Senior Patrick Cheptoek said he thought he had run the last race of his career. Then he received a phone call from Head Coach Erik Jenkins Sunday night.

“In my mind I thought it might be possible to qualify to nationals, even though I really didn’t have that much hope,” Cheptoek said.

Cheptoek was awarded an at-large bid to run in the NCAA championship in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 23, after finishing 12th in the NCAA Southeast Regional competition on Saturday and failing to automatically qualify.

Cheptoek said he went into the regional meet understanding it could easily be his last collegiate race.

“Thinking this was my last, I really wanted to run my best time and just leave a record of myself,” Cheptoek said. “But I wanted this one more race.”

Only 38 individuals were chosen to run in the event through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process, according to a press release by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee.

After Cheptoek received the news of his selection, he said he immediately received multiple congratulatory phone calls and texts from coaches and fellow runners.

“I had no idea how big this was, until I talked to everyone later,” Cheptoek said. “I saw how happy they were. I was like, ‘Wow, I actually did something big.’”

Jenkins said Cheptoek set a standard on both a conference and national level for his teammates to follow.

“With Patrick’s at-large bid selection, he is showing the team, ‘Hey, this takes hard work, dedication and, more importantly, belief in yourself and your teammates to get this done,’” Jenkins said.

Senior Patrick Jenkins said the Toppers realize how lucky they are to have a teammate with a work ethic like Cheptoek’s.

“It’s nice to have someone that you look up to and can run with,” Patrick Jenkins said. “He will joke around with us, but when it is time to run, well, it’s time to run.”

After his running career ends at Western, Cheptoek said he feels he will still be a part of the team.

“The only difference is I won’t be scoring,” Cheptoek said. “I will still be running and cheering them on like they are still my teammates. I will still be with them.”

But Cheptoek still has one race left, and he said he already knows what his goals are.

“You are aiming to get a medal, aiming to run a personal best time, aiming to make a name for the school,” he said. “If you run well, you can do all that.”

Versus will broadcast the races beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23. NCAA.com will present a live stream of the races.