PLAINVIEW, TX – When you think about the history of Wayland Baptist Women's Track and Field, there's one word that comes to mind when describing the 2007-2011 successes: Domination. A key enigma that ignited this run was one of the most versatile Women's Track and Field athletes in program history, Kydia Echols, and it's time she receives the recognition she deserves as she will be inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2025.
"I am deeply honored to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Honor at Wayland Baptist University," said Echols as she expressed her deep appreciation for her induction.
A native of Harleton, Texas, Echols had one of the most storied women's track and field careers in Pioneer history. Echols joined the Pioneers Women's Track and Field and Cross Country programs in 2005, but an injury forced her to use a red-shirt season.
After making a full recovery, Echols showed her strength and perseverance by putting in the work to put herself in a position to make an impact on her team, which is exactly what she would do beginning in 2007.
Echols and the Pioneers went on to win the 2007 and 2008 Sooner Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship and earned a 6
th place finish at the both the 2007 and 2008 NAIA National Championships.
Echols was then a key component in the Pioneers 4x400m relay team making it to nationals, where they earned first place after finishing with a time of 3:42.95. Echols also competed in the 4x800m relay and 600m run.
At the conclusion of the 2007 season, Echols was recognized as a NAIA All-American for all three events that she competed in. However, what was interesting about Echols journey up until this point in her career is that she had never competed in these longer races. In High School, Echols ran shorter races, but her hard-work and dedication made it possible for her to move up in events once she arrived at Wayland Baptist.
Echols was recruited to Wayland Baptist by former head coach Brian Whitlock, and Whitlock undoubtedly believes Echols deserves this recognition. "Kydia's induction is very well deserved. She was a vital part of the initial success we had at Wayland and was instrumental in helping build the track team into what it became."
Whitlock continued detailing what made Echols such a valuable piece of the puzzle, "On the track is where her true talents came out highlighted by a national title in the 4x4, 4x8 and 600. Kydia was the first of a long line of athletes that moved up events from high school. She was a 400 runner that we moved up to 800. She was a very low mileage girl that just came here and worked her tail off. I can't tell you how vital it was to have athletes like Kydia that developed into a Cross Country athlete that was in our top 5 on a 6
th ranked national team that could then run 55-56 seconds on our 4x4."
Echols was appreciative of Whitlock recruiting her, "How Coach Whitlock found this small-town girl from Harleton, Texas and pushed me to become a better athlete than I ever imagined was nothing short of a miracle. I know God's hand was in it all. He knew just where I needed to be! He sent me to a Christian environment with encouraging professors, dedicated coaches, inspiring teammates, and plenty of grace to grow into the person He intended for me to be."
In 2008, Echols and the Pioneers went on to win the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Women's Track and Field National Championships. Her 4x800m relay team went on to win the NAIA Indoor National Championship with a time of 9:15.23, giving her another All-American award. She carried that momentum of winning a national championship into the Outdoor season, earning a 2
nd place finish in the 4x400m relay and 4x800m relay at the NAIA Outdoor Women's Track and Field National Championships. The 4x800m relay team finished with a program record breaking time of 8:50.94. These finishes earned her two more All-American awards. Her 4x800m relay team took home their second consecutive Sooner Athletic Conference Championship with a time of 9:39.43.
Echols and the Pioneers repeated their 2008 performance during the 2009 season, winning the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, marking back-to-back national championships in both seasons.
Despite always being a team player and making sure her actions always benefit the group, Echols broke through individually in 2010 by winning the NAIA Indoor Women's Track and Field National Championship in the 600m with a time of 1:32.47, marking her first individual national championship of her career.
Echols achieved these feats while facing the daily challenges of being a full-time student and having a full-time job, which Whitlock found inspiring, "She did all this why having a very high GPA and working all 5 years full time in the evenings at Walmart. Kydia was a winner, a competitor and a great teammate that did whatever it took to help our teams win."
During her five-year career as a Pioneer, Echols earned 13-time All-American awards, including three First Team All-American honors, three All-Conference awards in Cross Country, and 2 NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete awards.
Echols has carried the values she learned at Wayland Baptist into her professional career as a teacher with Harlingen ISD. She credits Wayland Baptist for helping her grow as a person and in her faith.
"It was during my time at Wayland that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. There is no doubt that the influence at WBU and opportunities I received there will impact my entire life, the lives of my children, and the students I teach. I am grateful to God, my family, my coach, my teammates, and the university for a journey that helped shape me into the Christian, mother, educator, and leader that I am today."
Echols will be inducted in the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2025 on Saturday, October 4
th at 9:00 AM in the McClung Center on the campus of Wayland Baptist.
