Wednesday, October 21, 2009

MACON, Ga. – For his performance at the 16th annual Hatter Invitational Friday evening, reigning A-Sun Runner of the Year Kenneth Rotich earned his seventh career Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week award, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

The ETSU men’s cross country squad got acquainted with the conference championship course on Friday at the Sperling Sports Complex, as senior Kenneth Rotich and the Bucs claimed both the individual and team titles at the Hatter Invitational. The senior, from Nairobi, Kenya, claimed the sixth individual title of his career after finishing the 8K course with the top time of 25:18. Rotich, who had shared the Atlantic Sun record for career Runner of the Week selections of six with Belmont’s William Kemey, now stands alone in the record book with his seventh. Overall, ETSU defeated a field of 18 teams in a race that featured 158 runners, as the Bucs scored a total of 65 points. ETSU edged out cross country power Embry-Riddle (69 points), while conference rival UNF came in third (79 points).

The Bucs will now have two weeks off before heading back to DeLand, Fla. to compete at the 2009 A-Sun Cross Country Championships on Halloween Saturday.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and 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.