The RoundHouse | 1/23/2021 2:49:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
AUGUSTA - Winny Koskei coped with breathing difficulties in the 38-degree weather, ran her first cross country race since November 2019 and her second race of any kind since February. She also set a course record.
Koskei set the record at 4 Mile Creek Resort, a place where she usually wins and will return to on Feb. 6 for the American Athletic Conference Championships. Her work on the course – as well as other tracks – makes her worthy of a decorative distance marker listing her name and accomplishments, joining former Shocker greats such as Desiraye Osburn and Aliphine Tuliamuk.
Koskei's abbreviated cross country season is off to a great start, even if Saturday's win at the JK Gold Classic didn't come easily. She ran a time of 17 minutes, 19.13 seconds on the 5-kilometer course to break the mark of 17:25.34 set in 2010 by former Shocker Tonya Nero.
"The thing I saw that was great for Winny was her finish," coach Kirk Hunter said. "Winny battled to win the title and that was wonderful. The race itself, Winny was a little flat. She had problems breathing the cold air. She struggled with that."
The Shocker women won the meet – the first in 435 days for most runners – for the fifth time in six attempts. The Wichita State men finished second behind AAC rival Cincinnati. Wichita State's Jed Helker finished sixth with a time of 18:22.55 over the 6-kilometer course.
Koskei, a senior from Kenya, won her second JK Gold title and is a two-time American champion. She rallied late to pass Cincinnati senior Ellie Leather, who finished with a time of 17:24.51.
Koskei will spend the next two weeks preparing for the conference meet and the distance of 6 kilometers. Like all the Shockers, she is training for both indoor track and cross country this month.
"It was a little cold, but I've got to get ready," she said. "The goal was just to win. I wasn't really worried about the time."
Wichita State's Yazmine Wright placed third with a time of 17:40.03 in the women's race.
"It gives me a little bit of an idea where I need to be in two weeks," she said. "I'm hoping that, for conference, I'm able to hold onto Winny a little bit longer. It was really nice having her to work with the first 3K of the race."
Hunter sees that performance as an indication Wright, a senior, can improve on last season's 13th-place finish in the conference meet.
🏆 '21 JK Gold Women's Team
C H A M P I O N S@GoShockersTFXC x #watchus pic.twitter.com/0lji4NtL2V
— Go Shockers (@GoShockers) January 23, 2021
"Today, I thought, was a big step forward," Hunter said. "She's been showing that she is able to run fast. That's a girl that can get in the top 10 in the conference. Maybe even top five or six. She's chasing Winny and I hope that continues to make her improve more."
Although the January date and the pandemic precautions set a different stage than normal for the season opener, Wright said those conditions played little significance.
"The part that was a little bit harder was the wind," she said. "But once you get started and get moving into the race and you're in that race head-space and all, it's OK."
On Saturday, many of her teammates competed in an indoor meet in Lawrence. The track season opened last weekend in Manhattan and Wichita State hosts the Shocker Invitational on Friday. Wright is training for both versions of the sport, with cross country taking the upper hand in preparation for the conference meet at 4 Mile Creek Resort.
"I'm trying to keep my mileage high, just like I would during a cross country season," she said. "But all of my workouts are geared toward the mile, because that's what I focus on during track. I try to increase my speed, like I would during track season, but make sure I have a good base still, for these cross races."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
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