David, Kapkiai take different paths to Murfreesboro

In many ways, Justus David and Lucy Kapkiai are very similar. They both hail from Kenya. They share many of the same hobbies – running, of course, being one of them. And they both have extremely vibrant personalities. But at the same time, their journeys – which led them to rewriting the Middle Tennessee cross country record books this season – are also very different. Kapkiai, a freshman from Eldoret, Kenya, is part of a trio of freshman Kenyans on this season's cross country teams. She was expected to be a key contributor to this year's women's cross country squad, but as is the case with many international student-athletes, there were still many questions about how she would perform while adjusting to life in America. "I was told while recruiting her that she was very good," said cross country head coach Dean Hayes. "However, she had no experience, so I was unsure exactly how good she could be this season." Many of those questions were answered early this season as she followed up an eighth-place finish at the season-opening Belmont Opener with consecutive individual titles at the PowerAde Invitational and Commodore Classic. "She started the season running really well," Hayes said. "Honestly, she began the year performing much better than I expected." She followed up her impressive start by finishing 11th at the challenging Greater Louisville Classic. The race removed the little doubt that remained about her abilities. "Even after her great start, her run in Louisville is what showed me that she was the real deal," said Hayes. "She had a great meet that day competing against such a large field for the first time." After collecting another individual title at the Front Runner Invitational on Oct. 15, she then captured a runner-up finish at the Sun Belt Championships. She concluded her season by finishing 19th at the NCAA South Regionals on Nov. 12. Despite narrowly missing out on a spot in the NCAA Championship meet, Kapkiai's freshman campaign will still rank among the best in school history. "This was a wonderful season for me," said Kapkiai. "I ran very well and had lots of fun overall." Meanwhile, David, a senior from Kitui, Kenya, entered the 2011 cross country season with few questions. He was expected to be good, but just how good remained to be seen. "I knew he was going to have a great season," Hayes said. "But to do all that he did this season is quite an accomplishment." David began his career at Morgan State in January of 2009. He put together a dominant freshman season on the track, breaking numerous school records in both the indoor and outdoor seasons on his way to being named the school's male athlete of the year. "I really enjoyed competing in both indoor and outdoor track," said David. "I was able to put together a great freshman season at Morgan State." Running cross country for the first time, David admittedly struggled with the adjustment from the track to the outdoor paths. The Kenya native was still able to post a terrific season on the course, though, as he accumulated four individual meet titles including taking the crown at the MEAC Championships. "While I ran pretty well, I honestly had a bit of a tough time adjusting to cross country," he said. "Coming from Kenya, the cold weather had an effect on me." At the conclusion of the cross country campaign, David decided to transfer to Central Arizona Community College. In the 2010 outdoor track season, the standout runner won the NJCAA 1,500-meter championship while helping the Vaqueros claim a runner-up team finish. He followed that up with another impressive cross country season as he placed third at the national meet. "After leaving Morgan State, I was forced to go to a junior college," he said. "Luckily, I ended up at Central Arizona and had a great experience. I was trained by great coaches and was surrounded by great teammates and I had a great year." David was once again on the move following his successful year at Central Arizona, this time choosing to come to Murfreesboro to be part of the Blue Raider track & field program. And much like at his previous schools, he did not waste much time to make a name for himself. He capped a terrific season by taking victory in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 meters at the Sun Belt Championships. "We could not have asked for more from him during the indoor season," said Hayes. "He simply dominated from the start of the season to the finish." Not surprisingly, David backed up his stellar cross country campaigns at Morgan State and Central Arizona with similar results on the course this season. He compiled three individual titles and a total of six top-five finishes this year. David culminated his historic season by placing 97th at this week's NCAA Championships. The finish was the best for a Blue Raider male at the Championships in school history. The performance also officially stamped his season as perhaps the best ever at Middle Tennessee. "I really enjoyed running cross country this year," David said. "Coach Hayes and Coach Vroman helped me a lot, and I had a really good season." David and Kapkiai took two contrasting paths from their native Kenya to Murfreesboro. The paths they trekked in 2011 place them in a special place in Blue Raider cross country lore.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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