Wichita State's Bryce Merriman stopped regarding practices as a test, as a pressure-filled task to grind through. Early in his junior year, he realized he needed to lighten up.
"Freshman and sophomore year, you go into each workout hoping you were good enough to hang with the top guys," he said. "You want to look good in front of your coach. Junior year, I definitely decided to have more fun with it. More jokes. Talking during the hard times and getting each other through."
About the same time a year ago, Merriman began to improve his practice times as a distance runner.