By Matt Browning

The Wichita State men’s track team ended Houston’s five-year conference championship streak by knocking off the Cougars in the 2022 AAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was the program’s first ever league title.

The Shockers entered the third day of the championship with an 89-14 lead on Houston, but their predictive form chart still showed a 19-point loss. But they had a couple of breaks go their way, which resulted in the school’s first men’s championship since 2017.

“All year we felt like we had a team that could battle for the championship,” Wichita State coach Steve Rainbolt said. “It still seemed like an awfully big goal, almost like a dream. But it all came together.”

WSU had so much local flavor on its team this season and a pair of those Kansas athletes led the day three charge for the Shockers. Beloit’s Brady Palen and Davis Dubbert took second and third in the high jump.

Freshman Ridge Estes, from Bucklin, took third in the discus, while freshman Jaleel Montgomery from Wichita ran a personal best time of 10.50 in the 100-meter.

The Shockers had 24 athletes from Kansas on their men’s roster.

Rainbolt said being able to get local athletes, no matter how talented, has been important for the growth and sustainability of the program.

“It’s been unbelievably significant,” Rainbolt said. “It’s not always the top talent, too. We have developed those athletes. A lot of that has happened.”

Athletes like Estes, who are from a small school and community, might not have been recruited by many schools, but Rainbolt and his staff have a developmental program in place that taps into unlocked potential.

With the new age of college athletics like Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, being able to develop athletes has become even more crucial.

“It’s more important to stay in our lane,” Rainbolt said. “We believe in what we do. We think it’s a winning formula and strategy.”   

Photos Courtesy of Wichita State University