Photo by Travis Miller
There have only been a handful of individual boys qualifiers to Nike Cross Nationals from Maryland since 2008. On Saturday, Richard Montgomery senior Rohann Asfaw added another name to that list with a fourth-place finish at the NXN Southeast Regionals. Asfaw earned his way to Oregon on the course - but what about the man behind the scenes, coach Davy Rogers?
A flight to Oregon and a hotel room don't come cheap, so Richard Montgomery coach David Warren came up with a plan to send Rogers to nationals with his star runner: GoFundMe.
The goal, set at $1,250, was surpassed not even 24 hours after Warren set it up. What made it even more special was the support shown not only by Asfaw's friends and family, but other competitors and alumni from around Montgomery County. Donors who revealed their names included:
- BCC junior Adam Nakasaka, who finished second behind Asfaw at the 4A State Championships
- BCC alum Nora McUmber, who made her own trip to NXN as a junior in 2013
- Magruder alum and running junkie Collin Riviello
- Churchill alum and two-time state champion William Conway
- Gaithersburg alum and editor of MocoRunning Kevin Milsted
It truly is awesome to see the Maryland running community supporting a great cause, and the fundraiser shows that running fans around the state will be supporting Asfaw on Saturday, December 3rd. Six more Maryland runners will be competing at Foot Locker Nationals the following weekend in San Diego, California.
Watch Rohann Asfaw become the first Maryland individual qualifier for NXN since Tyler Spear (Loyola) and Nora McUmber (BCC) in 2013!
