Clayton State University Athletics

Kemboi Becomes First Laker Men's Cross Country All-American With 35th Place Finish at NCAA Division II Championships
December 6, 2014

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Despite wet, muddy and windy conditions, Clayton State men's cross country runner Job Kemboi made more Laker history on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The junior cracked the Top-40 to earn All-American honors and become the program's highest individual finisher at the NCAA Championships.
 
Kemboi placed 35th out of a field of 245 runners and earned All-American honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Eldoret, Kenya native finished the 9.56K - shortened from 10K on Wednesday due to poor course conditions - with a time of 31:27.2.
 
"A fantastic race and a fantastic finish to a standout season for Job," said Laker head coach Mike Mead. "He did not let the conditions or the course dictate him. His mission was a Top-40 finish and that's just what he accomplished. Time was not relevant today. It was all about position."
 
Prior to the race, meet officials allowed the teams and individuals starting from the first six boxes, which included Kemboi, to move to the opposite side of the starting line because of standing water about 100 meters from the start. The decision may have saved Kemboi from a poor start and allowed him to gain position over the rest of the race.
 
With a strong enough start to be in 23rd place at the 2K mark, Kemboi was back to 43rd at the 5K and moved up to as high as 32nd in the last mile before the finish line. His placing is the highest Laker men's finish in program history, surpassing Fidelis Mutiso's mark of 82nd in 2009, and is the highest Clayton State cross country finish in an NCAA championship,  since Angela Cobb's 21st place finish in 2006. The highest individual program finish came in 2004 when Allison Kreutzer placed second.
 
Kemboi also continued a streak by becoming the third Clayton State cross country representative to compete at an NCAA Division II Fall Festival with Cobb (2006) and Mutiso (2010) being the previous two.
 
He closes a season that saw him win three of five competitions and finish second in the other two prior to today's championship meet. Kemboi won the Peach Belt Conference individual title this season and placed second at the NCAA Southeast Region meet. He completes the season owning the three fastest 8K times in team history, as well as three of the top four 10K times.