COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Sophomore Geoffrey Sambu opened his Tennessee
Tech running career Saturday by claiming first place in the
Carolina Invitational cross country meet. On Tuesday, he was
selected by the Ohio Valley Conference as the league's Male
co-Runner of the Week.
A transfer from Florida A&M, Sambu made an immediate impact
for Tennessee Tech, taking first place in his first race as a
Golden Eagle. Sambu covered the 5K course at Fort Jackson in
15:37.55 which was 17 seconds better than the second-place
finisher. His performance helped TTU to a first place finish in its
first meet under new head coach Wayne Angel.
"This is a really well-deserved honor for all of the hard work he
has done up to this point," Angel said. "I'm proud of him, and
extremely happy for his being selected."
Sambu is the first Golden Eagle runner to win the OVC weekly nod
since John Greene on Oct. 11, 2011. Prior to that weekly OVC Runner
of the Week winners from Tech have included Jimmy Mittlestat (Sept.
9, 2003), Chris Kennedy (Sept. 28, 1999, Oct. 8, 2002, Oct. 15,
2002, and Oct. 22, 2002), Nathan Pugh (Sept. 11, 1995 and OCt. 3,
1994), Mark CaldweLl (Sept. 14, 1993 and Oct. 5, 1993), and Ahmad
Muqbel (Sept. 24, 1991).
Sambu and the Golden Eagle men's and women's teams will be in
action Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., at the Indiana Open, hosted
by Indiana University.
MALE CO-RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Shane Brown • Southeast Missouri • Junior •
Festus, Mo.
Brown took first place in Saturday’s Gabby Reuveni Early
Bird hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. The junior
finished with a 6K time of 19:23, which was three seconds ahead of
the second-place finisher. His performance helped the team to a
second place finish in a field of nine squads.
MALE CO-RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Geoffrey Sambu • Tennessee Tech • Sophomore
• Nakura, Kenya
Sambu, a transfer from Florida A&M, made an immediate impact
for Tennessee Tech, taking first place at the Carolina Invitational
on Saturday. Sambu covered the 5K course in 15:37.55 which was 17
seconds better than the second-place finisher. His performance
helped TTU to a first place finish in its first meet under new head
coach Wayne Angel.
Others Nominated: Evan Stifel, Belmont; Mickey Sanders,
Jacksonville State; Gavin Galanes, Murray State; Quamel Prince,
Tennessee State; Justin Morgan, UT Martin
FEMALE RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Wittman • Belmont • Junior •
Lindenhurst, Ill.
Wittman took ninth place honors in a field of 114 Division I
runners at the Belmont Opener held at Percy Ward Park in Nashville.
The junior was the lone non-SEC finisher in the Top 10 in what
proved to be a very competitive field. Wittman finished with a 5K
time of 18:02.99.
Others Nominated: Juells McLeod, Jacksonville State; Meagan Smith,
Murray State; Rebekah Lawson, Southeast Missouri.
