What's different about Shocker Track & Field?

by John Hetzendorf - Throws Coach

I have been a part of Wichita State Track for quite a while now, but this year feels different….

So what’s different???

First off I think our staff and our athletes are really working hard to make our program better.  Last year was one of the most successful years in Wichita State Track and Field history, we won four of the six MVC titles contested  ( Women’s X-country, Women’s Indoor, Men’s indoor, and Men’s outdoor).  Despite this success our head coach Steve Rainbolt has challenged our staff and our team to take our program to new a level.  Step 1 in this process has been our staff ramping up our recruiting efforts.  For example Coach Wise and myself found ourselves on a 1000 mile recruiting journey, meeting with 8 recruits and discovering towns we never knew existed like Bison and McCracken, Kansas.   Also on the recruiting front I think we may set a record for official visits for the month of November.  Stay tuned we will let you know in a December blog!

Step 2 has been getting our current team better. To do that our staff and our team captains have been trying to get our team to not just train hard, but to train with more focus and discipline.  We have felt like our teams have worked hard in the past, but now we have challenged them to take care of the small details that make the difference between good and great!   So far I feel like the athletes are doing a better job of this, but we still have a long way to go for us to be as good as we want to be.

Another big difference this year are the meets we are hosting.  The first one is the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships on October 30^th.  The last time we hosted was in 1999.  Our Women’s cross country team has won the last 5 championships, and should be battling for one again this year!!! We are also hosting 6 Track and field meets this year, 3 indoor, and three outdoor. (see  www.goshockers.com for our meet schedule)   For most of my time at Wichita State we have only hosted one meet.  I’m excited that our team gets to compete on our great facilities this year!!! 

Here is a quick update on what the throws’ group has been up to.  The throwers just finished a six week fall training cycle.  We kicked off our next cycle with some testing.  The throws group does the quad test, which is four different tests the overhead shot throw, standing long jump , 30 meter sprint, and 3 double leg hops.  The testing went really well!! It was some of the best testing we have had since I have been at WSU!!  Now we will be focusing more on throwing and our throwing technique.  I am excited for some big throws this season!!

It feels different, but it’s an exciting time to be a part of Shocker track and field!!!