Date Posted: 10/3/2007

MACON, Ga. – Two weeks ago, ETSU sophomore Kenneth Rotich turned in the fastest 8K time in the Atlantic Sun to date with a time of 25:13 and won his first Runner of the Week award. In his next race, this past Saturday, at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic, he completed the 8K course in 24:32 to again establish the fastest 8K time in the league. Like two weeks ago, he has claimed the Runner of the Week award as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.

The Nairobi, Kenya native finished 18th at the meet, leading the Buccaneers to a seventh-place finish in the 36-team field that featured 18 schools that are currently or have been ranked in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Regional, NCAA Division III National and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Cross Country Polls this season.

Rotich joins some elite company with his two Runner-of-the-Week awards. He is the first A-Sun athlete to win multiple Runner-of-the-Week awards since Campbell’s Jeremy Helf won a pair in 2005. In the last seven years only seven have won multiple awards in a single season with Belmont’s William Kemey pulling off the feat in both 2001 and 2002. Six of the seven have eventually earned All-Conference honors at least twice in their career.

The Atlantic Sun Conference announces the Athlete of the Week every Wednesday during the 2007 cross country season.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Ryan Chastain, LIP (So. - Mitchell, Ind. - Mechanical Engineering) -- Finished 21st at the Auburn Invitational covering the 8K distance in 25:13 minutes. The Bisons finished seventh out of 16 teams.

Mike Harney, FGCU (Sr. - Fort Myers, Fla. - Secondary Education) -- Led FGCU to 3rd place finish with time of 27:24; ran fourth fastest time in FGCU history; FGCU finished four points behind winner Rutgers.

Nathan Haskins, KSU (So. - Thomasville, Ga. - Sport Medicine) -- Set a personal best at the 2007 Tiger Invitational (25:48.90). Second straight meet that he was the leading runner for KSU.

Lucas McAneney, GWU (Sr. - North Bay, Ontario - Health & Wellness) -- First in team scoring at Pirate Invitational; Covered the 8K course in a personal-best time of 25:45; helped team to first-place finish.

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Men's Cross Country