Novice cross country runners nail top finishes in season-opening ‘training meet’ – The Sunflower

Redshirt freshman Colin Graham takes a curveball in his first cross country meet in uniform Friday night. Graham finished 18th in 21:09.42 in the WSU men’s field.

Wichita State head cross country coach Kirk Hunter called the first collegiate race for many new Shockers a “training meet to get better for the end of the year.”

Friday night in the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic in Hutchinson, the Wichita State women’s team finished first in a field of 14 schools, mostly regional community colleges. The men’s team went home with bronze.

“Our women took care of business and did exactly what they needed to do,” Hunter said. “Very happy with them.”

Hunter didn’t need many experienced runners to compete in the event, instead allowing the younger Shockers to get their feet wet against collegiate competition. Of Wichita State’s 13 runners, nine were in their first meet for the team.

Women’s race

Freshman Faith Ekart took home WSU’s top spot, placing third in the women’s three-mile in 18:35.71.

“I didn’t really push myself to do a certain place or time, I was just running to see what I felt,” Ekart said. “So I was really happy with how I got there and how I finished.”

In her first collegiate race, Ekart said she enjoyed watching other runners after spending her time in high school pacing the course.

“It was pretty fun to have people who can go fast and people I can try to keep up with,” Ekart said.

Sophomore Isabelle Hartnett, one of the few runners at the meet, finished just behind Ekart in fourth in 18:38.18. Hunter said she wants Hartnett to be the “leader of the pack” for the women.

“Her goal was just to shoot them, shoot them, shoot them, shoot them, shoot them,” Hunter said. “And he did a really good job with it.”

The men’s race

On the men’s side, six Wichita State runners finished between 12th and 19th. Those tight spots were by design.

Hunter said he wants the young Shockers to avoid burning themselves out early trying to keep up with faster runners, instead building speed and consistent pace as a pack.

“I wasn’t necessarily concerned about the team spot,” Hunter said. “I was more concerned about running as a team, because in order to do well at the end of the season, we have to learn to run well as a team.”

Redshirt freshman Ian Schram made his first collegiate run in a uniform. He set the pace for the men’s team with a 20:45.00 finish, earning him 12th place. He said the mentality of the meet being just a training session calmed his nerves — even if it was difficult to fight the urge to keep up with faster runners.

“Going into it knowing that you’re running for them, not just for yourself, it helps propel you forward,” Schram said. “You’re not going to give up as easily when you’re running for other people.”

Most of Wichita State’s returning runners will make their season debut at the JK Gold Classic, the team’s home meet. The race will take place at the Clapp Cross Country Course on Saturday 7th September with the men’s 6km starting at 8am and the women’s at 9am.