Charity Wachera, one of the most outstanding female distance runners at WVU, became the school’s first female cross country All-American in 1997.
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Competing at WVU from 1994-98, Wachera finished 11th with a time of 17:00 at the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships. At the time, that performance was the highest finish ever by a Mountaineer at the NCAA Championships. At the same event, she captured national attention for running all but the first 200 meters of the race without the benefit of her left shoe, earning recognition by CNN as the Sports Play of the Day. As a team captain, she also helped guide her team to WVU’s first-ever NCAA Cross Country Championships team appearance.
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At the time, she was one of only four athletes at WVU to earn All-America status in two different sports when she finished sixth with a time of 34:29.64 in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.
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The Nairobi, Kenya, native ended her WVU career with then-school records in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events.
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During her career, Wachera captured the 1995 Atlantic 10 3,000-meter championship and won the 10,000-meter run at the 1996 and 1997 ECAC Outdoor Championships. She won the 5,000 meters at the 1996 ECAC Indoor Championships with a time of 16:39.87.
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Wachera was a two-time NCAA qualifier in cross country (1995 and 1997). She was the 1994 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Freshman of the Year and won the Big East Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997. Wachera also earned All-Atlantic 10 honors and All-Big East honors during her career. She earned the Red Brown Cup and Fred Schaus Captains’ Award during her WVU career.
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Wachera graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdepartmental studies and with a master’s degree in community health education, completing both degrees in 4 ½ years. Additionally, she was a two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American at WVU.
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She was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and was named an inaugural member of the Mountaineer Legends Society in 2018.
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