The RoundHouse | 5/9/2025 2:14:00 PM

 By Paul Suellentrop
 
Joakim Genereux knew the 400 meters is a test of grit and fitness for a sprinter and he agreed to take on the challenge before coming to Wichita State. He did not know it would take almost three years to learn the essence of the race.
 
"To run a good 400, you cannot be scared," he said. "I go for it. I'm not scared anymore."
 
Genereux, a senior from Quebec, Canada, is wrapping up a Shocker career that put his name in several places in the record book. The Shocker Open, the team's final home meet, is Friday at University Stadium. Field events begin at 1 p.m. Running events begin at 5 p.m.

 
Genereux ranks second in WSU's indoor 200 career list (21.35 seconds) and fourth in the 400 (48.02). Outdoors, he is No. 3 in the 200 (20.91). He is the first leg in the 1,600-meter relay team that set the school record indoors (3:08.25) and outdoors (3:07.71) this season. Genereux, Jason Parrish, Josh Parrish and Jaleel Montgomery placed second in the indoor American Athletic Conference Championship. They rank third outdoors in the AAC.
 
"We have a very, very strong group," Genereux said. "The atmosphere at practice is really amazing. We're competitive. We push each other to do better at each practice, each meet."
 
His improvement in the 400 – from 50.44 in 2021 to 46.67 in April – is part of that success. When assistant coach John Wise recruited Genereux, Houston dominated the sprints in the AAC. Wise pitched the idea of adding the 400 to work around the Houston sprinters and score points in the conference meet. With Houston out of the AAC, USF stepped up and owns two top 30 sprinters, including No. 2 Saminu Abul-Rasheed (9.95 seconds).
 
"We were trying to figure out 'How do we win a team championship, while also trying to be smart with our scholarship money,'" Wise said. "The 100 and 200 became difficult events. We talked about in his recruiting process that the 400 is something to think about."
 
Genereux took on that challenge. As he worked on the 400, he pushed his body into better condition. The biggest change, he discovered, was mental.
 
"You have to run your heart out in the first 200," he said. "What I used to do was hold back. Truth is, regardless of how fast you go in the first 200, you will gas out."
 
Genereux, who runs the first leg on the relay, worked on the 400 like he does in computer science major. He is a three-time academic all-conference performer.
 
"He cares a lot about everything he does," said roommate RJ Hutchison, who also runs the 400. "He's very passionate about everything he puts his mind to. I think that helps him out in track. He really is able to dial in and focus on the task at hand."
 
Genereux is interested in working in data science because machine learning, artificial intelligence and data analysis are intriguing. The strength of WSU's program is one of the reasons he chose the school. He calls himself obsessive about details, a trait that pays off when developing code and when trying to shave split seconds off a sprint time.
 
"I want my code to be as efficient as possible, so I change things to gain a few seconds of execution time," he said. "I want to optimize everything I do."
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.