MASON NEALE
Special to The Leader
In 2000, while pregnant with her fourth child, Mashebe Ammoda and her husband, Dawit Tilan, made the difficult decision to flee their homeland of Eritrea.
Seeking refuge from poverty and conflict, they journeyed to Ethiopia with the hope of securing a better future for their growing family.
That child was Sembel Koshi, a senior on Fredonia’s track and field team.
“I’ve been running since before I was born,” Koshi jokes, reflecting on his family’s arduous journey.
The realities of life in Eritrea were harsh.
“I don’t remember a ton, but my parents tell me stories of how bad the conditions were — there were fights, people were starving,” Koshi recalled. “They didn’t have land or food. It was pretty hard growing up there.”
In 2007, at just 7 years old, Koshi and his family immigrated to the United States.
One of his earliest memories of American life was his first meal: Buffalo pizza. “Nobody wanted it; everyone thought it was weird, but I tried it,” he said with a laugh.
As a child, Koshi was adventurous and often mischievous. “I was a goofy kid who didn’t listen to my parents,” he admitted.
One such moment of youthful curiosity led him to climb a towering 20 to 30-foot tree — an escapade that ended in a dramatic fall.
“When I fell off the tree, I had a vision. I saw a huge man, just like, for a split — maybe five seconds — just there,” he said. “I saw the person, they saw me, and then I just came back to life.”
When asked why he had climbed such an absurdly tall tree, Koshi laughed, “I just wanted to shake the leaves off to feed my pet goat.”
Life in Ethiopia had been vastly different, especially for a young child. “But when I got here [to the U.S.], I started to change,” Koshi said.
Koshi had always felt a strong competitive drive. He played soccer in Africa and loved competing with friends.
However, it wasn’t until his freshman year of high school that he discovered his talent for running.
“We had to run the [FitnessGram PACER Test] in gym class. My friend and I wanted to see who could go the longest,” Koshi said. “[In the end,] we did [the test] like 127 times.”
His gym teacher took notice and recruited him for the track and field and cross country teams.
His parents worked tirelessly to support their family. His father found employment as a custodian at the University at Buffalo, while his mother worked at the Hyatt Regency hotel.
Inspired by their work ethic, Koshi dedicated himself to his training.
“[I would] go home, take a shower, change, go to sleep, wake up at like 3 a.m., go to the bus stop and work out every morning before school,” he said.
Koshi was determined to push his body to the limit.
He wanted to be successful.
He wanted to be a winner.
After high school, Koshi competed for Buffalo State before transferring to SUNY Fredonia.
Despite the change in environment, his dominance on the track and on cross country courses continued.
He earned multiple State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) titles in track and field, was named First Team All-SUNYAC in cross country and received All-Region honors.
During the 2024 indoor track and field season, he secured another SUNYAC title in the mile.
“No matter how hard [it gets] or what you go through, you’ve gotta keep fighting until you get over it,” Koshi said.
“And even if you don’t make it, you tell yourself, ‘I did my best, and that’s all I can do.’”
His accolades culminated in a historic achievement.
At the 2024 SUNYAC Cross Country Championships, Koshi placed fifth overall, cementing his legacy in the Fredonia State Hall of Fame.
Reflecting on his years of dedication, grueling training, early mornings and the thousands of
miles he had logged, Koshi said he has no regrets.
“I did my best, and that’s all I can do, you know. You can’t just sit there and regret,” he said. “It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all.”
Koshi is set to graduate in the spring of 2025 with a degree in exercise science and psychology, along with a minor in athletic coaching.
He plans to continue running after graduation, with aspirations of coaching track and field or cross country in the future.
Driven by resilience and an unyielding work ethic, Koshi’s story is one of perseverance, dedication and triumph.
It’s quite the journey — from fleeing war to becoming a collegiate Hall of Famer.