Donny Wasinger Looks To Put His Name In The Record Books

Nov. 22, 2010

Donny Wasinger grew up in a town with a population smaller than the University of Kansas’ enrollment – and just like it is at KU, Wasinger can probably outrun anybody from Winona, Minn., in the mile, the 5K, or the 1500m.

As a junior, Wasinger enters the 2010-11 track seasons as the team’s best distance runner, and even though he is not a senior, he is still looked upon for leadership as the indoor track season is right around the corner -starting Dec. 4 with the Bob Timmons Challenge.

Wasinger chose to come to Kansas from his high school in Minnesota because of the tradition and the chance to maximize his potential.

With former KU distance runners such as Olympians Jim Ryun and Wes Santee, Wasinger has plenty of former Jayhawks to look up to if he came to Lawrence for the tradition.

Currently, Wasinger is the best Jayhawk at the mile, and if he wants to break the Kansas record, he will have to go after probably the most famous Jayhawk track and field athlete, Jim Ryun, who still holds the Kansas indoor record for the mile, with a time of 3:57.50

Wasinger’s goal for his Jayhawk track career is to become an All-American, something that Jayhawk legends Santee and Ryun accomplished a total of nine times in both the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

Think about it. Two of the best distance runners in U.S. history first made their mark in Lawrence, Kan., and Wasinger has the chance to put his name next to them in the Jayhawk record book.