Cross Country Head Coach Inez Turner chose Andrew Chebii as the recipient of this issue’s Game Ball. Coach Turner described Andrew as her best runner.
“He is just amazing,” she said.
“He’s a very talented and hardworking runner.”
Chebii, a senior from Kenya, has won the past two CIAA Individual Cross Country championships.
He has broken numerous records, both at Winston-Salem State, and in Men’s Cross Country as a whole.
In WSSU’s first meet of the season Sept. 6, Chebii won the race, running a 28-minute 8k. This is a great time for anyone, but Turner said, it’s just a warm-up for Andrew.
Q: How did you feel when you found out that coach Turner chose you for this issue’s Game Ball?
Chebii: I was really happy. Last year we lost the championship by just a little bit. We are really trying to make sure the team is together to bring the championship back home. It gives me more motivation to make sure the team is on the right track.
Q: What type of teammate do you try to be on and off the course? What do you try to do to help get everyone involved?
Chebii: The only certain way I can look to help the team is to make sure we change our running formula, especially during competition.
I usually tell my teammates to run as a group and to look to see how far other competitors are from us. It is about teamwork.
Q: Do you have any superstitions or routines you go through before a race?
Chebii: I usually just wait to win. The only thing I do is tell myself ‘I must win.’
Q: You have won the past two CIAA championships as an individual. What’s it going to take for you to win it for the third time in a row?
Chebii: I usually don’t put my focus on that. I normally focus on my team.
Right now, I’m focusing on our national qualification. Individually, I’m going to win by far.
Nobody’s going to be close