INA, Ill. – For those out there who think good men are hard to find, Rend Lake College would like to present Lewi Manirumva.

The 19-year-old freshman running phenom at RLC – by way of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and via Burundi, Africa – came onto campus in August. Already, he has won the heart of at least one big fan and it wasn’t because of anything he did in his running shoes. Last month, the long-distance talent came across a misplaced wallet nestled in the bleachers at the RLC soccer field on campus. The wallet, belonging to freshman soccer defender Jared Rosine of Mattoon, contained more than $1,100 in cash. Manirumva did not hesitate.

“I didn’t see how much money was in it,” he said. “I saw it in the bleachers at the soccer field and I just gave it to the police.”

It never crossed his mind to go through the wallet.

“It’s not a great thing to do. It doesn’t belong to me,” he said.

Rosine said it was his first full day on campus at RLC. He normally doesn’t carry that much cash around with him, but that day he was going to pay five months rent up front, he said. Needless to say, he was relieved.

“As soon as I found out it was missing, I called campus security and they said they had it,” Rosine explained. “I was worried that someone had gone through it. But everything turned out to be in there. I was pretty relieved. ... It was kind of an exciting first day here.”

Growing up as a refugee in Burundi, Manirumva’s parents taught him at a young age to make good decisions.

“I grew up with friends who were bad kids,” he said. “But whenever I did bad things my parents would punish me right there. I learned early not to steal. It’s not a good thing and I don’t feel comfortable doing things like that.”

“There is a lesson here for all of us, and Lewi’s actions epitomize the qualities of behavior we should all strive to emulate,” said RLC President Charley D. Holstein. “This young man’s actions and sense of moral right are refreshing to see, especially when, sadly, for many the reaction to finding that sum of money may have been to keep it. I am very proud of him. He has proven himself to be a fine young man on and off the cross country course.”

Manirumva paced his team as a Warrior at Cedar Rapids’ Washington High, placing fourth in the 4A State Cross Country Championships last year and being named Gatorade’s Player of the Year for 2008-09 Iowa boys cross country, which put him among the top 50 high school running recruits in the nation.

He was recruited and signed by RLC Athletic Director and Head Cross Country Coach Brent McLain. As a Warrior at the next level, he is playing a big part in the program’s early success. Only two meets into the 2009 campaign, the Warriors are ranked #1 in the nation, according to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s official poll released yesterday.

McLain wasn’t surprised at all to find out Manirumva found the wallet and turned it in.

“That’s just his nature,” his coach said. “He’s a very honest and very nice guy. He is a refugee and knows what it is like to be on both sides. He is very fortunate to have what he has now and he doesn’t in any way, shape or form want to cause anyone any harm. Turning that wallet in was never a second thought for him when it would be for a lot of people.”

As far as running goes, McLain said he likes how Manirumva is developing.

“He is doing great,” McLain said. “He has only the one 8K race and he was our fifth runner. He has so much potential and once he starts trusting his training he is going to be really, really good.”

Manirumva finished 14th at the Stegemoller Classic 6K race and 46th out of 334 runners in the 8K Illinois Intercollegiate Championships on Sept. 18. His teammate, reigning national champ Stephen Sambu, won both races.

“I like our team. We push each other to do good together,” Manirumva said. “I’m improving. I want to do better. In high school it was shorter. It was a 5K. Now it is 8K. It’s tough. It’s very, very tough. We run against the best teams in the nation – [NCAA] Division one. It’s good training. I’m going to keep working hard and keep learning from the sophomores. They know a lot.”

For all things athletic at RLC, visit online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.