Kansas State University Athletics
Avila ‘Excited to Represent the Purple’
Oct 01, 2025 | Cross Country, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
One day in late July, and a couple months after his graduation from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Julian Avila had lunch with Manhattan High head track coach Kory Cool in Manhattan. Avila, a Manhattan native who earned a degree in business management and a minor in accounting, had recently started a full-time accounting job at CivicPlus.
Things at lunch quicky got interesting.
Under Cool's guiding hand, Avila ran on the Manhattan High School cross country team and helped the track and field team to state championships in 2018 and 2021. He also played linebacker on the football team. Avila went on to set multiple school records during his four years in cross country at Kansas Wesleyan. Now, although Avila was working full-time at CivicPlus, he sought a way to remain involved in running in some capacity, and he asked Cool for advice.
Cool pointed to the K-State cross country program — specifically Stephanie Brokaw, assistant coach for the cross country team. Stephanie was a NCAA champion at Arkansas, signed a pro contract with Nike out of college, and after major back surgery in 2018, she qualified for the USA Olympic Trials in 2024 for the fourth time.
She was still racing professionally and sought training partners after all the student-athletes went home for the summer.
"(Cool) connected me with Steph, so I could help her with training and remain involved in the sport," Avila says. "Then one thing led to another."
Trey Brokaw, a K-State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, met Avila at Stephanie's practices. Trey saw how Avila moved so well and how he burst with untapped potential.
Trey didn't hesitate. He offered Avila a spot on the K-State cross country team.
Boom.
Turns out, indeed, the 22-year-old Avila officially had a fifth year of eligibility remaining. Avila currently works his full-time job at CivicPlus remotely to allow flexibility with his schedule. And each day, he's training as a member of the K-State cross country team — running up to 65 miles a week — in mornings or in afternoons, chasing that runner's high that never fully left following his record-setting success at Kansas Wesleyan.
"It's surreal," he says. "Growing up in Manhattan, you always see, 'Kansas State.' It's everywhere. To be able to put on that purple jersey is awesome. To represent K-State and Manhattan is really awesome. I'm super excited to represent the purple this whole season."
A little more than a month after his fateful lunch with Cool, previously-retired Avila went out and ran the fastest 6K in his life for K-State.
He recorded a time of 18:35.1 to finish 25th place at the Platte River Rumble Gold on August 5.
And he isn't satisfied.
"It was a good starting point," Avila says. "I could've run faster. I didn't go out as hard. I didn't plan on competing this year. When I got the opportunity, I had to train, and I didn't know what was going to happen. I definitely know I can run faster. I'm surrounded by an awesome group of guys who are very talented. I'm super excited to see what I can do.
"My goal is obviously to do well and help K-State as much as I can, whether that's helping my teammates, or whatever. I want to contribute to the program as a whole."
Avila seems to be fitting right in with the Wildcats.
"I like all the guys," he said. "I've only known them for a little longer than a month, but it feels like family. Everyone is always excited to get to practice – even on the hard days – and everyone has a really good attitude, and that helps. The best part of my day is showing up and being a part of the team.
"I really enjoy our coaches. I enjoy their energy. It's awesome. The first time I met both of our coaches (head cross country coach Kate Bucknam and Trey Brokaw) they were filled with energy. That's just their personality. They're super nice and really love the program and want to help the program grow."
Each day, Avila looks to grow as a runner. And that begins with practice — and patience.
"The advice that I got is that running is a marathon, it's not a sprint," Avila says. "It's a very long process. A lot of people, especially in my generation, we want instant gratification, so we expect to work out a couple weeks and then hop on the course and run really well. Unfortunately, that's now how it works. No matter what you do, be consistent every single day, and over time you get better. It doesn't happen overnight. That's super important. My process hasn't been very easy. It's been a long one, but it's definitely worth it."
The first race was at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Manhattan. Avila was in the seventh grade. But racing wasn't Avila's first love. He loved football. He played outside linebacker. But he also began running cross country. And then it became his favorite sport. And Manhattan High won two titles. And Avila advanced to the state championships all four years of high school. He was hooked.
After his freshman year experience at Cloud County Community College didn't go as well as he had hoped, he transferred to Kansas Wesleyan, where he started slow, and then gained steam, helping lead the program to some of its best finishes ever in national competition.
"I accomplished things that I set my mind to, even when it was difficult at times and seemed impossible," he says. "I always preserved and had a strong work ethic."
They're traits that he learned from his parents. Juan Avila, his father, is a carpenter and owns a framing company in Manhattan. Ana Vargas, his mother, is somewhat of a Manhattan celebrity, known for having some of the best burgers in the area at Ana's Burger Shack.
"Both my parents work very hard," Avila says. "A lot of the reason I'm here now is because they've been super helpful. My work ethic comes from them. I'm so grateful for how my family has supported me throughout my whole career."
One race into his fifth season, and his first season at K-State, time slowly dwindles on Avila's improbable finish to a cross country career that seemed all-but complete a couple months ago.
Now he thirsts for what's next.
On Friday, Avila and K-State will compete at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. Then K-State will compete at the Pre-National Invitational in Columbia, Missouri, on October 18. The Big 12 Championship is on October 31 in Lawrence, Kansas. From there is the NCAA Midwest Regional on November 14 and the NCAA Championship on November 22.
"I'm super eager," Avila says. "I want to do the best I can and help the team finish as high as we can at the Big 12s. Our schedule looks to be pretty fun, too, so I'm anxious to make a lot of memories, and make this year special. I won't be here for a very long time, but I'm going to be here, and it's going to be a great time."
