When Tanya Friesen visited Wichita State prior to her freshman year, WSU track and field coach Steve Rainbolt brought up the idea of having her compete in the pentathlon. 

At first, she wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea. 

“I was a jumper in high school and that was it,” Friesen said. “And he was like, ‘You should try it. See how you like it when you come out.’ I’m really glad he pushed me to do it.”

Now a senior, any doubts about competing in the events—especially the 800-meter run—are long gone for Friesen. 

On Friday at the Varsity Apartments Invitational held at the Heskett Center, Friesen won the 800-meter race by nearly three seconds to help put the final touches on her dominant performance in the women’s pentathlon. 

She won four out of the five events and broke four personal records. Friesen ranks ninth nationally in the pentathlon, with the top 16 qualifying for the national meet at season’s end. 

“Everything was hitting on all cylinders,” Rainbolt said. “When it came down to it and she needed to run a fast 800 in order to have a high score over 4,000 points, she was able to do it. Very impressive event-by-event.”

Lost in the competition was the fact that this was the last home, indoor event for the WSU seniors. The indoor season comes to a close with the Missouri Valley Championships on Feb. 23-24, and then the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 8-9. 

The track and field athletes will still have a chance to compete on campus two more times during the outdoor track season, but the seniors indoor career is all but over. 

“To be completely honest, I didn’t think twice about it until my teammates brought it up over there at the starting line,” Friesen said. “This is my last go around and I feel like I went out with a bang, just like I wanted to.”

Also competing in her final indoor event was senior Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton, who managed to add to her already record-breaking career. 

Tuliamuk-Bolton, who had struggled to run the mile faster than 4:53 in competition, broke her personal record with a time of 4:47.96, the best mark in the Valley this season. 

She finished a full 12 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. 

Tuliamuk-Bolton is a native of Kenya that came to WSU after a short stint at Iowa State. In her time at WSU, she has broken numerous MVC and school records, earned All-American accolades for both track and field and cross country, and made history by finishing fourth in November’s NCAA Cross Country Championships, the best ever for a Shocker.

“I just want to continuously point out that we are enjoying seeing the finest athlete in the history of Wichita State athletics,” Rainbolt said of Tuliamuk-Bolton. “Not just track and field, but on the women’s side, I just can’t imagine there’s ever been another athlete that could approach her level. She’s unbelievably good.”

Much like Friesen, the humble and hard-working Tuliamuk-Bolton was barely aware that Saturday was her final home indoor event. Her impact on the track and field and cross-country programs at WSU was instant upon her arrival, and the fact that it’s almost over brings with it mixed emotions for the Kenyan. 

“I just wish that I had more, but at the same time I’m glad that I ran good on my last race and I feel good about it, so I’ll have good memories,” she said. “It’s been the best years of my life.” 

For full results from the weekend’s events, visit www.goshockers.com.