SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, January 18—Anthony Rotich led the way for the U.S. Army men’s team at the USATF Cross Country Championships, pulling away on the final 2K loop to score a convincing win in 30:35.8 over the 10K course. That keyed a 15-point winning total for the military squad. The runner-up for the second-straight year, Emmanuel Bor finished more than 20 seconds back in 30:57.5, with Lawi Lalang 3rd in 31:00.0.
“The race was a little bit tough,” said Rotich. “I knew I could work with my teammates for victory and that’s what we did.” The 28-year-old Kenyan native has been an American citizen since February ’19; he had been a 3-time NCAA steeple champ for UTEP.
The women also ran 10K this year, and Texas A&M alum Natasha Rogers battled with Syracuse alum Paige Stoner for the first 4 laps before breaking free on the final loop to win in 35:22.2. Stoner took 2nd in 35:42.7, ahead of Carrie Verdon’s 36:01.6 for 3rd.
“That last lap I knew I just had to make the tiniest little surge,” said Rogers. “Once you do that sometimes you can just hold it.” The Olympic Trials 10K runner-up in ’12—despite falling early in the race—Rogers did not have the standard to compete in the London Games. In recent years she had virtually dropped out of the sport. Now 28, she is back training with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. “I’m on a vendetta,” she said. “I should have made the team in 2012. That’s my huge goal, that’s why I wanted to come back to running.”
A U.S. Army team won on the women’s side too, beating squads from the Navy, Air Force and Marines (the only scoring teams entered).
The Junior (U20) boys race was won by Northern Arizona redshirt Corey Gorgas in 25:44.8 for 8K. Second was Michigan prep Evan Bishop (East Grand Rapids) in 26:21.6. The Junior girls 6K was dominated by Brooke Rauber, whose 22:11.0 put her 36 seconds ahead of runner-up Rayna Stanziano.
The races were a qualifier for the Pan-Am Cup, to be held February 29 in Victoria, British Columbia.
USATF CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS
San Diego, California, January 18—
Senior Men (10K)
1. Anthony Rotich (Nike/USAr) 30:36; 2. Emmanuel Bor (Nike/USAr) 30:58; 3. Lawi Lalang (Nike/USAr) 31:00; 4. Dillon Maggard (Hoka) 31:08; 5. Nicholas Hauger (HokaNAZE) 31:08; 6. Matt Welch (Az) 31:22; 7. Michael Jordan (Nike/USAr) 31:28; 8. David Goodman (BouTC) 31:34; 9. Tai Dinger (Wi) 31:50; 10. Connor McMillan (Ut) 31:54;
11. Macdonard Ondara (USAr) 32:01; 12. Andrew Wacker (Co) 32:19; 13. Joe Moore (KCSm) 32:21; 14. Frankline Tonui (Nike/USAr) 32:23; 15. Connor Winter (Co) 32:25; 16. Kyle King (USMC) 32:38; 17. Steven Grolle (PeninsulaDC) 32:43; 18. Jesse Young (NEDist) 32:46; 19. Austen Dalquist (RootsRP) 32:49; 20. Joshua Espinoza (CalC) 32:57.
Junior Men (8K)
1. Corey Gorgas (NnAz) 25:45; 2. Evan Bishop (Mich) 26:22; 3. Bridger Altice (UtSt) 26:39; 4. Alex Comerford (Syr) 26:41; 5. Gabe Simonsen (Okla) 27:15; 6. Jacob Harris (Tol) 27:17; 7. Javien Hale (ND) 27:40; 8. Lucas Chung (StM) 27:53; 9. Daniel Beam (NM) 28:03; 10. Deshawn Goodwin (Wings) 28:11.
Senior Women (10K)
1. Natosha Rogers (Colo) 35:45; 2. Paige Stoner (ReebBos) 36:07; 3. Carrie Verdon (BouTC) 36:24; 4. Sarah Pease (Ois) 36:39; 5. Grace Graham-Zamudi (CalC) 36:58; 6. Danielle Shanahan (HokaNnAzE) 37:01; 7. Tansey Lystad (Co) 37:12; 8. Calene Morris (Janes) 37:24; 9. Cleo Whiting (BouTC) 37:28; 10. Catarina Rocha (OceanStAC) 37:32;
11. Caroline Alcorta (Va) 37:40; 12. Alia Gray (RootsRP) 37:50; 13. Clarissa Whiting (BouTC) 37:59; 14. Lindsay Carrick (USMC) 38:10; 15. Rachel Schilkowsky (MavTC) 38:37; 16. Carina Gillespie (USAF) 38:57; 17. Molly Callahan (Co) 39:04; 18. Rachel Viger (USN) 39:49; 19. Andrea Condie (Ca) 39:51; 20. Selina Sekulic (Ut) 40:09.
Junior Women (6K)
1. Brooke Rauber (NY) 22:11; 2. Rayna Stanziano (StM) 22:48; 3. Kalea Bartolotto (NWn) 23:10; 4. Bailey Brinkerhoff (UtSt) 23:18; 5. Sophia McDonnell (Brad) 23:23; 6. Abigail Osterlund (NWn) 23:25; 7. Justus Holden-Betts (Syr) 23:37; 8. Karlie Callahan (UtSt) 24:04; 9. Kayla Fortino (NWn) 24:06; 10. Kayla Byrne (NWn) 24:25.