COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Most fans of Tennessee Tech athletics would be hard-pressed to locate the city of Eldoret on a map of Kenya. In fact, many might need to use Google to locate Kenya, itself.
But coach Wayne Angel is planning to change that, signing three distance runners from Eldoret as the newest additions to the Golden Eagle men’s cross country roster. They will give the Golden Eagles four runners from Kenya, a country on the eastern edge of the African continent, joining last year’s team MVP, all-OVC runner Geoffrey Sambu, who hails from Nakura, Kenya, about 80 miles south of Eldoret.
Angel believes that Tech fans will not only learn where Eldoret is located, he also feels that his newest signees will help put the Tech cross country program ‘on the map’ among the best cross country programs in the region.
The three incoming frehman signees are Timothy Misoy, Noah Rotich and Amos Kipchirchir.
“We are very excited to welcome these three student-athletes to the Tennessee Tech family,” Angel said. “ These young men are exceptionally talented.
“Putting things in perspective, Geoffrey Sambu was our number one runner last year; all three of our newcomers have better times than Geoffrey coming in,” Angel said. “The impact that they will make in the OVC will be huge and will move our program forward.”
The trio all attended different schools in the region surrounding Eldoret, a city of about 300,000 located in the western part of Kenya. It is situated about 50 miles from the shore of Lake Victoria and about the same distance from the border with Uganda. The town is known for producing world-class distance runners, including two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (1968 and 1972) and world record-holder Kip Keino.
“This is just the beginning of the signing period; we have already hit the recruiting road again and will continue to look for the right student-athletes to add to our roster,” Angel said.
All three of the newcomers are expected to be on the starting line for the Golden Eagles when the 2015 season opens at the Indiana Invitational on Sept. 5.
Timothy Misoy / Freshman
Kaplelach High School / Eldoret , Kenya
Misoy has run distances ranging from 800m all the way up to 10,000m, and has recorded times that will instantly lift him into contention in the OVC. His best 10K effort is 29:51, while he has logged a 5K mark of 14:17 and a 3,000-meter showing of 8:23.16. His 8,000-meter best is 24:39.
Angel on Misoy- Timothy will bring much needed strength to our pack of runners. His ability to race with the top runners in the OVC will be critical in our pursuit of excellence. Timothy has the talent as well as the ability to earn a spot to the NCAA championships in November.
Noah Rotich / Freshman
Hills Academy High School Ndalat/ Eldoret, Kenya
Another Golden Eagle newcomer who owns a 10,000-meter time under 30 minutes, Rotich has a personal-best of 29:55.37 at that distance. He completed his top 5K race in 14:29.47 and has a 24:55 effort at 8,000-meters. In a shorter race, he has posted a PR of 3:48.76 over 1,500-meters.
Angel on Rotich - Noah will add to the depth of our team as we battle for conference titles in the future. He is a tenacious competitor that hates to lose. Noah also has the ability to earn a spot to the NCAA championship in November.
Amos Kipchirchir / Freshman
Legebet Secondary School / Eldoret, Kenya
Posting times similar to the other two signees at nearly every distance, Kipchirchir owns the fastest performance of the trio at 8,000-meters, which is the standard distance he will be running for the Golden Eagles during his cross country career. He has covered that distance in 24:30.15, and has a 10K PR of 30:32.47. His top time at 800m is 1:50.22, with a 1,500m effort of 3:48 and a 5,000-meter best of 14:27.56.
Angel on Kipchirchir - Amos is an impact runner with great speed and strength. He will help TTU to become a dominant force in the OVC in the future. Amos, along with Misoy, Rotich and Sambu, will make a formidable foursome that can certainly make
