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Life on the Run: Andrew Chebii enjoys success on road, in classroom
Photo Courtesy of WSSU
Andrew Chebii came to WSSU from Eldoret, Kenya.
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Published: October 26, 2009
Not everybody can get away with carrying an 18-inch Mickey Mouse trophy around a college campus. Andrew Chebii pulled it off easily.
Chebii, a 21-year-old freshman at Winston-Salem State, had a cross-country season to remember. And the highlight came in his final race -- a victory at the Walt Disney World Classic in Orlando, Fla.
That explains Mickey Mouse.
"Most of the races, you get a medal or a small trophy, but I liked this one," Chebii said of the Mickey Mouse trophy he carried across campus on his way to an interview. "I didn't mind telling people who asked me about the trophy."
In Orlando, Chebii ran the 8-kilometer course (4.9 miles) in a school-record 25 minutes, 22.40 seconds. The victory was his third in six races, and he finished each race in the top five.
"This was my first time running cross country in the United States," said Chebii, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, who has been in the United States since January. "I didn't know what to expect."
It took Chebii nearly three years to get to college in the United States. He started applying in 2006 and said he wound up applying to 168 schools.
He learned about WSSU through the Internet and was a good enough runner at Chebara Secondary School in Kenya to land a track scholarship. He's a nursing major who gets straight A's, and he says he has enjoyed every aspect of college life.
Chebii said that the WSSU coaches, namely Coach Halcyon Blake and assistant Karen Godlock, helped him tremendously on the nuances of running cross country. Chebii calls himself a middle-distance runner, and he concentrated on that last spring during track season.
Godlock -- who won three NCHSAA cross-country titles at Polk County High and three ACC titles at North Carolina -- said she wasn't surprised at Chebii's success.
"He's so goal oriented," Godlock said. "He's always planning what he wants to do, so he just puts his head down and does it."
Chebii said: "I've been very happy with my time here, and I'm especially happy with the coaching I've received because they've really helped me a lot. The coaching system they use here is almost like the coaching system I was in over in the athletics camps in Kenya."
Besides a long-term goal of running as a professional, Chebii is intent on receiving his degree. One day, he'd like to return to Kenya and work in nursing to help support his family.
"We are probably considered lower middle class over there," Chebii said.
He says that being away from family is the hardest part of being in college in the U.S., but he makes it a point to call home every two weeks. "I've had a lot of good news to tell them lately," he said.
Despite Chebii's success this fall, the WSSU coaches had to talk him into running cross country.
"My goal as a middle-distance runner is to get better and better," he said. "At the end of the outdoor meets in May, I sat down with the coaches, and they told me I have to run cross country to get prepared for the track seasons. And that's what I've done."
Now, he's looking forward to seeing how well he can do at 800 and 1,500 meters during the indoor track season, which will start in December.
Another bonus to running cross country for the personable Chebii is the number of people he has met. "Going out to the different meets and different places, I've gotten to know so many more people," he said. "That's been the best part of being over here."
jdell@wsjournal.com.
727-408
Chebii's season
RACE (DISTANCE) POS. TIME
UNC-Pembroke Invitational (8-K) 2nd 25:42.96
Salem College Invite (8-K) 1st 26:05.50
Wolfpack Invitational (5-K) 5th 14:52.00
Greensboro Invitational (8-K) 1st 25:29.10
Great American Festival (8-K) 2nd 24:16.00
Walt Disney World Classic (8-K) 1st 25:22.40
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