WACO, Texas – Three Southeastern Louisiana student-athletes will compete Saturday in the NCAA South Central Regionals at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course. Senior
Henry Rop leads the group, following a third consecutive top ten finish at the Southland Conference Championships. He'll be joined by freshman
Joseph LeGrange and senior
Naomi Jeruto.
Rop needed 25:07.6 to complete the 8K course at the Southland meet on Oct. 28, giving him a sixth place result. The native of Kapsabet, Kenya, previously took fourth place in 2008, then ninth place in 2009.
“Henry doesn't want his season to end right now,” head coach
Sean Brady said. “The body of work he's put together in the last few years has been outstanding. He's got as good a shot as anyone to advance. Henry's comfortable running this (10K) distance. With the type of training he's been doing, it sets him up for this kind of race.”
LeGrange has had an exceptional rookie campaign. So far, his best day was at the Choctaw Open in Clinton, Miss., on Oct. 16. The freshman from Baton Rouge's Redemptorist High School took fourth place, running four miles in 21:24.71, to help the Southeastern men's team earn a meet championship. He also had a fantastic showing at the LSU Invitational on Sept. 25, taking eighth with a time of 25:58.90 in an 8K.
“For a Louisiana-based distance runner, Joseph is about as good as we've ever had,” Brady said. “Not many people have done this well as a freshman. We don't know yet how good he's going to be, but we'll get a better idea of the big picture after Saturday. He'll see great competition and get some outstanding experience.”
Jeruto has been top female finisher in every race for Southeastern this season. She took fourth place at the Azalea City Classic in Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 18, covering the 5K distance in 19:11.64. Another highlight was her eighth place effort at the Oct. 9 McNeese State Stampede, where she traversed 5K in 18:37.32.
The women's 6K event begins at 10 a.m., followed by a 10K for the men at 11 a.m. The top runners will advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 20.
