FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2013
Courtesy of The Springfield Republican, Written by Garry Brown
In his native land of Kenya, Glarius Rop (pictured in yellow) began distance running as a seventh-grader. By the time he reached high school, he had become so good at the sport, he could see it as a way to America.
"That is a goal for many – to go to the land of opportunity," he said.
Kenyan distance runners who want to chase the American dream have two options. They can become professionals and try to win prize money on the marathon circuit. Or, they can try for a college scholarship.
"It's the bread-winning thing, seeking a way to support a family," Rop said.
He chose the scholarship route, because he was a good student and saw the value of education.
During his senior year in Eldoret, Kenya, one of his coaches had him ready to attend New York Institute of Technology on a cross country scholarship.
"But there was trouble. In July, they stopped communicating with me. I was getting nervous because I was supposed to be starting college in a month," Rop said.
The silent treatment from NYIT led him to Leo Mayo, a young coach at American International College who knew of Rop through his recruiting contacts.
"Glarius was anxious to find a school to attend, and I wanted athletes. It was a perfect match. I knew of him because Kenyan coaches recommend the good kids. In international recruiting, you need a certain amount of trust. And I felt I could trust Glarius when he sent me the times he was running in Kenya," Mayo said.
That trust has resulted in a remarkable career for Rop – a combined total of 10 All-America certificates in cross country and track, and the honor of receiving the President's Cup as AIC's most outstanding senior student-athlete.
Ever since his arrival in Springfield, he has been the anchor of a track and field program that has grown and prospered since it began only seven years ago.
Rop received his undergraduate degree in psychology Sunday, but his college career isn't over. Rather, it extends into this week when he and three other Yellow Jackets compete in the NCAA Division II nationals, hosted by Colorado State at its DeRose Thunderbowl in Pueblo.
Along with Rop, Mayo will be taking freshman Michael Biwott, another distance runner from Kenya; and women's team members Brittany Bryant, a freshman long jumper from New Windsor, N.Y.; and Jeptui Cherutich, a junior distance runner from ... yes, Kenya.
"Michael and Jeptiu wanted to be here at AIC because of Glarius. He is a role model for them – top athlete, 3.0 student," Mayo said.
Rop, all of 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds, has shown he can run with the best collegians in the nation. Proof of that came April 25, when he won the 10,000-meter race at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
"Glarius beat everybody – runners from all college divisions – and Michael finished second. That was quite an achievement for our program," Mayo said.
Rop won in 28:58.2, the fastest time nationally in Division II this year. It was well under the national qualifying standard of 29:19.24.
"I am the first in my family to do distance running. To be an All-American 10 times is something I had no idea of when I arrived at AIC," Rop said.
"Adjusting to college here was not easy. I know English, but I had some difficulty communicating at first. By the second semester, I felt like part of the AIC community. There is a lot to like about this school, a family closeness among the students, coaches, faculty and administrators."
Rop plans to stay at AIC to pursue an advanced degree in occupational therapy. He'll devote some time as a volunteer coach, working with the younger runners on the team.
He also hopes to run professionally. In that regard, he has a role model of his own in Philemon Terer, a fellow Kenyan whom he met last year at the Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race. Terer has been running professionally for three years, while training in Amherst with coach Bob Rosen.
"I feel that I will have 10 years to run (as a professional) and I want to balance that with continuing my education," Rop said.
As for the nationals, Mayo has high expectations for his athletes.
"I challenge them to be the best," he said. "Do that, and I can see what they're made of. Glarius has shown us a lot."
Mayo, a former Central Connecticut State University distance runner, came to AIC after three years as a high school coach in Bloomfield, Conn. He stepped into dual roles – coaching men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's track.
"When I ran in college, we didn't have a track on campus, so I was familiar with that situation when I came to AIC – a track team without a track," Mayo said.
With the college's president, Vincent Maniaci, determined to build up track and field as varsity sports for both men and women, it took only three years after Mayo's arrival for AIC to unveil its new outdoor track.
The college's athletic director, Rich Bedard, has been very supportive of Mayo and his program. He makes it a point to attend all Northeast-10 Conference championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
"We have had one national champion (Dominic Smith in the 400-meter indoor meet of 2012), but we haven't had a national team champion yet, so our program still has plenty of room to grow," Mayo said.
Another national individual championship for AIC? Keep an eye on Glarius Rop, running the 10,000 Thursday and the 5,000 Saturday.
He has traveled 7,200 miles from home, and he still has a long way to go.
