Chris Wenig

By Kara Walser
UWRF Sports Information

Do you know any college student with a yellow rubber ducky motif in their bathroom? If you answered no, you can now change your answer. Meet Chris Wenig.  

Wenig is a senior and the team captain for the UWRF cross country team. This season Wenig has two goals. First, as team captain, he wants to make the season better by being a great leader and to make the team feel like more of a family.

"My greatest achievement was probably being voted by the team to be a captain," explains Wenig. "My teammates have put their trust in me to lead them in the right direction."

UWRF Coach Don Glover says Wenig is taking on a big role and has done a good job. Wenig is described to be mature and is taking on more responsibility for the team. Glover says the team members respect Wenig and have a friendly relationship with him.

Wenig not only gets along with his teammates, he also has a great relationship with his coach.  

"Coach Glover is a very loving guy. He is always making sure that everyone is comfortable," says Wenig. "He has always been there to give advice to me if I had any questions about anything regarding running, school, or life in general."

Glover describes Wenig as a Wisconsin man who has been on the team since his freshman year. He has worked hard the past four years, improving his running times, and being on the All-WIAC team.

Wenig's second goal of the season is "break 27:30 for an 8K."   Glover claims that the athlete has had his best time this season running a 28:01 at the 2006 Jim Drews Invitational hosted by the UW-La Crosse on Oct. 14.

Wenig has come a long way from when he started running in his freshman year of high school. He received a letter from the high school cross country coach while he was still in middle school saying that they had noticed what impressive times Wenig was running in the one mile time trial. Wenig also had the support and encouragement of his older brother, Kelly, who was running cross country at the high school, and so Wenig decided to join.

"It was one of the best decisions of my life thus far," says Wenig. "I wouldn't trade my experiences as an athlete for anything."

Wenig describes running cross country at the collegiate level as a lifestyle. "In high school, it was just a pastime to do after school," he says. "I have turned a pastime into something that I absolutely love doing."

Wenig's biggest inspiration has been his parents. Debra and Edward Wenig have always encouraged Wenig to go after his goals. With parents like these, Wenig has the strength to be a good student as well as an athlete. With his dad never having the opportunity to go to college or play sports, Wenig claims that he, along with his other siblings, are greatly influenced by the encouragement he gives.

When Wenig has some free time, he likes spending time with friends and watching movies. He loves the movie Dumb and Dumber, and is currently hooked on the TV show, House M.D. His favorite color is blue and his favorite food is either steak or his mom's spaghetti.  

Wenig also likes traveling, which he did in the 2006 spring semester at UW-River Falls. Wenig had "the experience of a lifetime" traveling in Europe.