MARION, Ind. – As a significant era of his athletic career is set to conclude, Jacob Kocis is still a bit surprised that it ever began in the first place.
On Wednesday, Kocis, a senior distance standout at Midway, will compete in the 10,000-meter run at the 2024 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
This marks the 11th time Kocis has qualified for a national event at Midway in a career that has also seen him break eight program records and a River States Conference record across track and cross country while also earning RSC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2022.
These accomplishments seem even more noteworthy when you consider that Kocis graduated from North Country Union (Vt.) High School in 2019 having never competed in distance running at any level.
After coming to Midway on a basketball scholarship, he changed sports following a successful sales pitch from Eagle cross country coach Jay Walls, who took notice after basketball coaches told him of a freshman "who was blowing the socks off of everybody" during conditioning drills.
But even after being convinced to make the change, Kocis says he would have been as shocked as anyone if you'd told him that meeting with Walls would kick off one of the most decorated careers in the history of the Midway athletics.
"It's so weird when I think back to where I was four years ago," he said. "Never would I have imagined I'd be blessed enough to compete at this level."
When his time in college ends, Kocis has his sights set on the sport's highest level.
Of the 11 national events he's qualified for, the most impactful for Kocis was the 2023 NAIA Marathon, and not simply because his time of 2 hours, 27 minutes resulted in an All-American finish. Competing against several seasoned veterans of the circuit, Kocis placed second in the first marathon he'd ever run.
And after achieving such great, early success, he soon plans to intensify his training with the ultimate goal of competing in the 2028 Olympic Trials in the marathon. His time at NAIA Nationals is nine minutes shy of the national qualifying standard.
Though acknowledging that would be a significant leap, Kocis' unexpected success at Midway has taught him not to set limits for himself.
"I don't want to just go to the Olympic trials, I would love to be competitive there," he said. "I don't know if it's possible yet, (and) that's a long ways away and who knows if I'd ever be able to get to that point? But that would be amazing."
Before that, he's got other business to attend to.
Wednesday won't be the end of Kocis' Midway career. He still has one year of eligibility left in cross country that he plans to use in the fall while finishing up his MBA.
His time with the track and field program will conclude at the 2024 Outdoor Championships, though, and he hopes that race will help lessen the sting of a recent national disappointment.
After qualifying in the 10K a season ago, Kocis was unable to compete, after an in-season training accident took him out of commission for two months.
The effects of the injury lingered for months, and despite his success at the marathon and earning national spots in both cross country and indoor track during the 2023-24 school year, Kocis says he is just now starting to feel like himself and is eager to put forth a strong showing.
"I want to leave it all out there," he said. "Wherever I end up finishing, I just want to place as high as I can and do it for my coaches and teammates (and) leave a legacy to shoot for."
A devout Christian, Kocis also credits his success to his faith, stating: "I never could have panned this out. All the pieces aligning, I know that's not me."
He expects that spiritual guidance will serve him well as he eventually hopes to build a running legacy that extends beyond Midway.
"I'm so thankful for this sport and I don't plan on having it end when my college career does," he said. "I'm really just getting started."
Both Kocis and women's pole vaulter Nevaeh Brown are scheduled to compete on day one of the three-day event. Brown will compete at noon with Kocis running at 9:10 p.m.
A one-day stream can be purchased for $19.95 by clicking here. A three-day pass is also available for $39.95.
