by Benny Benton
WINGATE, N.C. – Barton College sophomore Joel Lagat advanced to the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship on Saturday after recording a top-10 finish at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.
"I was happy. This season has been very good for me," Lagat said. "I wanted to be in the top 25 and make all-region, but I saw during the race that I had a chance to make the top 10 and I went for it."
Under rainy, muddy conditions, the Eldoret, Kenya, resident posted a 10K time of 33:33.6 to place eighth among a field of 160 runners at the Wingate Cross Country Facility. The mark was nearly a minute and a half better than his only previous run at that distance, which occurred last season in the South Regional while competing for Claflin University.
"The conditions were very extreme – bad weather, running in the mud, pools of water, slippery going uphill and downhill," Lagat said. "It's just about staying with the leading group. It felt like the 10K was an advantage, because a lot of people fell off after 8K."
Lagat gained all-region status with his top-10 showing, but more importantly, claimed one of the top five finishing spots among individuals not already on a team qualifying for the national meet. In doing so, he earned a spot in the National Championship, which will be hosted by Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., on November 21.
He is the first member of the men's cross country program at Barton to advance to nationals since Craig Eckstein in 2001, and the first Bulldog to do so since Ericka Skinner qualified while competing for the women's program in 2010.
"The whole race I was keeping track of him, and we realized about halfway (that he could qualify)," said sixth-year head coach Karen Godlock. "I was excited for him. Joel is just always very calm, and it's exciting to see how he's going to race. He has a very quiet confidence about him."
Lagat was joined in the regional meet by senior teammate Lashley Winter, who also finished in the top half of the field by placing 60th with a time of 36:11.0. They were the only two participants for Barton, who did not compete as a team.
Nationally-ranked University of Mount Olive won the meet with 52 points, followed by Mars Hill University with 89 points and Queens University with 104. All three programs will join Lagat in Missouri for the national meet.
