Rotich Wins Texas A&M Invitational in First Race of Season

Saturday, September 22

College Station, Texas

8 a.m.

Tulane University

Texas A&M Invitational

Rotich Wins Texas A&M Invitational in First Race of Season

Sep 22, 2018 | Cross Country

Men's Results | Women's Results

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Running for the first time this season, Tulane senior Emmanuel Rotich made his presence felt when he won the Texas A&M Invitational at Watts Cross Country Course on Saturday morning.

Rotich crossed the finish line on the 8K course in 23:43.3, helping the Green Wave men to a fifth-place team finish with 165 points. The Tulane women came in 11th place with 275 points and Mckenzie Melius as their top finisher in 20th as an individual.

Rotich, in winning the race against 116 other runners, came out eight seconds faster than second-place finisher Abraham Chrichir of UT-Rio Grande Valley. His time is now the third-fastest 8K time in Tulane cross country history.

Rotich's countrymate, freshman Evans Kipchumba, was the second finisher on the Green Wave roster when he finished seventh overall in 24:49.3. Rotich and Kipchumba were 1-2 through two kilometers, running a 4:50 mile pace at that point.

Carlos Zervigon, who won the first race of the season for Tulane, was 31st overall in 25:38.2.
Patrick Dougherty placed 72nd in 26:45.1, Joshua Cheruyot was 83rd in 27:10.3 to cap the Green Wave scoring and Pierce Hill was right behind him in 84th with a time of 27:16.2. In 86th, Tom Coe finished his race in 27:20.2.

Melius led the way for the women for the second time in three meets. Back on Sept. 1, she was the individual winner at the Nicholls Cross Country Invitational. On Saturday, her 20th-place finish on the 6K course came with a time of 22:48.4.

Mary Catherine Stovall was the second Tulane runner, coming in 37th in 23:12.7. Reid Belanger was 78th in 24:29.6, Paige Fatland was 103rd in 26:04.58 and Rachel Maue took 108th in 26:29.68.

Tulane is now off for three weeks but will return to action on October 13 at the Pre-National Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin.