Less than two years after arriving as a cross country and track and field student-athlete at Widener University, Macharia Yuot has become the most highly decorated distance runner in the history of the school.

Yuot, a mere three semesters into his collegiate career, became just the third cross country all-American in Widener history, and he already has collected a Middle Atlantic Conference cross country individual championship. In addition to finishing fifth in the Mid-Atlantic regional, he captured second place at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, giving him the highest finish ever by a Widener runner.

Vince Touey, head coach at Widener, suspects the native of Sudan has Olympic potential. That, along with his early collegiate success, would easily set him apart. But, it is Yuot's journey to get to this point that makes him truly inspiring.

Yuot didn't start running competitively until he was a senior in high school. In fact, he didn't even arrive in the United States until December 2000.

During the five years leading up to his relocation to this country, he lived in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. He spent the three years before settling in Kenya on foot, literally.

At the age of 9, Yuot, along with more than 26,000 other boys, was forced out of his village in Sudan and torn from his family when a violent civil war erupted in the African country in the late 1980s. The group, dubbed the "Lost Boys of Sudan" by international aid workers, embarked on what turned out to be an incredibly harsh three-year journey, made entirely on foot in sub-Sahara heat and through wilderness terrain, across the African continent, from Sudan to Ethiopia and finally to Kenya.

Along the way, he and thousands of other orphaned boys had only spotty access to even the most basic comforts of food, water and shelter. They dodged gun fire, government tanks, armed militia and wild animals. They endured exhaustion and starvation.

Miraculously, Yuot was one of 10,000 who made it to Kenya alive. Life in the refugee camp settled into something more resembling normal. He received much of his education there and also played soccer.

The boys' plight caught the attention of the United States government, which in 1999 began relocating some of them to America. As one of the 3,600 boys selected, Yuot was transplanted to Philadelphia where he enrolled as a junior at West Catholic High School and joined the soccer team.

It wasn't until his senior year in high school that Yuot actually began running competitively, and he did so reluctantly at the encouragement of some friends who were members of the track team.

"They kept talking and then the coach got involved," Yuot said. "Then I thought, if people were so interested in me, why shouldn't I put my stock in them, too? When I got into it, it seemed to be interesting. It took time, but it wasn't bad at all."

Yuot caught the eye of an assistant coach at Widener, who convinced Touey to take a look at Yuot for himself.

"I didn't know anything about him until the final meet of his senior year," Touey said. "But, I was interested in him because the kids on my team knew him from competing in the same (high school) league as him and they thought he could be good, if we worked with him."

Yuot also was very interested in attending Widener.

However, a significant barrier remained. Although Yuot spoke English, in addition to Dinka, Swahili and Arabic, his grasp of the English language was not strong enough to support the demands of college academic requirements. Also, in order to gain admission into the university, Yuot needed to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Still determined to attend Widener, in the three months after his high-school graduation Yuot studied English intensively with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Language Institute, a for-profit organization located on Widener's campus. A quick study, Yuot passed the test and earned entry into Widener.

These days, one only has to look at Yuot's unexpected second-place finish in the cross country championship to see he is flourishing.

"When I did that, my high school called me and said 'we didn't know you would be running like that' and I said 'you showed me the way.' I was so excited to be there."

Yuot's future as a runner is bright, according to Touey, who said Yuot has not only integrated well with the team, but also has added a tremendous amount of character and leadership to the squad.

"When I saw him as a senior in high school, I didn't think that he would be as good a runner as he is," Touey said. "I didn't realize what impact he would have as a leader with the team. That's been a great and pleasant surprise."

Yuot, who is majoring in psychology and social work, wants to continue to run. Eventually, he said, he would like to enter a field where he can work with people. For now, though, he's happy in his environment.

"I have a good place to stay. I have good friends. I have a good school. I have everything," he said.