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An inside look at “Whatever It Takes”🔍
When you hear the term “track club”, who do you think of? Bowerman, OAC, Tinman Elite? Toss those scrubs to the side and focus on one of the next best youth clubs in the region, the Whatever It Takes (WIT) track club.
Back in 2019, owner and head coach Najeeb Echols helped create WIT. When creating the club, Echols had the sole purpose of creating a “competitive platform for youth athletes.” The club created a place where athletes can go and both develop and train. Echols himself grew up in the world of sports, playing basketball at the University of Missouri and Illinois State. He even had the chance to play overseas before moving into a different career path. Today, Echols has a career at Farmers Insurance by day and an elite track coach by night. Some of the best athletes in the state compete for WIT, including Olathe East star sprinter, Damiya Richards. Just a sophomore, Richards is one of the top talents in the state. In all of Kansas, she’s run the 5th fastest 100m (12.04) and 14th in the 200m (25.80). Luckily for you guys, we had the chance to learn more about WIT from their founder and one of their first athletes.
The following interviews with Echols and Richards were conducted over Instagram DM’s and email, and were left in their entirety. The first set of five questions were for Echols, and the second set of six questions were for Richards.
1. I know that KSHSAA has several regulations in place about outside coaching in other high school sports. Does KSHSAA have any guidelines that have restricted your ability to coach and train your athletes?
WIT trains all year around as our motto is "There is No Offseason.” We first start fall training from October to November. Then we train and compete during the months of December through March for indoor season. After indoor season, the athletes are prepared to compete with their respective schools right away. Our athletes come back to train and compete with WIT at the conclusion of their school season. We typically have our athletes for a total of 8 to 9 months throughout the year.
2. Do you personally have any history with track & field as an athlete? Where did your passion for track & field come from?
I competed in track and field in elementary and middle school. Throughout my basketball career I utilized track as a foundation for my strength and conditioning training. My daughter found a love for running and competing in track and field and wanted me to coach her, so my passion for the sport comes from my daughter, Jada Echols, and our other core members, Damiya Richards, Avery Dawson, Liv Gutierrez and Kayin Reeves.
3. How have you gotten such phenomenal athletes as members of the club? Do they reach out to you, or is it more of you reaching out to them?
At WIT we train our athletes in house and build them from the ground up. We have also built relationships in the community and between our athletes and the other athletes they compete against in school and during the club seasons. Relationships, online marketing, and word of mouth has been our primary source for recruitment.
4. Five years from now, where do you see “Whatever It Takes” being?
Five years from now I see WIT as one of the prominent track clubs in the nation, training and fostering D1 caliber athletes. We also look forward to expanding into other sports in the next 5 years.
5. What role do you and the club play in the athlete’s lives? Do you coach them during the school year, or are you strictly an off-season club?
Our coaches here at WIT act as mentors and support systems for all of our athletes. We assist in their training, college recruitment and brand management. During the school year our athletes are primarily coached by their school teams, we do not interfere with that process.
1. What made you decide to be an integral part of the “Whatever It Takes” track club back in 2019?
In 2019, I knew that I needed to get in shape if I actually wanted to make it somewhere. For about a year I focused on my endurance to get ready for the actual training.
2. Has your passion always been for track & field, or were there other sports you loved playing while growing up?
I've always been a competitive person, so I always tried to race people in elementary schools and always tried to race my sisters and my parents. I've been loving track ever since I started.
3. What aspect of your training do you think plays the biggest part in your success you’ve seen on the track?
Definitely any type of speed, or reaction time training.
4. How big of a role have your parents played in your development as an athlete?
My parents have helped each and every way they can to get me where I am today. They've helped me with confidence, motivation, and even my speed. They are the reason why I'm here and still running.
5. How do you balance your training between “Whatever It Takes” and Olathe East?
Depending on how the week goes, I try to get the lightest workout outside of school, due to the fact I work out every day at East. I would hate to be overworked during the season.
6. Do you have any routines that you do before every single race?
The day before the meet, I prep, such as stretch, drink as much water as I can, and massages. The day of the meet before my race I do the school warmup to get prepared and I do a couple of exercises and stretches I got from and Muna Lee and CB.
For only being three years old, Whatever It Takes has quickly risen amongst the ranks of youth clubs both in Kansas and the midwest. From what I can tell, they’re only heading up, and if you plan on hopping on, you better buy your ticket now because they’re going to sell out sooner than you think. Najeeb is a man with a mission, and is someone I recommend you hitch your wagon to. He is taking this club and its athletes to the next level with or without you, and he isn’t looking back.
