The RoundHouse | 12/30/2021 8:48:00 AM

 

 From a cross country course near Augusta to Japan, Wichita State distance runners ran into the spotlight in 2021.
 
The Shockers won two American Athletic Conference women's individual cross country titles in 2021.
 
In February, Winny Koskei won the conference meet, one delayed four months by COVID-19, at 4 Mile Creek Resort to claim her third straight AAC title.
 
"Winning those titles was the pivotal point in her running career," Wichita State distance coach Kirk Hunter said. "It led her to have confidence in her abilities and know she is capable of running with the high-level athletes. After that, there's been no stopping Winny."
 
In October, Yazmine Wright succeeded Koskei as the AAC's top runner with her first championship.
 
Wright came to Wichita State as a 400-meter sprinter and considered cross country a tool to stay in shape. That sport grew on her, and she joined the long line of recent conference champion Shockers that includes Desiraye Osburn, Kellyn Johnson, Tonya Nero, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Rebekah Topham and Koskei.
 
Wright steadily built her mind and body to championship level. Last spring and over the summer, she took the big step in her training and expectations.
 
"There's a difference between being a strong competitor and turning into someone who now decides that they're going to be a person who wins races," Hunter said. "(Wright) would be in the mix, she would do things, she would get beat. Last year, in track, she started to get the feeling and the knowledge that she could win races and she could run people down."
 
 

"Why not me?" -@yazminewright_ pic.twitter.com/rvnR6gn9vJ

— Wichita State T&F/XC (@GoShockersTFXC) October 29, 2021

On the track in May, Topham earned women's Most Valuable Performer at the AAC Outdoor Championships by winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase and finishing second in the 5,000 meters and fourth in the 1,500.
 
Wichita State also enjoyed a summer of attention with Tuliamuk in the Olympics. Tuliamuk, from Kenya, became an American citizen in 2016 after earning 13 NCAA All-American honors as a Shocker from 2011-2013.
 
She ran in the women's marathon in Sapporo, Japan in August and completed 20 kilometers before a hip injury forced her to drop out. Over the summer, Tuliamuk's advocacy for motherhood and her fight to travel with her newborn daughter – one she ultimately won – attracted attention from national and international media.
 
 

Winny Koskei is officially a 3-time #AmericanXC Champion with a time of 20:49.24! @GoShockersTFXC pic.twitter.com/iBr9Md6tBG

— American XC Track (@AmericanXCTrack) February 6, 2021

The Roundhouse is counting down the 10 most interesting and significant stories of 2021 for Wichita State athletics. Check back this week for more.
 
No. 10 - Baseball's new home in downtown Wichita
No. 9 - Setter Kayce Litzau leads Shocker volleyball
No. 8 - Smash Sisters bash their way to NCAA regional
No. 7 - Win over Houston propels Shockers to AAC title, NCAA berth
No. 6 - Shocker baseball pushes toward top of AAC