Kosgei Gets Long Overdue Trip Home

Kosgei '12

            On a bright September morning senior Derick Kosgei takes off from the starting line at the Guilford X-C Carnival and a little over 16 minutes later he crosses the finish line with a very solid fourth-place finish, one that helps Guilford’s cross country team win its season-opening meet.

            A little less than a month later, Kosgei is on a plane back to Kenya for the first time in four years after the passing of his grandmother.

            Part of the reason he hadn’t been home sooner is the expensive trip. In order to make this trek, head cross country coach Bill Cason coordinated the fundraising effort, relying mostly on Facebook.

            “It started on a Wednesday night I just sent out some Facebook messages to some friends and a post on the Guilford Track & Field Facebook page,” said Cason.

            Someone at the Greensboro News & Record picked up on the news and ran a story the following day. The money started flowing in from multiple sources.

            “The phone just started ringing and the first guy who called asked how much money we had, about $150, and I said we needed about $2,000, and he said he’d have the check over shortly,” said Cason.

             “It was good to go home, even though everyone was mourning. It was still good to go back,” said Kosgei.

            The trip back home gave Kosgei an opportunity to reflect on what it’s like to live in America as opposed to Africa. “The infrastructure here is much better. The roads, and the technology are better than home too,” said Kosgei.

            Kosgei first went to school at East Central College in Oklahoma then transferred to Guilford. He came to America to run and to get his education.

 “A friend of mine got me into running,” said Kosgei.

            “His brother ran in America and he told me I could be good since I was a better athlete than him.” Kosgei took to running like a fish to water and came across the Atlantic to test his skills.

Since coming to Guilford Kosgei’s hard work earned him 2010 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Runner of the Year and First Team All-ODAC honors. He was also Guilford’s first contestant in the Division III Cross Country National Championships.

Kosgei running at the Guilford X-C Carival

Cason collected $3,000 the day after Kosgei’s story broke, and after the collection was over, he had enough money for multiple trips to Africa, $3,775 in total.

            “The man who donated first was a Guilford grad who hadn’t been back on campus since he graduated. He brought the money over himself, so that was pretty special,” Cason said.

            Kosgei looks ahead to the future with lofty goals and optimism. “My main goal this season is to go to nationals and be an All-American”.

            As for life after Guilford Kosgei plans on staying the course both in his education and running. “I want to go to graduate school and continue to run, maybe run in some competitions,” said Kosgei.

            No matter what lies ahead Kosgei’s trip home was a long overdue homecoming for a young man who spent far too many nights away.

Mercier Making Strides on the Long Road to the Pros

Mercier '14

Sophomore Tyler Mercier has always had to work for things in his life on and off the tennis court. This kid is the best tennis player at Guilford and he's paying his own way through college. Coming from a working-class background in Omaha, Neb., Mercier began working at an early age in various capacities.

 "I worked at Applebee's and other restaurants. I also shucked corn," said Mercier. Mercier's work in the fields of the great Midwest taught him the value of hard work and self-reliance. It also taught him to dream big.

"I plan to go pro (after I graduate)," said Mercier, who has enjoyed his time at Guilford and used the time to work on his game and have new experiences at College.

"Guilford really showed me that I need to get my stuff together, because at home I didn’t really have the tools to succeed," said Mercier, who is also getting a job here in Greensboro.

His work ethic extends to the offseason. Mercier, for financial reasons, cannot go home during the summer and has only been home for about two weeks since he came to Guilford. Instead, he travels to Gainsville, Fla. to live with his aunt and work on his game. Paying for practice space in the Midwest is exorbitant and Mercier can ill afford to waste money, so the arrangements work out.

Mercier, who has a brother and sister who both play college tennis, had a shot to play tennis at the University of Oregon at Eugene, his sentimental first choice, but came to Guilford because he wanted to be the number-one player and because of the influence of head coach Dave McCain.

"He found me on a website and I flew out here for a visit," said Mercier. McCain is a huge part of the reason Mercier chose Guilford as McCain's expertise and experience as a coach appeal to him. McCain helped Mercier excel last year as he won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Award and finished with a 12-3 record as the Quakers’ top singles and doubles player. His goals for this year, however, are even higher.

"I really want to go undefeated," said Mercier. The goal was dashed, however, this past weekend at the ITA Division III South Region Championship where Brian Kowalski of Emory exposed Mercier’s weaknesses on the court, his tendency to take too many risks and let opponents get in his head.

“He faced a guy who just didn’t miss,” said McCain. “Tennis is a game of confidence, once you lose that then it’s tough to win.”

McCain’s praises Mercier’s physical game saying, “ He hits the ball really, really well, we’re trying to get him to open up the court and hit smarter shots.”

McCain also feels that Mercier has a shot at the pros, but that it will be an uphill battle as his mental toughness catches up with his physical toughness.

“About three players playing college tennis play on the tour (each year),” said McCain. He says that as long as Mercier keeps his cool on the court that he will get a shot at going pro.

But for a kid coming from Omaha who came to Guilford with a dollar and a dream, a shot is all he can ask for.

Story by Will Cloyd