Wichita State “Shocks” the conference🌾
Heading into the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, the Houston Cougars were the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back defending champions, and showed no signs of ending their streak. Bad news for the Cougars though, the Wichita State Shockers had nothing to lose. On Day 1, the Shockers were out to an impressively long lead after the hammer, javelin, and the 10,000m. They scored 10, 25 and 9 points in the three finals respectively, totaling 44 points, with Tulsa (27), Memphis (24), and Cincinnati (11) rounding out the top four. The next day only saw three finals and a whole lot of prelims. The Shockers picked up 45 more points in the long jump, 3000m steeplechase, and the decathlon, sending them up to 89 points heading into the final day. The black and gold still had a hefty lead, with Cincinnati (51), Memphis (42) and Tulsa (40) trailing big. However, the biggest story of the final day was the rally that almost brought Houston back to win what would have been their sixth straight title.
The battle between the Shockers and Cougars was one for the ages, as the hosts put up 96.5 points on the final day, and the defending champs erupted for 165. Here’s a side by side comparison of the two squad’s third day point totals.
As you can see, Houston DOMINATED the jumps and sprints, and even out-scored the Shockers in the 800m. In the end, the early deficit was too much for the Cougars, and the Shockers edged them out 185.5-179, with Tulsa taking third with 123. This was the program’s first ever AAC, since joining the conference in 2017.
The Shocker’s upset victory was highlighted by multiple conference champions, leading the way for their fighting teammates. On Friday, Michael Bryan won the hammer throw by over ten feet, notching a mark of 227’ 1”, three feet shy of his season best of 230’ 9”, the 11th best in the nation. Taran Taylor followed suit in the javelin, winning the event by over thirty feet with the top distance of 242’ 6”, also the 11th best in Division I. Helping Taylor was the trio of Davis Dubbert, Cauy Lindsay, and Chandler Stiawalt, taking 3rd-5th. The next day in the 3000m steeplechase, Clayton Duchatschek won over Tulsa’s Christian Baker 9:03.52-9:08.75, winning his first AAC title in his career. On the final day of competition, Matthew Everett won by eight feet over teammate Ridge Estes, finishing with a throw of 184’ 2” to win the discus.
At the end of the day, 26 different Shocker athletes scored points for their team either in a relay or as an individual athlete. This truly is one of the most insane upsets of the year, and I can’t explain how excited I am that it was by a team as gritty and hard-working as Wichita State.
A road trip to Lubbock🚗
Unlike the Big 12, I am a big advocate for the “horns down” gesture, and will forever cheer for any team that is not wearing burnt orange, no matter how good it looks. Every time T*xas is involved, I’ll do my best to put them in their place, even if they are the #1 ranked teams on each side. Anyway, this past weekend in Lubbock, TX, Texas Tech hosted the other nine teams in the conference at the Fuller Track and Field Complex for the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Conference Championships.
For the KU and K-State women, they combined for 19 All-Conference honors, made up of four 3rd place finishes, three runner-ups and a conference champion in Alexandra Emilianov. The Jayhawk senior out-threw the field by thirteen feet (198’ 5”), just missing her PR of 198’ 6” by an inch. As of now, Emilianov is the second ranked discus thrower in the nation, along with the 12th best mark in the shot put to go along with it. She’s having a heck of a season, and what better way to add to it than by winning your fourth Big 12 title in the process. The team race saw the Jayhawks taking down their in-state rivals 53-41, ending with each team finishing 7th and 8th in the meet. Here’s a rundown of the rest of the Kansas scorers from last weekend.
dWildcats🟣⚫️
6th Shalysa Wray 400m
3rd Kassidy Johnson 1500m
5th Williams, Wray, Alves, Njadoe 4x100m
3rd Njadoe, Johnson, Wray, Ferguson 4x400m
5th Tommi Hintaus Pole Vault
6th Velecia Williams Long Jump
2nd Emma Robbins Hammer
7th Urte Bacianskaite Javelin
5th Urte Bacianskaite Heptathlon
Jayhawks🔴🔵
3rd Honour Finley 800m
3rd Lona Latema 5000m
2nd Lona Latema 3000mS
8th Anderson, Kuykendoll, Wallace, Siemens 4x100m
5th Kuykendoll, Siemens, Finley, Arinze 4x400m
2nd Rylee Anderson High Jump
6th Khristen Bryant Pole Vault
8th Samantha Van Hoecke Pole Vault
4th Alexandra Emilianov Shot Put
1st Alexandra Emilianov Discus
The men’s side did not disappoint either, as both teams totaled 31 All-Conference performances. With three 3rd place finishes, four runner-ups and one conference champion, the Sunflower State left its mark on the conference. Zach Bradford added his third Big 12 title to his trophy case. Bradford cleared 18’ 1”, which was his first time over 18 this outdoor season. Heading into the final weeks of the season, Bradford sits in 6th in the West Region, and 12th in the NCAA. He’ll look to punch his ticket to Eugene next weekend in Fayetteville, AR. Also, if you didn’t see, the Jayhawks went 1-2-3-6 in the pole vault, with Clayton Simms, Kyle Rogers, and Andrew Saloga stepping up big for the crimson and blue. The team race saw the Jayhawks finish 5th with 74 points, and the Cats’ take 8th with 56.
