Kosgei named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year
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Men's Cross Country
Posted: 11/08/2011 | Last updated: November 8, 2011 at 02:56 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior Evans Kosgei was named the 2011 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league Tuesday. Kosgei previously won the award in 2009. The Moiben, Kenya native has been Lehigh’s front runner all year long and has not only been successful on the course, but in the classroom as well.
Kosgei has a 3.81 cumulative GPA in computer science. He is a three-time Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award winner (2009, 10, 11) and he has been named to the Dean’s List every semester at Lehigh. He was named a P.C. Rossin Engineering Fellow in 2009 and he was Lehigh’s Undergraduate Merit Award winner in 2010. He also was the 2011 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete. He is now a four-time member of the Academic All-Patriot League Team, having earned nods in cross country twice and indoor and outdoor track and field once each.
On the course, Kosgei finished fourth this season at the Patriot League Cross Country Championships, and he was the runner-up in 2009 and 2010. At the Paul Short Run, Cross Country’s biggest race of the year, Kosgei finished 10th overall out of 402 runners with a time of 24:25, which was the second-fastest time ever run on the 8K Goodman Campus Course. Kosgei’s finish was also the best by a Mountain Hawk in the race since 2006 and led Lehigh to its best team finish (20th) since 2008.
Two weeks later at the competitive Penn State National Invitational, Kosgei placed second overall with a time of 26:18 and was the first scoring runner to cross the finish line (the runner who placed first was unattached and was a professional runner training to try to make the Olympic Trials).
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
Kosgei is joined on the Academic All-Patriot League Team by American sophomore John Pope, Army senior Michael Mitchell, Bucknell senior Dan Dillon, Colgate junior Chris Johnson and Navy seniors James Pearson and Cody Rome.
Kosgei and the rest of the Mountain Hawks will head to Princess Anne, Md. Saturday for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers at 11 a.m. Lehigh placed 15th at the even last year while Kosgei finished 13th and became the first ever men’s qualifier in the new selection format as well as Lehigh’s first runner to compete at NCAA’s since Jen Schappert in 2005
At the qualifying race Saturday, the top two teams and four individuals per region automatically qualify while teams and individuals (who finish in the Top 25) are eligible for at-large bids.
Lehigh is currently ranked No. 10 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.