Utah State athletes contemplate post-graduation plans

By Justin Anderson

Throughout high school and college, both cross-country and track and field athletes generally follow a structured program. Races are scheduled for them and they show up and participate. Coaches present them with training plans and help them push toward better performance. After college ends the structure, for many, is gone. It becomes up to the individual how they will further their athletic training.

For two students at Utah State University, their individual decisions regarding post-collegiate running are very different.

Kyle McKenna plans to continue on with his passion for running by participating in races whenever and wherever he can.

“I will definitely keep running as a part of my life for the rest of my life,” McKenna said. “It has just become something that I’ve really grown to enjoy.”

For McKenna, running is as much about the mental benefits he feels he receives as it is the physical benefits.

“Running as a student athlete has been kind of interesting because you get all the stress of your classes and then you come run,” he said. “It has become ingrained in me, I think, as sort of a natural way to relieve stress.”

 “I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to train hard and go for some of the more competitive races,” he said. “I will at least do local 5Ks, 10Ks and marathons.”

Gregg Gensel, who has coached at Utah State for 31 years, had the opportunity to coach McKenna’s older brother Brian, who helped Kyle consider running for the school more seriously.

“We really wanted to have him,” said Gensel, referring to McKenna. “He has got great work ethic, he’s a great kid, he’s easy to work with, he’s coachable -- all the things that a coach dreams of in an athlete. On top of all that, he’s got talent. It has been a fun experience working with him.

Another student Gensel has been able to coach is Chari Hawkins, a junior with dreams of continuing with track and field as a profession.

“I have always wanted to just try and see how far I can take track,” said Hawkins. “If I stay healthy, and if my scores line up, I think it would be really cool to do track as a profession. I think it would be really exciting.”

Hawkins participated last year in the NCAA track and field national championship event, taking 11th place in the heptathlon.

Hawkins feels that what she needs to do to make her dreams a reality is improve her 800-meter race time -- an event that she said scares her.

“For me the 800 is more of a mental game than it is a physical game,” she said. “I think I could be decent at it if I wanted to be, but it scares me so bad. I’m afraid of being bad at it honestly, and so I just work myself up and then I am bad at it.”

Hawkins has learned what it takes to participate in track professionally from Utah State’s distance coach Mike Spence.

“He actually competed professionally, and he did the steeplechase,” she said. “He talked about how at first you are in charge of paying for yourself until you get sponsored. It’s really just about competing and getting the right numbers with the right people present.”

This weekend both McKenna and Hawkins will have the opportunity to showcase their talents. McKenna will compete in Utah State’s only home meet of the season in either the 5,000-meter race or the 1,500, depending on what Gensel decides. Hawkins will travel to the Mt. San Antonio College meet, one of the most prestigious meets in the country, to compete in the heptathlon.