champ" at Wichita State. The Andover,
Kan., native has been a member of seven
conference championship teams — five
track and field (three indoor, two outdoor)
and two cross country. And she has a
realistic chance of helping run down three
more titles for the Shockers.
Mica Land readily admits that the steeplechase, a 3,000-meter obstacle course that includes barriers to hurdle and water jumps to splash through, is "kind of a funny race."
"If you're not careful and if you don't stay focused, you can run into things," she says with a laugh. But the good-natured and talkative Land turns all business when discussing how this somewhat unusual event changed her outlook and, perhaps, her career at Wichita State.
After a cross country season that she admits was less than satisfying, Land surprised everyone, including herself, by capping her freshman year with a second-place finish in the steeplechase at the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor championships. She ran a 10:49.28, finishing behind teammate Sarah Becker.
“I kind of went deeper than I thought I could and pulled something out of myself I didn’t think I had,” she reports. “It helped me prove to myself what I was capable of.”
That single race, then, obviously did much for Land and, taking a big-picture view, also contributed greatly to WSU’s athletic fortunes. Because while the Andover, Kan., native, now a senior, has certainly enjoyed a notable individual career, what stands out most is this: Land has been a member of seven — yes, seven — conference championship teams.
If that isn’t impressive enough, consider that the titles have come in consecutive seasons. The streak breaks down like this: five track and field titles (three indoor, two outdoor) and two in cross country.
Land has a realistic chance at three more. “It’s very exciting and something I’m very proud of,” she says. “Ten consecutive championships is something I came into this year wanting very much to accomplish. It would be a great way to finish off my career.”
The first order of business will be to capture the conference title in cross country, which would be Wichita State’s third in a row. (The MVC meet is slated for Sat., Oct. 27 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.)
The Shocks, ranked No. 6 in the first Midwest Region poll, started the season in fine fashion, winning the J.K. Gold Classic and taking third in the competitive Hawkeye Invitational. Land placed second in the Gold Classic and 13th in the Hawkeye Invitational.
Cross country head coach Marc Burns appreciates Land’s talent, experience and attitude. “She’s definitely someone we look to help lead this team,” says Burns, who’s in his second season at Wichita State. He came to WSU after having served as head cross country coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Loyola University Chicago, as well as the head men’s and women’s track and field coach. “She’s very experienced — someone who has really developed during her time in the program. And she’s tough. She likes and can handle any type of course we go to.”
Land is a two-time all-conference performer in cross country — she placed sixth both her sophomore (17:18) and junior (18:05.30) seasons at the MVC meet.
Despite those accomplishments, she admits that the track season is her favorite. Still, she entered the current cross country season with more intensity and enthusiasm than in past years. “It’s my last year in cross country, and I just feel like I’m coming into the season with more of a competitive edge than normal,” she says “I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.”
athlete of the week twice in September.
Land says she expects to gain motivation from the presence of newcomer Kellyn Johnson, a junior transfer from Cloud County Community College. Johnson, a native of Sussex, Wis., won the Gold Classic, took third at the Hawkeye meet and was named the MVC’s female athlete of the week twice in September.
“We knew she had talent and she was a great athlete, but she never ran this fast at Cloud County,” reports Burns, who, in addition to coaching cross country, is an assistant track and field coach at WSU. “We thought she’d be sort of a diamond in the rough — and she’s been all that and more.”
Johnson posted the highest Shocker finish at the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 28, when she placed sixth in the women’s 5k with a time of 16:57. The Shocker women finished in 17th place in the highly competititive field, which included these nationally-ranked teams: No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Illinois, No. 9 Providence and No. 12 Florida State.
Burns adds that Land and Johnson give Wichita State a talented duo — a formidable one-two punch that could lead the Shockers to another championship. That would mean a memorable three-peat for the Shocks. And eight titles in a row for Land.
“Nothing is going to be handed to us,” Land says. “It’s gonna be hard work, but I think we have it in us.”
