FORT DODGE, IA – Zach Rose (FR, Escanaba, MI) finished the NJCAA Division 2 National Championship race in just 15 seconds off of his best time to come in 60 out of 145 runners on Saturday afternoon.

"The course had more hills then we expected," said Head Coach Jim Murtha.  "It was cold, but Zach did an excellent job.  He started off strong and kept passing runners in front of him, and never got passed by anyone else.  All in all it was a great effort, and a great experience."

Rose finished the 8K course in 28:23.31.  His personal best time of 28:08.4 came in Muskegon, MI at the Jayhawk Invitational on November 17.  Although he did not top his goal of a sub 28 time, Zach was pleased with his results.

"It was a totally new experience," Rose continued.  "I have never seen anything like it.  There were so many people and runners there.  Going into the first mile marker there was such a big crowd there cheering us on, it was a really cool experience.  A lot different then what I expected."

"He is an extremely hard worker," said Coach Murtha.  "We got to the hotel, and he had to work out, we woke up in the morning, he worked out.  It was great to see a someone that puts that much work into it go and do well.  It was a fun trip."

"It was definitely something I will never forget," said Rose.  "I really enjoyed it, and it is motivation to work for another trip to Nationals next year for sure."

The NJCAA Division 2 race winner was North Iowa Area Community College's Melvin Kipkemboi (FR, Rift Valley, Kenya).  He finished the race with a  time of 24:58.77.

North Iowa Area Community College also was the winning team in Division 2, collecting just 57 points.