The RoundHouse | 3/26/2021 11:20:00 AM

 
They devoted years to throwing farther, running faster and jumping higher. They sweated over form, ran dirt roads, recovered from strains, tears and bruises, lifted weights and sacrificed sweets.
 
They were not ready to let COVID-19 end their careers, not even through a year of waiting.
 
"It was a hard decision to make, because I am coming back just for seven meets," said Alex Adams, a thrower and Master of Business Administration student. "I just couldn't let it go, knowing I could have done more. I can't let it end like that."
 
Today (Friday), Wichita State opens its outdoor track and field season with the Shocker Spring Invitational at Cessna Stadium. Seven Shockers spent the last year preparing for their remaining season of eligibility – outdoor track only – and will get their chance this weekend after the pandemic shut down 2020 outdoor before it began.
 
"The biggest reason I decided to come back for a sixth year is because I never had a chance to accomplish some of my goals," said distance runner Rebekah Topham. "You're never going to get to go back and run in college. I didn't want to have any regrets." 
 
Adams, who ranks third on Wichita State's career list for the indoor weight throw (64-feet, 7 ¾ inches), put off starting her career in accounting. She is working as an intern during a pandemic and didn't mind the office life. 
 
"For a while, I just thought I wanted to be an adult," she said. "Then I went out to the field to start throwing again and I was like 'I've got to. I have to go back.'"
 
The outdoor season wasn't guaranteed for this group. They watched cross country postponed from the fall to the early spring. The American Athletic Conference cancelled its indoor championship meet.
 
"This was a tough year," Wichita State distance coach Kirk Hunter said. "Not only did they come back after having their season cancelled last year, they lived through other seasons being cancelled. We originally thought cross country was going to be cancelled. I'm sure they were nervous this was even going to happen."
 
The Shockers practiced all fall with that uncertainty. 
 
"It's been a roller-coaster," Topham said. "I was really on the struggle bus. But during the fall, I finally started having some more consistent training. A few weeks ago, literally, I felt like I was finally getting back to my normal self."
 
Coaches added around 10 time trials to the routine to provide a sense of competition and beat the grind. Teammates ran an abbreviated cross country season, starting in January, and indoor track in January, February and March. 
 
"We have talked a lot – probably more than ever – communicated with each other, discussed every situation, every possibility," Hunter said. "I tried to motivate through with my words. I tried to motivate them through changing workout styles a little bit. I've changed more this year than I ever have, because of the situation."
 
The outdoor-only Shockers waited and watched. In addition to Topham and Adams, distance runner Zack Penrod, thrower Cory Martens, hurdler Alexi Whatley, multi-athlete Claudia Rojo and distance runner Nicole McMillen also returned for that season.
 
Coaches told them that one day the starting pistol would fire again.
 
"Finding motivation was tough," Penrod said. "Developing structure for myself was difficult. Ultimately, you've just got to keep your head down and know there's going to be a race sometime and you want to be ready for it."
 
Topham and Penrod, two of Wichita State's top distance runners, returned with specific goals in mind. They are also part of the dwindling number of Shockers who competed in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Topham, who finished eighth in the 2019 NCAA steeplechase (9 minutes, 57.80 seconds), wants to improve that time, earn another All-American honor, and qualify for the Olympic Trials. Her career best is 9:53.92 and Hunter figures she needs to get under 9:50 for the Olympic Trials.
 
Penrod, who is also in the MBA program, is a three-time conference champion in the American. He wants to run in the NCAA Championships, after he finished less than a second away from qualifying in 2019. His time of 3 minutes, 43.07 seconds in the 1,500 at the NCAA West Preliminary Round placed 13^th, one spot out of moving to the national meet.
 
"A lot of energy and focus has been spent on thinking about what that felt like and how I can prepare myself so that that doesn't happen this outdoor season," he said. "It's hard to say without any real indicator, but I think I'm more prepared now in March than I was in March last year. So, I think I'm setting myself up better than I did in the previous season."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.