
Updated: November 30, 2012
2012 Cross Country: Finished the 82nd at the NCAA Championships (30:36.3), finishing second for the Hokies … Helped Tech earn its first ever ACC team title and first NCAA Championship birth since 1987 … Recorded his best 8k of the season at Pre-Nationals with a mark of 23:46.2 to finish 19th … Finished 22nd at the ACC Championship (24:32.0) … Was 30th at the NCAA Southeast Regional (30:54.66) … Finished third at the Charlotte Invitational as the Hokies won the team title … Was Tech’s second finisher in four of his six races.
2012 Outdoor: Finished 13th at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 10000 meters (30:40.70) … Finished runner-up in the 10k at the Roanoke Twilight in a season best and team leading 29:46.10 … Won the mile at the Cal Brutus Hamilton Invitational (4:05.17) … Finished 10th in the 10k at the ACC Championship (30:21.25) … Runner-up in section three of the 5000 meters at the Raleigh Relays in a season best 14:25.95.
2012 Indoor: Competed at the ACC Championship in the 3000 meters (8:29.69) and 5000 meters (14:35.87), setting a personal best in the 5k … Ran a personal best indoor mile of 4:10.99 at the VT Elite Meet … Posted a PR in the 3000 meters at the SPIRE Division I Invitational (8:10.20).
2011 Cross Country: Competed in five meets on the season … Ran third on the team and 34th overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet by finishing in a career-best 10k of 31:06.8 … Placed 35th at the ACC Championship Meet in a career-best 8k of 24:24.3, good for fifth on the team … Was 146th at the Indiana State Pre-National Invitational (26:06).
2011 Outdoor: Redshirted … Competed unattached in the 800 meters at the Radford Invite.
2011 Indoor: Redshirted.
Prior to Tech: Competed at the University of Tennessee during the 2010 season … Competed at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 (14:32.53) and 10,000 meters (30:54.76) … Set a personal best in the 5,000 meters at the Penn Relays (14:25.07).
High School: A 2009 Foot Locker All-American with a 12th place finish at the National Championships … Took third place at the 2009 indoor Virginia AAA State Meet in the 1,000-meters … Finished fourth in the mile at the outdoor 3A State Meet … Anchored his 4x800-meter relay to an indoor state title … Became the second Virginian in 2008 to earn All-American honors at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships.
Personal: Born March 6, 1990 in Yirgalem, Ethiopia … Son of Degfae Setegn and Aselefech Elala… Twin brother Tihut is also a distance runner at Virginia Tech … Majoring in consumer studies.
| Degfae's Collegiate XC Bests |
| 8k: 23:46.2, ACC Championships, 2012 |
| 10k: 30:36.3, NCAA Championships, 2012 |
| Degfae's Collegiate Track & Field Bests | |
| Indoor | Outdoor |
| Mile: 4:10.99 | 800m: 1:59.19 |
| 3000m: 8:10.20 | 1500m: 3:47.01# |
| 5000m: 14:35.87 | Mile: 4:05.17 |
| 5000m: 14:25.07* | |
| 10000m: 29:46.10 | |
| *-performance achieved at previous school, Tennessee | |
| #-converted from 4:05.17 mile | |