218 Athletics Race To Glory Freshman Josphat Meli demonstrates the power of hard work, practice and motivation. Freshman Josphat Meli from Eldoret, Kenya, won multiple races in both the 8k and the 10k over the course of the long-distance track season. He placed first in the GAC Cross Country Championships with an 8k time of 24:39.2. Meli went on to place fourth in NCAA Division II regionals and 12th in the NCAA Division II national race. Meli worked hard to achieve speed and stamina. Sophomore Colton Harsh, Meli’s teammate, explained his work ethic and kind nature. “From the moment Josphat arrived in America, he had a tremendous work ethic,” Harsh said. “On top of that, he was the type of guy with a work ethic that was contagious. All the guys saw how hard he worked, and we were inspired, which made us want to work harder.” After Meli was named GAC runner of the week, senior Luke Walling, captain of the cross country team, also spoke about his positive impact on the team. “It was easy for Josphat to work hard for the team because he cared about us so much,” Walling said. “The guy truly did love running . . . He pushed us through his story of where he came from to where he was now. Even though, on paper, he was a freshman, he was actually one of the oldest guys on the team, being 26 years old, so he was kind of an older brother to all of us.” Meli’s motivation inspired not only his teammates, but his coaches. “He pushed himself to great limits because he understood the effort that greatness required,” head cross-country and track coach Don Hood said. “They all knew we were a better team because of him, but also that each of them had to improve in order for our team to become a championship team.” Meli entered his sophomore season with a fantastic freshman performance and looked to continue to improve in his races. Written by Max Thweatt FINISH LINE Approaching the finish line, freshman Josphat Meli smiles to the crowd. Meli was proud of his effort that he put into his races and the team. Photo by Abigail Callicoat
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==