Wednesday, October 17, 2007

MACON, Ga. (Oct 17, 2007) - Sophomore Kenneth Rotich (Nairobi, Kenya) has built an impressive 2007 cross country resume so far this season.  His stellar year includes two individual meet titles, two team crowns, and now three Atlantic Sun Runner of the Week awards as he became the second student-athlete in conference history to turn into a three-time recipient on Wednesday.

Rotich, who also holds the fastest 8K time in the league, helped guide the Bucs to a team crown at the Furman Invitational last Saturday as well as claiming his second individual title. The Nairobi, Kenya native finished with a time of 25:55, beating out a field of 148 runners.

ETSU has ended its regular season portion of the schedule, but will now look to make history as the Buccaneers hope to have conference titles in the Ohio Valley, SoCon, and Atlantic Sun. Should the Bucs claim the 2007 Atlantic Sun cross country championship on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Nashville, it would end Belmont's five-year run as team champs and mark ETSU's first team title since 1996. The Bucs are also looking for their first individual conference champion since Derek Murphy brought the SoCon crown back to Johnson City in 1995.

The ETSU cross country team is now gearing up for the 2007 Atlantic Sun conference championship. The meet will be held at Vaughn's Creek Course, with the women kicking off the race at 9 a.m. and the men following at 10. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on Buccaneer cross country and all other athletic news.

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.