Kyle Medina just wasn't himself during the second half of the 2015 cross country season. But when the Wildcats needed him most, the sophomore middle-distance specialist posted an impressive 34th-place finish at Saturday's NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors and helping lead the Wildcats to a sixth-place finish Saturday in Joplin, Missouri.
A painful abdominal injury relegated Medina to a frustrating 41st-place finish at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships a month ago. Head Coach Gary Towne decided not to take his track and field All-American to the Regional Championships.
Instead, Medina participated at the Doc Adams Invitational and made Towne's NCAA Championships roster decision an easy one by winning the race.
Saturday, on a cold and windy Midwestern day, Medina covered the 10-kilometer course in 30:25, lowering his personal-best 10k cross country time by 36 seconds and capturing Wildcat of the Week honors.
Medina, fifth in the 1,500 meters are the 2015 NCAA Track & Field Championships, will soon return to the oval in hopes of improving on his personal-record time of 3:46.07, which ranks seventh in school history.
