By: Nathan Gillman
4/5/2007

Coach Winston Kenton, or Coach K as many of the athletes call him, leads the Friends University track and cross country teams. He loves running and enjoys the opportunity to be around young people. 

He is now in his fourth season as the track coach and has been the cross country coach for three years. 

“I get paid to do my hobby,” he said.

The athletes admire him. 

Taylor McAlpine, a freshman who runs a variety of events including the 400-meter race and relays, met Kenton last May while attending Northwest High School. She said Kenton is laid back and gets along with those around him. She said he is always smiling and joking with students.

“He’s a little bit more than a coach. I consider him more of a friend also, besides being a coach,” McAlpine said. 

McAlpine also described Kenton as a patient individual who invests time in improving the running skills of the athletes. 

“He’s like one of the only people I’ve never seen mad,” she said.

McAlpine recalled an event from a track meet last weekend. Rain was falling and McAlpine’s asthma was bothering her. She didn’t feel like running. But Kenton pulled her aside and encouraged her to run the 4-by-400. She finished third. 

Unlike some coaches who watch from the sidelines, Kenton often runs with his students during practice. Aaron Mussat, a freshman long-distance runner, appreciates that his coach motivates the team by running with them.

Kenton has run 21 marathons and plans to run another one in October. Although he ran track in high school, he did not participate in collegiate track. He never imagined that he would run long distance.

“I thought distance people were insane,” he said.

His post-college running career began as an activity to improve his health.

Mussat recalled when Kenton ran the Wichita Marathon, a half marathon. Kenton was running a 6 minute, 30 second mile pace. Despite the grueling speed, Kenton sped up as he approached the final 800 meters, passing the other runners around him. 

Kenton didn’t set out to be a track or cross country coach. He wanted to be involved in another disciplined field — law enforcement. After serving as a police officer for 16 years, he left behind the on-the-scene participation as an officer. However, he did not leave the field entirely. Kenton currently teaches in the University’s adult degree completion program in criminal justice, where he serves as the director.

Before coaching at Friends, he coached at Bishop Carroll High School for 10 years, serving as the assistant coach for seven years and finishing as head coach for the last three years. The team finished in one of the top three places in state every year Kenton was head coach.

Besides his coaching career, he is also a father and a husband.  He has been married to his wife, Sally, for 24 years. Sally comes to numerous cross country and track meets, despite suffering from multiple sclerosis.

“She’s kind of like a team mother,” Kenton said. 

Faith plays a major role in Kenton’s life. He has been a member of the Saint Francis of Assisi parish for 25 years.

Mussat admires Kenton’s faith.

“When he prays, his prayers get answered,” Mussat said, recalling the times Kenton has led the team in prayer before a meet.

When assessing his time spent at Friends, Kenton remembered the University’s “dominating pole vault program” and the talented athletes he has worked with such as Denise Mokaya, the long distance runner from Kenya.

Kenton wants to see the track team win a conference championship and travel as a complete team to nationals. He said the biggest challenge is the most rewarding – “trying to topple the 800-pound gorilla that’s a conference championship,” he said.

His goals for the next five to 10 years include continuing his coaching career at Friends and continuing to serve as the director of the criminal justice program -- “hopefully with five or 10 conference championships under my belt.”