Wednesday, October 01, 2008

MACON, Ga. - With less than five weeks until the 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Cross Country Championships, ETSU’s Kenneth Rotich made a statement run on the course on which the championship will be contested, winning the Mercer RunFit Sports Invitational to earn his second A-Sun Runner of the Week award of 2008, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

Rotich, a junior from Nairobi, Kenya claimed his second individual title of the season (fourth of his career), and helped the Buccaneers dominate the 2008 Mercer RunFit Sports Invitational on Saturday morning. Rotich, who entered the race with the top time in the Atlantic Sun, shaved over a minute off his season-best and finished the 8K run in 24:09 besting the field of 189 competitors. The engineering technology major previously ran 25:22 in Charlotte two weeks ago.

The Buccaneers head west to compete in the Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-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, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Jonathan Esteban, UNF (Fr. - Jacksonville, Fla. - Undeclared) -- helped lead UNF to a third place finish at the Florida State Invitational, recording his first top-10 finish as a member of the Ospreys; Finished ninth in a field of 100 competitors with an 8K time of 26:02.

Steven Murray, Kennesaw State (So. - Dallas, Ga. - Health and Exercise Sciences) -- Placed fifteenth with a time of 26:07 in the 8K to lead the Owls to a fourth place finish at the Mercer RunFit Sports Invitational.