Wichita State cross country head coach Kirk Hunter said his “mind is jumbled” thinking about the upcoming season. With many new runners and returners that could step up, it’s hard to guess who will be the team’s top performers this year.
“When you get in a race … and seeing how they actually shake out, each week, you find out something new,” Hunter said. “So even this coming week, we’re going to find out a lot, and then we’re going to use that to the next meet. Then by (the conference meet), we’ll have a better indication of seeing where we’re at.”
Last year, the men’s team placed fourth at the American Athletic Conference championship and the women placed fifth.
With the top runners from that meet either not returning or battling injuries, it’s anyone’s guess who will lead the pack for the Shockers this year.
Women’s team
Hunter said the top runner “by far” on the women’s side is senior Lucy Ndungu, who placed second at the AAC championship meet last year and made the all-region team by finishing 22nd at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
The coach said Ndungu is in “incredible shape” but has a history of injuries, which might limit her to only running at the most important meets like the conference and NCAA championships.
“Where we’re going to race her, and when we’re going to race her, we don’t know,” Hunter said. “If they’re high level, you try to be careful, because if you’re not careful, you lose them.”
Hunter said Ndungu is driven to win the individual conference championship and place top-10 in the NCAA championships. To do so, she might need to prioritize the bigger picture.
“When they’re older like that, they don’t have the experience,” Hunter said. “They don’t necessarily need the race as much. You can pull them out of a race and they’ll be OK. It isn’t always ideal, but a healthy Lucy is better than an unhealthy Lucy. That’s all there is to it.”
Ndungu said staying healthy is the number one priority for the team. Behind her, she said “Everybody has improved” on the women’s side.
“You can really tell who’s really putting in the work,” Ndungu said. “When nobody is seeing, who’s really dedicated to running when you’re not being told what to do. Because over the summertime you’re on your own, you’re doing your own thing … So you will see who really pushed themselves.”
Senior Miranda Dick made the all-conference team last year after a seventh-place finish at the AAC championship. Similarly to Ndungu, Dick is dealing with some injuries that might hold her back before this year’s AAC competition.
Senior Sarah Bertry is also returning to the team. Bertry made the all-conference team her sophomore year but missed out last season.
Aside from that trio of women, Hunter said he’s been “impressed” with the freshmen runners.
“I thought that the newcomers that came in, they did one of the best jobs of the freshman group that I’ve seen,” Hunter said. “Which is hard for a freshman to do that because they don’t know what’s coming or what to expect.”
Men’s team
On the men’s side, the top of the pecking order is less defined. None of last year’s four top runners at the AAC championship — Jackson Caldwell, Zander Cobb, Adam Rzentkowski or Trey Rios — are returning for the Shockers.
That void isn’t new for Hunter, who said he’s graduated three to four top men’s runners every year for the past half-decade and came back “either a little better or just as good.”
“That’s because the guys that were here, that didn’t graduate or leave, they’ve accepted that role, that now they have to be the ones to step up,” Hunter said. “And we’re in that same boat again. It’s just how it is.”
Hunter highlighted junior Adrian Diaz Lopez as the most likely “top guy” this season. Lopez made the all-conference team during his sophomore year in 2022 and redshirted last season.
“We’re not going to race him early, but hopefully he’ll be the guy that’s racing at top form by the end of the season,” Hunter said about Lopez.
Hunter also named junior Yared Kidane as a potential top runner. Kidane was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden, and ran his first two years at Iowa Central Community College. After joining the program but running unattached last year, he’ll make his first uniformed appearances for the Shockers this fall.
Finally, Hunter said junior Riley Vandaveer has “stepped up the most right now.” Vandaveer set a season-best in the AAC championship last year but finished 71st.
“I don’t know how much he’ll contribute if he’ll be a contributor to the level that we hope he is,” Hunter said. “But, I mean, he made massive improvements over the summer. I mean, it was unbelievable.”
Home meet and expectations
For the first time since 2020, the AAC cross country championships will take place in Wichita. Hunter said that “everybody’s super excited” to run the important meet on home turf.
“It should boost them dramatically,” Hunter said. “I mean, you don’t have to travel. Got your own bed, you got all your fans, you know the course. I mean, you’ve got all the advantages in the world … And we need it. We need it because the conference is so good.”
Ndungu said running at home “brings more energy.”
“It helps a lot,” she said. “Having people to encourage you, like, especially (when) it’s hot out … and your mind is just going crazy. But being able to hear your friends and family pushing you, it gives you more extra boost.”
Hunter said it’s difficult to set expectations with how unpredictable the season is, but a “really good year” would be a top-three finish for both teams at the conference championship.
Ndungu, meanwhile, has a warning for the teams competing against the Shockers.
“Watch out for the girls,” she said.
The WSU cross country team runs the JK Gold Classic on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Clapp Cross Country Course in Wichita. The men’s 6k will start at 8 a.m. and the women’s 5k at 9 a.m.
