The RoundHouse | 9/6/2024 9:49:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Yared Kidane ran many races and won several of them in 2023-24, but none wearing the Wichita State uniform.
 
On Saturday, that changes and it is the moment he has been waiting for over the past year.
 
"When I was in junior college, I was so excited to run DI (Division 1)," he said. "That's going to happen Saturday, so I'm excited to help out Wichita State and run a DI race."
 
Wichita State continues its cross country season with the JK Gold Classic at Clapp Cross Country Course. The races start at 8 a.m. with the college men. The college women's race is at 9 a.m.

Kidane, a junior from Sweden, ran unattached in 2023-24 while ineligible to compete for WSU. That start to his Shocker career challenged him, as did the adjustment to a new school. Once settled in, he used that time to become a more well-round runner. His specialty is the 800 meters – he won four races unattached last spring – and he improved his times over longer distances over the past year.
 
Last year, he trained with Wichita State's milers. His range, coach Kirk Hunter says, makes him a candidate for WSU's 1,600-meter relay team in the spring. Kidane owns a top time of 1 minute, 48.75 seconds in the 800 last spring at the KU Relays.
 
"He's a guy that's incredibly fast," Hunter said. "On the other side of it, we can do workouts of 10 miles that are very fast, and he will lead them. He has the endurance to be able to do stuff like that. It's a unique situation when you've got an 800 guy that does that."
 
Hunter convinced Kidane, a transfer from Iowa Central Community College, that training long distances would add to his strength without limiting his speed. In junior college, he placed 13^th (2021) and 19^th (2022) in the NJCAA cross country meet. In the 2022 NJCAA outdoor meet, he placed third in the 1,500 (3:57.28) and 26^th in the 800 (1:58.61).
 
"Once he got into the workouts, working with coach (Adam) Moore, he found he was stronger than he's ever been," Hunter said. "He found out he could hold his speed longer. Everything was coming together."
 
Moore, who placed second in the 800 in the American Athletic Conference Championship in 2022, holds WSU's record in the mile and ranks third in the 1,500.
 
"If I train for the 1,500, it's good for the 800," Kidane said. "I stayed with Adam. I got stronger."
 
WSU's men's team must replace its top four runners from last season's AAC meet, including Jackson Caldwell, who finished 15^th and set the school's 8-kilometer record at 23:31.7.
 
Adrian Diaz Lopez, who redshirted last season, finished ninth in the AAC meet in 2022. Hunter said junior Riley Vandaveer has impressed with his fitness this fall.
 
On the women's side, Lucy Ndungu and Miranda Dick are battling injuries and will not race on Saturday. Ndungu placed second in the AAC meet in 2023. Sarah Bertry, who placed third in last fall's JK Gold Classic, and Jenna Muma are running well this fall.
 
"(Bertry) came back looking really good," Hunter said. "She trained very hard. I think she's the best I've ever seen her."
 
Wichita State will host the conference championship at Clapp on Nov. 2.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.