And, Avila hopes, another great run.
One day in late July, and a couple months after his graduation from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Julian Avila had lunch with Manhattan High head track coach Kory Cool in Manhattan. Avila, a Manhattan native who earned a degree in business management and a minor in accounting, had recently started a full-time accounting job at CivicPlus.
Things at lunch quicky got interesting.
Under Cool's guiding hand, Avila ran on the Manhattan High School cross country team and helped the track and field team to state championships in 2018 and 2021. He also played linebacker on the football team. Avila went on to set multiple school records during his four years in cross country at Kansas Wesleyan. Now, although Avila was working full-time at CivicPlus, he sought a way to remain involved in running in some capacity, and he asked Cool for advice.
Cool pointed to the K-State cross country program — specifically Stephanie Brokaw, assistant coach for the cross country team. Stephanie was a NCAA champion at Arkansas, signed a pro contract with Nike out of college, and after major back surgery in 2018, she qualified for the USA Olympic Trials in 2024 for the fourth time.
She was still racing professionally and sought training partners after all the student-athletes went home for the summer.
"(Cool) connected me with Steph, so I could help her with training and remain involved in the sport," Avila says. "Then one thing led to another."
Trey Brokaw, a K-State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, met Avila at Stephanie's practices. Trey saw how Avila moved so well and how he burst with untapped potential.
Trey didn't hesitate. He offered Avila a spot on the K-State cross country team.
Boom.
Turns out, indeed, the 22-year-old Avila officially had a fifth year of eligibility remaining. Avila currently works his full-time job at CivicPlus remotely to allow flexibility with his schedule. And each day, he's training as a member of the K-State cross country team — running up to 65 miles a week — in mornings or in afternoons, chasing that runner's high that never fully left following his record-setting success at Kansas Wesleyan.
"It's surreal," he says. "Growing up in Manhattan, you always see, 'Kansas State.' It's everywhere. To be able to put on that purple jersey is awesome. To represent K-State and Manhattan is really awesome. I'm super excited to represent the purple this whole season."
A little more than a month after his fateful lunch with Cool, previously-retired Avila went out and ran the fastest 6K in his life for K-State.
He recorded a time of 18:35.1 to finish 25th place at the Platte River Rumble Gold on August 5.
And he isn't satisfied.
"It was a good starting point," Avila says. "I could've run faster. I didn't go out as hard. I didn't plan on competing this year. When I got the opportunity, I had to train, and I didn't know what was going to happen. I definitely know I can run faster. I'm surrounded by an awesome group of guys who are very talented. I'm super excited to see what I can do.
"My goal is obviously to do well and help K-State as much as I can, whether that's helping my teammates, or whatever. I want to contribute to the program as a whole."
Avila seems to be fitting right in with the Wildcats.
"I like all the guys," he said. "I've only known them for a little longer than a month, but it feels like family. Everyone is always excited to get to practice – even on the hard days – and everyone has a really good attitude, and that helps. The best part of my day is showing up and being a part of the team.
"I really enjoy our coaches. I enjoy their energy. It's awesome. The first time I met both of our coaches (head cross country coach Kate Bucknam and Trey Brokaw) they were filled with energy. That's just their personality. They're super nice and really love the program and want to help the program grow."
Each day, Avila looks to grow as a runner. And that begins with practice — and patience.
"The advice that I got is that running is a marathon, it's not a sprint," Avila says. "It's a very long process. A lot of people, especially in my generation, we want instant gratification, so we expect to work out a couple weeks and then hop on the course and run really well. Unfortunately, that's now how it works. No matter what you do, be consistent every single day, and over time you get better. It doesn't happen overnight. That's super important. My process hasn't been very easy. It's been a long one, but it's definitely worth it."
The first race was at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Manhattan. Avila was in the seventh grade. But racing wasn't Avila's first love. He loved football. He played outside linebacker. But he also began running cross country. And then it became his favorite sport. And Manhattan High won two titles. And Avila advanced to the state championships all four years of high school. He was hooked.
After his freshman year experience at Cloud County Community College didn't go as well as he had hoped, he transferred to Kansas Wesleyan, where he started slow, and then gained steam, helping lead the program to some of its best finishes ever in national competition.
"I accomplished things that I set my mind to, even when it was difficult at times and seemed impossible," he says. "I always preserved and had a strong work ethic."
They're traits that he learned from his parents. Juan Avila, his father, is a carpenter and owns a framing company in Manhattan. Ana Vargas, his mother, is somewhat of a Manhattan celebrity, known for having some of the best burgers in the area at Ana's Burger Shack.
"Both my parents work very hard," Avila says. "A lot of the reason I'm here now is because they've been super helpful. My work ethic comes from them. I'm so grateful for how my family has supported me throughout my whole career."
One race into his fifth season, and his first season at K-State, time slowly dwindles on Avila's improbable finish to a cross country career that seemed all-but complete a couple months ago.
Now he thirsts for what's next.
On Friday, Avila and K-State will compete at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. Then K-State will compete at the Pre-National Invitational in Columbia, Missouri, on October 18. The Big 12 Championship is on October 31 in Lawrence, Kansas. From there is the NCAA Midwest Regional on November 14 and the NCAA Championship on November 22.
"I'm super eager," Avila says. "I want to do the best I can and help the team finish as high as we can at the Big 12s. Our schedule looks to be pretty fun, too, so I'm anxious to make a lot of memories, and make this year special. I won't be here for a very long time, but I'm going to be here, and it's going to be a great time."
And, Avila hopes, another great run.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
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