Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, June 12
Fayetteville, AR
TBD
Eastern Michigan University
at
NCAA Championships
Josh Karanja Earns All-American Honors in Steeplechase
6/12/2009 10:02:47 PM | Men's Track & Field
The senior distance standout earns his first career honor
Photo Gallery
Results
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Eastern Michigan University senior distance ace, Josh Karanja (Ottawa, Ont.-Nepean) ended his collegiate running career on a high note, Friday evening, June 12, on the third day of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He finished in the top 12 from Wednesday's preliminary race to qualify for Friday's championship race.
“It was great to finish sixth and earn All-American honors,” said Karanja. “That was the first goal, to become an All-American and the second was to finish as high as I can. It was a perfect way to end my career here at EMU. I've always been a great athlete at EMU but never really won a MAC title till this year so this was a perfect way to end it.”
The Ottawa, Ont. native and Mid-American Conference Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, stayed with the lead pack for the entirety of the race before Brigham Young's Kyle Perry began to break away from the pack with two laps to go. Perry would eventually win the race but despite being boxed in at times during the race, Karanja would hold on to finish sixth with a time of 8:40.16, just off his personal-best of 8:37.20. With his sixth-place finish, Karanja earns his first-career All-Amiercan honor and finished ahead of Louisville's Corey Thorne who beat him at the Mideast Regional Championship two weeks ago.
“It certainly was a thrill and very rewarding to have an athlete conclude his careeer at the NCAA Championships with and All-American honors,” said distance coach John Goodridge who made the trip with Karanja. Karanja becomes Goodridge's third student-athlete to earn five All-American steeplechase awards since coming to EMU in 2001.
Karanja becomes Eastern Michigan's 132nd track and field NCAA/NAIA All-American and the Eagles' first since Corey Nowitzke earned the honors in the steeplechase in 2007. Additionally, he became EMU's first and only All-American in any sport during the 2008-09 school year.
With the All-American honors added to his list of accomplishments, Karanja's name will be added to the long list of decorated track and field student-athletes at Eastern Michigan. He was a 10-time All-MAC selection, five-time MAC Track/Cross Country Athlete of the Week, five-time Academic All-MAC selection, four-time NCAA All-Regional honoree, four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, two-time MAC Champion and two-time MAC Co-Most Valuable Performer.
Josh Karanja's Career Honors
All-American
• 2009 Steeplechase
Two-Time MAC Champion
• 2009 Steeplechase, 2008 XC
Two-Time MAC Co-MVP
• 2008 Indoor, 2009 Outdoor
Four-Time NCAA Qualifier
• 2007, 2009 Steeplechase
• 2005, 2007 XC
Four-Time NCAA All-Regional
• 2007 XC
• 2007- 2009 Steeplechase
10-Time All-MAC
• 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 First-Team XC
• 2009 First-Team Out. Track
• 2006, 2007, 2008 Second-Team Ind. Track
• 2007-2008 Second-Team Out. Track
Five-Time Academic All-MAC
• 2007 XC
• 2008-2009 Ind. Track
• 2008-2009 Out. Track
Five-Time MAC Track/Cross Country Athlete of the Week
• Feb. 4, 2009
• Oct. 22, 2008
• Oct. 8, 2008
• Oct. 2, 2007
• Sept. 25, 2007
MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week
• March 7, 2008
3,000-meter Steeplechase Top-Eight Results
1. Kyle Perry, Brigham Young 8:29.24
2. Hillary Bor, Iowa State 8:35.12
3. Stephen Lisgo, Butler 8:35.49
4. Jake Morse, Texas 8:38.25
5. Scott MacPherson, Ark. :38.87
6. Josh Karanja, E. Michigan 8:40.16
7. Corey Thorne, Louisville 8:45.86
8. Kyle Heath, Syracuse 8:45.95
Results
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Eastern Michigan University senior distance ace, Josh Karanja (Ottawa, Ont.-Nepean) ended his collegiate running career on a high note, Friday evening, June 12, on the third day of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He finished in the top 12 from Wednesday's preliminary race to qualify for Friday's championship race.
“It was great to finish sixth and earn All-American honors,” said Karanja. “That was the first goal, to become an All-American and the second was to finish as high as I can. It was a perfect way to end my career here at EMU. I've always been a great athlete at EMU but never really won a MAC title till this year so this was a perfect way to end it.”
The Ottawa, Ont. native and Mid-American Conference Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, stayed with the lead pack for the entirety of the race before Brigham Young's Kyle Perry began to break away from the pack with two laps to go. Perry would eventually win the race but despite being boxed in at times during the race, Karanja would hold on to finish sixth with a time of 8:40.16, just off his personal-best of 8:37.20. With his sixth-place finish, Karanja earns his first-career All-Amiercan honor and finished ahead of Louisville's Corey Thorne who beat him at the Mideast Regional Championship two weeks ago.
“It certainly was a thrill and very rewarding to have an athlete conclude his careeer at the NCAA Championships with and All-American honors,” said distance coach John Goodridge who made the trip with Karanja. Karanja becomes Goodridge's third student-athlete to earn five All-American steeplechase awards since coming to EMU in 2001.
Karanja becomes Eastern Michigan's 132nd track and field NCAA/NAIA All-American and the Eagles' first since Corey Nowitzke earned the honors in the steeplechase in 2007. Additionally, he became EMU's first and only All-American in any sport during the 2008-09 school year.
With the All-American honors added to his list of accomplishments, Karanja's name will be added to the long list of decorated track and field student-athletes at Eastern Michigan. He was a 10-time All-MAC selection, five-time MAC Track/Cross Country Athlete of the Week, five-time Academic All-MAC selection, four-time NCAA All-Regional honoree, four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, two-time MAC Champion and two-time MAC Co-Most Valuable Performer.
Josh Karanja's Career Honors
All-American
• 2009 Steeplechase
Two-Time MAC Champion
• 2009 Steeplechase, 2008 XC
Two-Time MAC Co-MVP
• 2008 Indoor, 2009 Outdoor
Four-Time NCAA Qualifier
• 2007, 2009 Steeplechase
• 2005, 2007 XC
Four-Time NCAA All-Regional
• 2007 XC
• 2007- 2009 Steeplechase
10-Time All-MAC
• 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 First-Team XC
• 2009 First-Team Out. Track
• 2006, 2007, 2008 Second-Team Ind. Track
• 2007-2008 Second-Team Out. Track
Five-Time Academic All-MAC
• 2007 XC
• 2008-2009 Ind. Track
• 2008-2009 Out. Track
Five-Time MAC Track/Cross Country Athlete of the Week
• Feb. 4, 2009
• Oct. 22, 2008
• Oct. 8, 2008
• Oct. 2, 2007
• Sept. 25, 2007
MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week
• March 7, 2008
3,000-meter Steeplechase Top-Eight Results
1. Kyle Perry, Brigham Young 8:29.24
2. Hillary Bor, Iowa State 8:35.12
3. Stephen Lisgo, Butler 8:35.49
4. Jake Morse, Texas 8:38.25
5. Scott MacPherson, Ark. :38.87
6. Josh Karanja, E. Michigan 8:40.16
7. Corey Thorne, Louisville 8:45.86
8. Kyle Heath, Syracuse 8:45.95
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