Trailblazer Track and Field runner Walter Tanui signs with Cumberland University

VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore Cross Country/Track and Field runner Walter Tanui (Eldoret, Kenya) signed his letter of intent Wednesday afternoon to continue his academic and athletic careers at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.

“I chose Cumberland because they have a really great athletics program,” Tanui said. “That is one of the things that really attracted me to that school. The academics at Cumberland are also very highly ranked, especially their nursing program, which I plan to join. The student community and the student life in general also seems to be really nice, which led me to choose to sign with them.”

Tanui has been a member of the Vincennes University Cross Country and Track and Field teams for the past three years.

Tanui’s best finish at a Cross Country meet came at the Heartland CC Invitational in September of 2020, when Walter placed 12th.

His personal best in the 8k Cross Country race came this past October at the Louisville Classic, where Tanui finished with a time of 27:54.

Tanui also competed in the NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past November, in Richmond Va.

“My time at Vincennes University has taught me a lot of things that I cannot even begin to mention,” Tanui added. “The main thing that VU taught me is patience. There are times where I have had injuries or seemed like I was not getting to where I wanted to be, but my teammates and especially the coaching from Coach Gafner, Coach Tyler and Coach Marty has instilled the value of patience and the spirit of persevering through tough times.”

“Vincennes has also taught me the value of teamwork,” Tanui said. “I am very glad that I got to work with a team of talented and like-minded individuals who crave success.”

“Walter is a great person to have around the team,” VU Assistant Track and Field Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “He gets along with all of his teammates and does a great job of supporting them. Even when he’s injured he’s always running around the course trying to cheer everybody on and make sure they have good races as well.”

“He’s been injured every now and then, but he’s done a really good job of fighting through that,” Steigenga added. “I’m excited to see what he can do to finish out this outdoor season and how that will carry on for him next year.”

Tanui has competed in several events during the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field seasons, including personal best times of 2:01.44 in the 800 meters, 4:31.23 in the 1500 meters and 4:39.77 in the Mile.

Tanui also set a personal best of 9:38.83 in the 3000 meters last year and set a time of 17:13.04 in the 5k at the George Glass Invitational two weeks ago.

“Walter is someone who really enjoys the longer distances,” Steigenga said. “He’s someone that is a hard worker and is always willing to put in the training and do whatever his coaches ask of him. Walter is very coachable and is a great teammate.”

“I am going to miss a lot of things about my time at VU,” Tanui said. “From the team of coaches (Gafner, Tyler and Marty) to my teammates, to my teammates, that is what I am going to miss the most as they have all become like family to me.”

“Another thing I am going to miss is the instructors and every staff member that I have interacted with at VU,” Tanui said. “The people from the surrounding community is also something I am going to miss.”

“I am going to miss working at the Rec Center, which allowed me to interact with so many people that I have become really good friends with over that time, especially Michael Taylor. In general, I don’t think there is any aspect of Vincennes University that I am not going to miss.”

Tanui adds his name to a long and storied list of Vincennes University Cross Country and Track and Field athletes to continue their careers at four-year schools, a tradition that the current coaches hope will continue for many years to come.

“For some people, Vincennes University is a great opportunity to see if they want to continue running in college,” Steigenga said. “For others, we can definitely help them take that next step to a four-year university or whatever path their running leads them on. It is exciting to continue the tradition of all the VU runners who have continued on to four-year colleges and universities.”

“One piece of advice I would give to incoming freshmen runners at VU is to make the most of their time at Vincennes and always strive to be better each day,” Tanui said. “two years can really go by fast and I cannot believe how fast time flies.”

“One thing about being a Track athlete is that there will always be times where we do not do as expected, but the main thing is to learn from those moments and look to improve on them going forward,” Tanui added.

The Vincennes University Athletic Department wishes Walter Tanui good luck as he continues his career at Cumberland University next fall.