Wildcats🟣⚫️
6th Kyle Gale 400m
5th Hadley Splechter 1500m
6th Lackey, Clarke, Turner, Lambert 4x100m
2nd Wilson, Hanson, Lambert, Gale 4x400m
5th Kamyren Garrett High Jump
8th Devon Richardson High Jump
7th Devon Richardson Triple Jump
2nd Kade McCall Hammer
4th Luke Ralston Javelin
5th Joe Placek Javelin
6th Matas Adamonis Javelin
3rd Tejaswin ShankarDecathlon
4th Emil Uhlin Decathlon
Jayhawks🔴🔵
4th Michael Joseph 400m
8th Chandler Gibbens 5000m
6th George Jackson 110mH
6th Teddy Buckley 3000mS
8th Eric Gawlick 3000mS
7th Patterson, Vargas, Wilmington, Shropshire 4x100m
6th Wilmington, Fogle, Shropshire, Green 4x400m
7th Devin Loudermilk High Jump
1st Zach Bradford Pole Vault
2nd Clayton Simms Pole Vault
3rd Kyle Rogers Pole Vault
6th Andrew Saloga Pole Vault
8th Jaden Patterson Triple Jump
4th Patrick Larrison Shot Put
3rd Patrick Larrison Discus
4th Oleg Klykov Hammer
7th Patrick Larrison Hammer
2nd Alexander Jung Decathlon
New state leads from league championship weekend🏆
There was so much high school track & field last weekend, too much to put in a newsletter without Substack telling me, “Post too long for email.” Of course I’m still going to fill you in on the athletes that jumped to the top of the state leaderboard, or improved their mark or time from earlier in the season.
Fresh off of a 46.29 400m at the Shawnee Mission North Relays, William Jones of Blue Valley ran 21.00 for the 200m at the Eastern Kansas League meet, the fastest time in the state by almost half of a second. At the same championship, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Alex Waldie ran and won the 800m in 1:52.70, half of a second ahead of the next fastest athlete. Keep in mind, this was Waldie’s first open 800m of his career, and he’s only a junior. Rounding out the track races is Olathe North’s Josh Parrish set a personal best in the 110mH, running 14.11, the only athlete to break 14.20 this year. In the 4x100m and the 4x400m, Piper High School and St. James Academy dropped the fastest times in their respective relays. Piper, already a dominant force in the 400m relay, lowered their state best time to 41.83, with St. James Academy running 3:21.40 as the only relay under 3:23 in 2022. Piper remains the only squad to break the 42 second barrier. The final new boy’s state lead seen last weekend was in the shot put, as Shawnee Mission East senior Kenneth Huston out-threw Casey Helm’s mark of 60-5.5 by over three feet, with a toss of 63-9.
On the girl’s side, KaLiyah McGinnis of Olathe North ran 11.71 in the 100m dash, surpassing Wichita East’s Denae McElrath after barely sitting behind her these last few weeks. In the 800m, Stanton County standout Chesney Peterson picked up her third state lead, this time by running 2:10.78. For those unfamiliar with the rarity of Peterson’s speed, this is the 4th fastest performance ever from a Kansas high schooler, and it makes her only the fifth high school athlete to ever run under 2:11. In the 300mH, Wellington’s Annalisa Cullens dethrones Mill Valley’s Quincy Hubert, taking a lead by just under half of a second, 44.39-44.83. Olathe North continued their 4x100m dominance, lowering their state-best to 48.36, half of a second ahead of Olathe West.
In the high jump, Jefferson County North senior Adie Manville became the first girl to jump higher than 5-8, bettering the previous mark by half of a foot with a height of 5-8.5. In the triple jump, Manhattan junior Gili Johnson handily defeated the Centennial League by nearly five whole feet, jumping 39-9.5, 6.5 inches ahead of the next closest mark.
Here we are, two weeks left in the KSHSAA track & field season. We’ve got a weekend full of regionals, and next Friday begins the final quest for a state championship. Before we know it, I can only imagine some more athletes will find a way to take over the top of the list.
I’ll keep this short and sweet so you don’t miss any meets this weekend, but have a great weekend and if you can, go enjoy some track & field for us.