After previously partnering with Under Armour since 2017, Wichita State Athletics made a switch to Nike for athletics gear, from uniforms to other apparel and shoes.
WSU Athletics signed a five-year agreement with Nike starting with the 2025-2026 season for all 16 of its NCAA affiliated sports. Before, each sport had different agreements with other brands.
“I had trained in Nike shoes for several years, so it’s definitely been a lot easier to get used to the shoes since we switched,” said Kaylyn Willingham, a sophomore on the cross country team. “We couldn’t really train in those shoes (Under Armour) because they’re not good training shoes, so with Nike we have a lot more options.”
In earlier seasons, cross country athletes would wear Nike shoes for the races, but because of their agreement with Under Armour, they would have to put on Under Armour shoes if they got a podium. Uniforms and other gear were also Under Armour until this season.
“I would say I prefer Nike over Under Armour for training clothes and everything else,” Willingham said. “It looks more seamless for us all to have Nike jerseys and shoes too.”
Senior Adrian Diaz Lopez also said that they prefer Nike because they are easier to run in and get better results than the other shoes he’s raced in. Nike’s track shoes have a carbon plate technology — a thin piece of carbon fiber between the midsoles — that allows for more efficient energy transfers and limits long-term fatigue.
“The racing shoes are just the best,” Diaz Lopez said about the coveted Nike Swoosh. “You can really feel the difference, especially when you’re talking about the 10,000 meter. With the Nike shoes you’re just going to run faster.”
Athletes also said that being in an agreement with Nike gives them a sense of pride. Willingham said it was because the uniforms feel more professional, and since Nike has decades of prestige behind it, it feels good to be backed by them.
“I mean just having it, it’s the best brand in running and probably most of the sports,” Diaz Lopez said. “Also, see that we’re trying to level out the school, we’re trying to go big … We’re changing for a reason too, we’re trying to have a better team, we’re trying to have better facilities.”
Diaz Lopez said that he’s hopeful about the cross country season since signing with Nike, and he thinks this deal will be better than in the past.
“The whole team I think, everyone is excited. I think it’s also helped the school, especially this past year, we got a lot of new recruits,” Diaz Lopez said. “That’s why we make this decision. So, you feel the pressure because, you know, we’re going Nike, they’re (WSU) investing more in the team.”
