Rotich Runs a Sub-Four Minute Mile

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State senior David Rotich set a goal for the Cyclone National Track and Field Qualifier: to run a sub-four minute mile.

He did just that, winning the mile race with a time of 3:59.50. The time is a new school record and Rotich is the fourth Cyclone in history to run under four minutes during the indoor season.

"We talked about the race and how the key would be to not get too excited because the pace would be there to go under four," said head men's distance coach Corey Ihmels.

Rotich stuck to the plan and paced himself throughout the race.

"The rabbit set a good pace and I was patient until the last 150 meters," Rotich said. "I just kicked it in at the end and it worked out fine."

His time is currently the sixth-fastest in the nation.

"He's worked really hard over the past couple of years and it was exciting to see it come to fruition today," Ihmels said. "He ran the time he wanted to and he erased me completely from the record books. It's really exciting."

Ihmels set the mile record in 1997 at 3:59.70 and Rotich broke Ihmels' 1,000-meter record at the Big 12 Championships last weekend.

The top seven runners in the mile met the provisional qualifying standard and Rotich's time was just off the NCAA automatic qualifying standard of 3:59.00.

He was competing against several of the top athletes in the nation.

"I was racing one of the fastest guys in the nation (Christian Smith, Kansas State) and he set a great pace to make sure the race was fast enough," Rotich said. "It felt great to come down to the line and win."

A native of Kenya, Rotich will have some special fans in the stands when he competes in the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., March 10-11.

"My mom and dad have never seen me run," Rotich said. "They'll be there to watch me run at nationals."

"He'll go to nationals to try and win; not just be an All-American and that's what you want to see," said men's head coach Steve Lynn.

Senior Tony Douglas earned a second-place finish in the long jump but tweaked a hamstring on his second run.

"He probably could have been an All-American indoors," Lynn said. "We're just not going to take that chance. It's his senior year and he wants to be a Big 12 champion, a Drake Relays champion and an All-American. If he's hurt, that's not going to happen."

"He had a great indoor season," said jumps coach Ron McEachran. "I'm pleased with him and he's going to jump really well outdoors."

Across the board, the Cyclones set personal-records and season bests. Junior Dan Taylor clocked a personal-best time of 4:08.29 in the mile.

The men's 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Eric Parker, James Robinson, Tony Stanfield and Elijah Braimah ran their best time of the season with a 3:13.06 clocking. Braimah also recorded a personal-best 400-meter time of 47.76.

Kellen Burl tied his personal-best of 8.06 in the preliminary race of the 60-meter hurdles.

"We're going to carry this momentum over to the outdoor season," Lynn said. "We'll have several guys qualify for the regional meet early in the season."

Ada Anderson turned in her second-best time of the season in the 800 meters (2:06.44). She clocked her best time at the Iowa State Classic (2:05.92) and currently has the eighth-fastest time in the nation.

After competing in the prelims and semis, hurdler Rebecca Williams finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with her best time of the day, 8.48.

April Fabert recorded a personal best in the high jump with a mark of 5-7 ?. She took third in the event. Jummy Alowonle leaped a second-mark of the season in the long jump (19-3 ?) to place third.

Athletes on the bubble will find out on Monday if they get to make the trip to Fayetteville for the NCAA Championships. Watch for all the Iowa State information at www.cyclones.com.

Players Mentioned

Elijah Braimah

Kellen Burl

Tony Douglas

Eric Parker

David Rotich

Tony Stanfield

Dan Taylor

Rebecca Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics