PEMBROKE — The trophy case for the Peach Belt Conference championship trophies at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke had to make room for two new pieces this weekend when the men’s and women’s track and field teams each brought home awards — a first-place finish for the men’s team and runner-up for the women’s.

The two trophies join the 2016 men’s cross country title hardware in the case, and all three have came under the direction of third-year coach Peter Ormsby. Coming into his tenure, Ormsby had a vision, but it took the additions over the past two seasons of assistant coaches Patrick Heckroth and former field athlete Hana Metzinger to accelerate the plan of claiming the first PBC track and field title in program history over the weekend.

“I think it was a three- to five-year plan and obviously the way the staff is going now it speeds up a lot of that plan,” Ormsby said. “The next step is taking is taking from a conference championship-level team to — we’re looking at trying to get double-digit people to nationals — the end goal of having a national team. The history of this program is so deep and the alumni love seeing us back winning championships and going to nationals. Anything we can do to keep that history going is what we strive to get.”

Leading the charge to the finishes were three individual award winners at the championship meet with the freshman pair of Silus Kipkoech and Kelsi Sheldon, along with junior Jeanna Cube. Kipkoech was named the male freshman and overall track Athlete of the Year, while Cube won female field Athlete of the Year and Sheldon won female freshman field Athlete of the year.

Kipkoech won the men’s 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:11.25 and the 10,000-meter in 32 minutes. Cube won the high jump, javelin and came in second overall in the heptathalon. Sheldon competed in each throwing event and took second in the discus.

“They each kind of started things off in different aspects,” Ormsby said. “I know Jeanna started things off with the multi (heptathalon) and to come runner up for the second year in a row. Silus on the guys side got us started with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meter and capped off Thursday night with a win in the 10,000 meter. Those are huge points that we got in those events and it’s good to see freshman big coming up big in their first conference championship.”

In his first semester at UNCP after coming in January to the US from Kenya, Kipkoech worked around to becoming adjusted to a new climate, but in the end won 6 of the 14 events he competed in this spring.

“As a freshman it is a difficult situation, but you adjust and I’ve tried to do my best,” he said. “I used to run events before when I was in Kenya so had no problem. I believed in myself.”

Originally set to go to Campbell University to run on the track team, Kipkoech ran into eligbility issues. The UNCP staff got in contact with him when his brother, a member of the US Army based in Fort Bragg, reached out to Ormsby.

“We knew coming in he was going to be pretty good,” Ormsby said. “We had some minor setbacks with him getting used to the weather here. In January and February it’s not very warm and he’s coming from 75 and 80 degrees year-round and here it is 25-30 degrees. He got sick a couple times and were trying to hit the nail on the head with training.

“For him to do what he’s done already, break a 39-year-old school record in indoor track and to quadruple during the conference championship week, spells volumes of what he can do and what he is yet to do. The best is yet to come when we get him on a full, year-round program, as apposed to two or three months.”

Kipkoech is one of several Braves that are on the brink of making it to the NCAA national championships on May 26-28 after reaching the provisional marks.

“After this year, I was fighting to get to nationals, but I don’t know if I will reach nationals. Maybe if I don’t, next year I know I will be there,” Kipkoech said. “I’m confident in myself.”

Among those that are looking to sure up provisional marks for nationals are: the men’s 4×100 meter relay team, Kory Jones in the long jump, Kipkoech in the 10,000 meter, Christian Ceccato and Javon Graham in 110 meter hurdles, Mike Powell in the 400 meter hurdles, Jamel Jefcoat and Devonte Norman in the triple jump and Jada Wallace in the women’s 100 meter.

Also picking up an individual accolade was Ormsby with his third Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year honor in as many years. He won the same award last fall as the men’s cross country team won the conference title and track and field coach of the year honors his first season. In the quick turnaround in his short tenure, Ormsby has seen a change culture with the two programs, but knows there’s still work to be done.

“I don’t think we are done changing the culture, but we’re making strides,” Ormsby said. “As we bring in better athletes and everybody buys in, we keep having success.

“The atmosphere in general has changed in the last two years with coach Heckroth so a lot of it I owe to him.”

UNCP Athletics UNCP distance runner Silus Kipkoech, left, won the 10,000 meter and 5,000 meter races at this weekend’s Peach Belt Conference championships en route to being named the conference’s overall and freshman track Athlete of the Year.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Silus2017425163226427.jpgUNCP Athletics UNCP distance runner Silus Kipkoech, left, won the 10,000 meter and 5,000 meter races at this weekend’s Peach Belt Conference championships en route to being named the conference’s overall and freshman track Athlete of the Year.

By Jonathan Bym

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Jonathan Bym can be reached at 910-816-1977. Follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_Bym.