Kennedy Kithuka Brings Home 1st National Championship
By: Britton Drown - Texas Tech University
Updated: November 19, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
- Texas Tech junior Kennedy Kithuka put on a show Saturday afternoon at
E.P. Tom Sawyer Park on his way to capturing the NCAA Cross Country
individual championship in a familiar
dominant performance.
Kithuka,
who entered the race unbeaten in 2012, broke the course record
finishing first overall with a time of 28:31.3 in the 10,000-meter race
to become Texas Tech's first male NCAA Cross Country
Champion in school history.
"Once the race started, I knew I was ready to go." Kithuka said. "It was just a great race."
With
the performance, Kithuka becomes Tech's sixth overall national champion
in school history after becoming the first men's Big 12 Champion in
school history earlier this year.
"Kennedy
ran a perfect race," Texas Tech head cross country coach Jon
Murray said. "There was a race plan and he executed it to perfection. He
put the surges in at the right time and opened the
race justpast the halfway point. The rest of the race was just a
continued effort and keeping the tempo up."
On
the largest stage of the season, Kithuka outlasted a pair of Arizona
runners including defending national champion Lawi Lalang who entered
the race undefeated during his decorated cross country
career.
Kithuka
took his lead at the midway point of the race moving in front of Lalang
and fellow Arizona runner Stephen Sambu. Sambu finished second behind
Kithuka with a time of 28:38.6 while Lalang
finished third.
With
3,000-meters remaining in the race, Kithuka broke away from thepack for
good, separating himself from both Sambu and Lalang on his way to the
finish line.
"I am
extremely proud of Kennedy," Murray said. "He came into the meet as the
underdog and left as the champion. He just did a fantastic job of
representing Texas Tech."
The national championship is Kithuka's first of his career at the Division I
level after capturing 10 intrack and field and cross country at the NAIA level before transferring to Texas Tech.
