Coach Rop was born and raised in Kenya, where running is the number one sport. Growing up in such a community helped Rop develop his love for running while very young and he has been running ever since. “Many people play sports like basketball. We didn’t know basketball, but we ran” explains Rop. He developed into a promising runner in high school and never looked back. He admits, “Not much is more important than running.”

By 1995, Rop had become one of the top runners in Kenya, and he had his sights set on Atlanta and the 1996 Olympic Games. Rop attempted to qualify for the 800-meter event; however, he fell just short of qualifying for the team. “The first three made it, but I was the fourth guy,” recalls Rop. Looking back on it and chuckling, Rop admits, “I expected to be in Atlanta with a free airplane ticket, but I ended up in the United States anyway.”
After attending college in Kenya for a year, Rop set off for America, specifically Jackson State University. From 1996-2000 Rop studied at Jackson State, as well as ran for the cross country team. Rop was chosen the MVP of indoor and outdoor cross country for the Southwestern Athletic Conference from 1996 through 1999. From 1997 through 1999 he qualified for the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Nationals. From 1997-1999 and then again in 2001, Rop qualified for the NCAA Division I 800-meter indoor and outdoor regionals. He also won the Crimson Tide Invitational held at the University of Alabama in 1997 and again in 1998.

Rop graduated with a master’s degree in mathematics and began teaching math at Jackson State in 2001. In addition to teaching, Rop also served as assistant coach of the track and field teams. Now the head coach for both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Millsaps, Coach Rop is ready to work and ready to win. “I am used to doing my own workouts, so I know what it takes to get in shape,” he explains. “A lot of students who ran in the past either graduated or left, but I have runners with ability and they must build up the program,” he adds.

“He’s definitely a good motivator,” says sophomore runner Ivy Settlemires. Being a runner himself allows Coach Rop to understand his team and how they react to getting in shape. “There is more variety in our workouts, and he lets us work out on our own,” Settlemires notices. “He doesn’t hold us to specific goals, but he expects us to do our best and improve and so far we have,” remarks Sophomore Will Benton.
Coach Rop has already come from Kenya to Millsaps. Now, there is no way of knowing how far he and the Majors will advance from here. They will complete this season’s journey on Oct. 29 at the SCAC Championships.
Tyler O’Hara