at the NCAA East Regional in Tampa two weeks ago, and he was the runner-up in the event at the American Athletic Conference Championship in early May. During the outdoor season, he did not place lower than third in any of his eight races until Wednesday.
"It's been a great season," Rotich said. "I was expecting more than I did today, but I'm still proud to have made progress."
Coming up next for Tulane will be Jessica Duckett and her run in the 400-meter hurdles. The junior from Houston will race in the eighth lane of the second heat of the national semifinals at 8 p.m. central.
All races can be seen live on television on ESPN2 and streamed online through ESPN3.
EUGENE, Ore. – Emmanuel Rotich's season and a shot at the national championship came to an end as he placed sixth in his heat of the 3K steeplechase at the national semifinals at Hayward Field on Wednesday evening.
The junior, running in the second of two heats, placed 13th overall with a time of 8:45.44, missing out on an automatic qualifying spot in Friday's championship race given to the top-five finishers in each heat. He also fell short of an at-large berth given to the fastest two runners among non-automatic qualifiers.
"He did not race today like he normally does, and unfortunately that's not good enough at the national meet," said Eric Peterson, Tulane's Director Cross County and Track & Field. "Emmanuel is a great athlete and really good competitor. He works really hard, and he's a great leader within our program. The one thing that he has yet to do as a collegiate runner, though, is get to the national meet and finish with his best day. That's something that we're both going to be very committed to solving in his senior year."
Rotich hung with the lead pack for the vast majority of the race, and it wasn't until the bell lap that a clear top four separated itself.
Running in fifth place – good enough for an automatic berth in the championship race – and clearing the final water obstacle, Rotich rounded the last turn with Michigan State's Max Benoit close behind.
Over the last 100 meters of the 3,000-meter race, Benoit proved to have the better kick on the day when he passed Rotich for fifth with about 40 meters to go and claimed the final automatic berth into the championship race.
The afternoon's first heat was much faster, and the two at-large spots went to the sixth- and seventh-place finishers from that heat with times of 8:40.24 and 8:40.25.
"He just wasn't himself today," Peterson said. "Normally he has no problem settling into the rhythm of a race, letting the race unfold and then – at a good, strategic moment – pushing himself up to the front, running with the leaders and giving himself a chance to win. He just did not have that today."
Despite his season ending Wednesday, Rotich wrapped up another tremendous year at Tulane as a junior. He won the 3K steeplechase at the NCAA East Regional in Tampa two weeks ago, and he was the runner-up in the event at the American Athletic Conference Championship in early May. During the outdoor season, he did not place lower than third in any of his eight races until Wednesday.
"It's been a great season," Rotich said. "I was expecting more than I did today, but I'm still proud to have made progress."
Coming up next for Tulane will be Jessica Duckett and her run in the 400-meter hurdles. The junior from Houston will race in the eighth lane of the second heat of the national semifinals at 8 p.m. central.
All races can be seen live on television on ESPN2 and streamed online through ESPN3.
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Distance
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