Rotich claims the title, Lion men third at East Texas Shootout.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce freshman Nicodemus Rotich recorded one of the quickest times in Lion cross country history, winning his second collegiate race with a time of 24:59.9 in the East Texas Shootout at Centennial Park on Friday evening.

POST-RACE COMMENTS FROM COACH TRENTON PHELPS

 MEN’S RACE

Defending Lone Star Conference Runner and Freshman of the Week Rotich (Eldoret, Kenya) won the 8-kilometer race by just over 22 seconds over DBU’s Noah Metzger, going two-for-two in collegiate cross country races. 

The Lions took third on the team leaderboard with 66 points behind UT Tyler’s 32 points and Dallas Baptist’s 48 points. 

Oscar Leyva (Sherman) earned a top ten finish in sixth place at 25:41.4, improving by a minute and five seconds over the last weeks at DBU. 

Timon Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) and Tanner Townsend (Royse City) were consecutive placers in the top 20, with Kemboi placing 17th at 26:10.9 and Townsend placing 18th at 26:13.6. 

Cooper Miller (Big Spring) placed 27th at 27:01.0, and Marshall Pate (Kaufman) placed 35th at 27:48.06. 

TEAM SCORES

1. UT Tyler, 32

2. Dallas Baptist, 48

3. A&M-COMMERCE, 66

4. Cameron, 82

5. Jacksonville College, 154

6. Arkansas-Rich Mountain, 165

7. Central Baptist, 214 

WOMEN’S RACE

LeeAsha Madison (Lancaster) led the Lions – who had four individuals competing in the 5-kilometer race – with a time of 21:10.3 to finish in the top 20 in 18th place. 

Yenifer Martinez (Irving – Nimitz) was also in the top 20 in 19th place at 21:14.7, followed by Kaitlyn King (Frisco – Wakeland) in 22nd place at 21:50.6 and Evelyn Brown (Paris) in 24th at 21:57.4. 

UPCOMING

The race marks the halfway point of the season for A&M-Commerce, who will next compete in the Angelo State Blue & Gold Classic on Friday, October 16, in San Angelo.

Shillow named a semifinalist for NFF’s Campbell Trophy.

IRVING – Named as one of a record 199 national semifinalists for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is Texas A&M University-Commerce scholar-athlete Alex Shillow. 

The NFF is celebrating its 31st year. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership. The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, they will declare one member of the class as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue. 

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility. They must have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Each year, the NFF Awards Committee selected the class, which comprises a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers, and athletics administrators. 

Shillow has distinguished himself on the field, classroom, and the community during his A&M-Commerce career. In January, they elected him to his second term as the National Chair of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He has served as the A&M-Commerce SAAC president, which has won the last three LSC SAAC Cups and selected to reveal multiple Make-A-Wish recipients. He was a 2019 and 2020 nominee for the American Football Coaches’ Association’s Good Works Team and recipient of the NACDA John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. 

They honored him as a CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-America, the Lone Star Conference’s Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year, and the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year in football for his work in the 2019 season. He graduated summa cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in sports management in August 2019. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Business Administration and will return for his final season of competition when the Lions retake the field. 

He has been named to the President’s List four times, Dean’s List two times, LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll eight times, and a D2ADA Academic Achievement Award three times. 

On the field, Shillow has been named Second Team All-LSC in 2019 and 2017 with 159 tackles, four interceptions, 17 passes defended, three fumble recoveries, and 5.5 tackles for loss in 36 games over three seasons. The Lions went 35-7 in Shillow’s three seasons on the field with an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2017, Super Region Four final appearance in 2019, and three overall playoff appearances. 

Shillow is one of 20 Division II nominees, one of two from the Lone Star Conference, one of 18 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, and one of 12 from institutions in Texas. 

For more information on the Campbell Trophy and this year’s semifinalists, please CLICK HERE.