by Benny Benton
JOPLIN, Mo. – Barton College sophomore Joel Lagat shaved 42 seconds off of his previous best 10K performance on Saturday while placing 203rd among 246 competitors in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
The Eldoret, Kenya, resident earned a spot in the national championships with a top-10 time of 33:33 at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional two weeks ago, and improved significantly upon that mark on the national stage while running under chilly, windy conditions at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
"I didn't know exactly what to expect," Lagat said. "I just wanted to go out and do my best. It was a tough course and very, very cold, which didn't help at all. But I enjoyed my time at the championships."
Lagat's time of 32:51 placed him ahead of 10 other runners from the Southeast Region competing on qualifying teams for University of Mount Olive, Mars Hill University and Queens University.
"He wanted to finish in the top half, but he did reach one goal of a new PR," said sixth-year head coach Karen Godlock. "It was a good experience for him, and hopefully will provide more motivation to keep coming back. He's still young and has a lot he can achieve."
Alfred Chelanga of Shorter University won the individual national title with a time of 29:24.6. Colorado School of Mines claimed the team title.
Lagat was the first Barton runner to compete in the national championships since Craig Eckstein in 2001.
