Moving to the American Midwest can be a difficult adjustment when coming from a city in Canada. Differences, from the nightlife to the weather, can be hard to get used to. For the 2024-25 school year, a few Canadian natives are finding out what Wichita has to offer.
When freshmen Cailey Freeze and Jett Hasiuk talked with coaches and colleges to find the best fit for themselves, Wichita State University offered what they needed most.
“I spent a lot of time training (in Canada) … I reached out to a lot of different coaches and I looked into the conferences (each school participates in),” Freeze said. “I just really liked the coach (director Steve Rainbolt) when we talked on the phone and when I came to visit. It felt like they had a very good team culture, and I thought it’d be a good fit for me.”
Freeze is a distance runner from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, roughly 30 miles from Toronto, Canada’s most populous city. At WSU, she competes in distance events, running 800-meter, 1000-meter and the mile for track and field while also competing in cross country. But running track and cross country in Canada is very different compared to competing in Kansas, and not just in regards to scenery.
“At home (in Canada), I’m around a lot of big cities,” Freeze said. “That’s probably the main difference (between Canada and Kansas). It’s much more laid back here, but I’m getting used to it now.”
In Canada, Freeze enjoyed being close to Toronto. She would spend most weekends in the city with friends.
“There’s just always a lot of stuff going on in town (Toronto) on weekends, like festivals,” Freeze said.
Hasiuk, originally from Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, near Calgary, Alberta, committed to WSU in December after receiving an offer to join as a sprints runner.
“I was talking to a couple coaches, but he (coach Conner Vaughn) was the first one to give me an official visit, and from there I committed right away,” Hasiuk said.
Hasiuk said the biggest difference between Canada and Kansas is the weather. In Canada, he enjoyed activities like skiing — a much less practical activity in Kansas. But on the other hand, with the warmer weather, he can skate or train outside more often.
“The weather’s a lot better here, the sun’s out all the time,” Hasiuk said. “I really like being outside, competing at track meets, hanging out with friends in the summer … the training facilities are good, the people here are good.”
Because Hasiuk loves the outdoors, he said adjusting to the Kansas weather was one of the best things about coming to WSU.
“I really like the warm weather, and there’s a lot more grass and less snow,” Hasiuk said. “The cold weather can be nice too, but I like being able to be outside in the summer.”
Freeze is currently in the process of changing her major. Originally, Freeze was committed to forensic science, but after her first semester at WSU, she decided she wanted to get into medicine. When she graduates, she plans to become a nurse.
“I’m thinking I want to go into nursing,” Freeze said.“I haven’t decided on a major yet, but (I want to do) something with science.”
Hasiuk is majoring in business and isn’t set on a clear path after graduation yet, but plans to narrow his options down over the next few years.
“It’s going pretty well and I like the classes I’m taking,” Hasiuk said. “It’s a pretty light load, but I still get to learn a lot.”
