CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi sophomore runner Elizabeth Khatevi is training to compete with the nation’s best at the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Cross Country Championships. A goal she’s been chasing after coming up short last season.
"Don't give up. As long as you are like, I want to run, and you really mean it, you can just do it," Khatevi said. "Don't listen to anyone. Just listen to yourself."
So far this fall Khatevi has been perfect in the 6,000 meter run (3.73 miles), winning all 6 of her meets. She has now won 8 of 9 cross country meets in her college career.
"Every time I have 200 meters to go or 800 meters I know it's time to go, so that is what I always do in every race that I'm doing," Khatevi said. "I'll just be like, 'I'm just relaxing."
Khatevi qualified for Nationals after winning the South Central Regional (stats). An opportunity she did not have her freshman season after battling a fractured leg, which did not hold her back from winning her first of two Southland Conference Championships.
"After getting a fracture I was like, I think this is the end of me. I'm not going to run anymore. Yeah, it was my worst ever. Like I'm done I'm gone forever," Khatevi said. "He (Bryan Jackson) was like you can still do it. I was like if my coach says so then I can still be back."
Her journey started when she was around 14-years-old in Kenya. Khatevi's family could not afford to pay for high school. That's when she received an opportunity to run on scholarship.
"Someone was like I'm going to pay for you as long as you can run," Khatevi said. "I was like I can do this. That's how I started."
Khatevi is currently ranked in the top 20. This Saturday she’ll represent the Island University and her home country.
"I'm so happy for this because like I think in Kenya I've never gone to such a big game like this," Khatevi said. "This will be the first one."
Khatevi will take her shot at glory at the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
Elizabeth Khatevi's 2025 Cross Country Times
4k - Cross Country at the Seashore (Aug. 29): 14:02.2
3.12M - Gerald Richey UTA Invitational (Sept. 5): 16:36.8
6k - Gans Creek Classic (Sept. 26): 19:58.8
6k - Arturo Barrios Invitational (Oct. 17): 18:56.1
6k - Southland Conference Cross Country Championships (Oct. 31): 19:44.5
6k - NCAA DI South Central Region Cross Country Championships (Nov. 14): 19:33.6
