Distance coach Kirk Hunter and seniors Meghan Holmes and Erick Ngaiza fielded questions, Tuesday, on the upcoming Air Force Team Challenge in Colorado Springs, Colo., this week.
 

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Hunter on...
...The Shocker Prelude
"On the prelude, I was excited to just get the year started. It was fun to come back from Christmas break and get to see everybody open up, and see how they came back from break."

...WSU/KSU/KU Triangular
"It's always great going to that meet with KU and K-State, and getting to compete against those guys. The meet is just amazing to me, I think it's one of the best things to ever happen in Kansas. Being a life-long Kansas resident, when Rainbolt and the guys got that together I just thought it was a wonderful thing."

...Performances during the Triangular
"I could name a whole bunch of athletes that I was really excited about. Meghan Holmes I thought did a great job, Hunter Veith always does a wonderful job and everything he does seems like it's gold right now. Jared Belardo and Rayvon Allen, I could just keep going down the list. I was really impressed with McKenna Paintin, she was wonderful and really made a big step forward in what she was doing."

...Zack Penrod
"It's interesting, we are excited about the way Zach ran but at the same time, it wasn't a spectacular performance...It looks good for Zach to be up there ranked first in the conference, he's gonna run a lot faster. He's got some nic-nac's going on with him right now and when he's 100% that guy really rolls."

...The Air Force Team Challenge
"It's tougher for a distance runner because of the altitude, we're not in an altitude area...We'll struggle with it a little bit, but most of that is just mentally. I believe that the people we take out there will learn to adjust to it, compete in it and do a good job."

...The competition at the team challenge
"When you compete against good teams like that, you gotta be excited and you have to be ready to rise to the occasion. When you're in situations like that you really do have to bring your A-game every week and if you can do that and be prepared, when we get to the American Conference we're going to be prepared there."
 

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Meghan Holmes on...
...Being recruited by WSU
"When I originally got the letter from Wichita State I didn't know how to pronounce it, where it was and it was a culture shock when I got here. The reason why I came was because of the family atmosphere, I was very well welcomed."

...Her improvement since coming out of high school
"I had just started running track so it was all new to me, not your typical D1 recruit, I jumped 17-2 in long jump and triple jump was 36-11. I had to work extremely hard to get where I am today, my pr is 40-3 indoor and 40-7 outdoor and long jump is 18-6...Yost helps a lot, she's a great coach and she was a good athlete at WSU. All of her athletes will have a lot of success if they follow her rules and do what she tells them to."

...Qualifying last year
"Qualifying for first rounds last year was a huge accomplishment, that was one of my goals before I graduate. It was an awesome experience and I got to jump against some of the top jumpers in the nation. Most of my success comes from having a different mindset, coming here and not being one of the best athletes was a bummer, I had to really focus on what my goals were."
 

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Erick Ngaiza on...
...Why he came to Wichita State
"I'm from Tanzania, it's very tropical and hot there, nothing like it is here. I came to the United State because of the aerospace program at Wichita State. I wanted the opportunity to diversify myself and experience another culture, I've had experiences with so many other cultures and I thought the US would be another great opportunity."

...Balancing studies and training
"As an engineer, it's not easy to handle both academics and sport. We have required practice hours, then at the same time, professors want us to complete all the homework. Taking 16,18 and 21 credit hours on average is not easy. I wake up in the morning, go to class and go to track practice, I get done at five and I eat real quick then go home and do my homework...I get like 3-4 hours of sleep every day."

...His experience at WSU
"I've had quite the experience here at Wichita State. Wichita itself is not a busy city, very quite and windy. I like it here, the atmosphere and the people are friendly. The track team is a good place out of class, for instance, Jared Belardo and his crew always making jokes before practice. It's fun to see people having fun and still be able to train hard."