ANCHORAGE ? Alaska Anchorage cross country and track & field coach Michael Friess announced Monday the addition of two Kenyan runners to the Seawolf roster for the 2008-2009 season. Signing university scholarship agreements are Marko Cheseto Lemtukei and Alfred Kangogo, who will both compete in cross country and track at UAA.
“These two athletes will significantly improve our team and culminate perhaps our best recruiting class ever,” Friess said. “We certainly have potential. Now it comes down to us training correctly and building steadily towards the regional championships in November.”
Lemtukei, a graduate of Chewoyet High School in Kapenguria, Kenya, will have three years of eligibility with the Seawolves and will focus on running the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He recently ran five kilometers at 6,000 feet elevation on a dirt track in 14 minute and 30 seconds.
Kangogo has range to run the 1,500 to 10,000 meters and will have four years of eligibility at UAA. The native of Eldoret, Kenya, recently clocked a time of 3:54 over 1,500 meters on the same track that Lemtukei ran his impressive 5K.
The UAA roster now features six runners from the East African nation known for its dominance in long-distance athletics.
The addition of the duo brings UAA's 2008-09 recruiting class total to 11, as they join previous signees Mychaela Bailey (Anchorage), Jaime Bronga (Anchorage), Will Estes (Anchorage), Thomas Hill (Thunder Bay, Ontario), Shoshana Keegan (Anchorage), Lauren Laichak (Anchorage), Jacob Parisien (Palmer), James Pettigrew (Melbourne, Australia) and Stephanie Trenholm (Campbell River, B.C.).
