• Joins brother in representing the Cowboys
Habtamu “Habi” Wetzel made his intentions known where his running abilities would take him via his Instagram account as he committed to run distance for the Wyoming Cowboys. Wetzel made it official on Tuesday, putting pen to paper to go to Laradise where his brother, Asefa, is just now exhausting his eligibility.
Having run with several collegiate runners in the Star Valley program, Wetzel said there was some mild lobbying with Asefa in Laramie and Peter Visser and Wesley Kallgren at Weber State.
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I originally took a visit [to UW] right after state [cross-country] and liked their facilities, coach and team culture,” he said. I took a visit to Weber as well. I didn’t like their facilities as much. I liked their coaches and their area but Asefa also went to Wyoming and kind of wanted to represent them so that [was my decision process]. Asesfa was an influence of course, Peter was trying to get me to go on a visit. Even Wesley; but it wasn’t a rivalry but they were kind of trying to make their pitch.”
Wetzel is a two-time Wyoming Gatorade Runner of the Year selection as well as a two-time 4A Wyoming individual cross-country champion. He spoke with SVI about the pipeline of distance runners from SVHS and coach Ty Draney.
“Ty has a great thing going here,” he said. “So many fast runners. He’s a great coach. Coach Draney has prepared me well to perform well. Hopefully I’ll be redshirting my freshman year and then that next year I’ll be doing good and make it to the big meets and see what I can do on that stage. I’ll be taking that first year to get acquainted to the college environment. The training load is a lot higher. The workouts are a lot harder. But that’s just what college life is.”
Wetzel helped lead the Braves to three-straight 4A cross-country team titles and his teammates are an important part of his finals weeks of his prep career.
“Between now and the end of the season, I want to run good times but I’m trying to focus on making memories with my teammates,” he added. “I’m not really going to remember the times I ran, but I’ll remember the memories with them. I’m trying to hang out with them and working hard with them and supporting them. I want to leave a good mark behind.”
Wetzel has been at or near the forefront of the distance running culture at SVHS all four years and his advice for those coming behind him are simple.
“My main point of advice would be to trust the process and trust Ty Draney,” he replied. “Do all the workouts and do all the runs, especially in the summer. The times will fall. Ty Draney is a great coach so trust what he does.”
Habi is the son of Joe and Christina Wetzel. Joe, a long time math teacher with LCSD No. 2, has certainly had an influence on his son’s future plans as he moves on to UW.
“I’ve taken some college classes so academically I”ll be a sophomore,” he continued. “I’ve been thinking of engineering, mechanical engineering but that could change as time passes. I’m a math guy, my dad is a math teacher, I took an engineering class and liked creating things.”
Habi and Asefa are also working on making a trip to their native Ethiopia to potentially connect with family and culture.
“We are planning on making a trip and trying to meet some of our family down there and maybe do a well project to the previous village where I came from,” he said. “Going back to my roots and giving back where I came from and seeing my previous culture will be a really cool experience.”
In conclusion, when asked what keeps him motivated to put in the miles, he had the following response.
“The runner’s high is really rewarding,” he concluded. “When I take my two week break it’s really boring. Getting a top place is super rewarding and it feels really good to have those times and races under your belt.”
