If he hadn’t fractured his thigh bone in high school, David Adesanya ’27 might be on the soccer pitch at Wabash. Instead, he’s set to go great lengths as a distance runner on the cross country and track and field teams.
After placing second in the 800-meter run at the North Coast Athletic Conference indoor track and field championships, David Adesanya was disappointed with his fourth-place finish at the outdoor conference meet.
“He wanted to be third—he’s so determined,” says Head Cross Country Coach Tyler McCreary. “He had no idea what he had just done. He had run a 1:53 which is all-time top 10 at Wabash and a huge personal record. He had run the best race of his life and executed it perfectly. When he heard that he felt much better.”
Adesanya was born in Nigeria. His family moved to the United States when he was 11. Early in high school, he fractured his thigh bone playing soccer. He initially joined the track team at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis to get back in shape for the soccer season the following fall. He was fast—so fast he ended up running on the varsity team with a group of upperclassmen on the 4x800-meter relay that went to the state championship meet.
His speed turned heads, but his leadership and dedication have set him apart.
“David was a mature young man from early on and the type of leader and personality you want around underclassmen,” says Ryan McMaster, Ben Davis High School cross country coach and son of William McMaster ’80. “He is smart and grasps training and tactics quickly. But his leadership has grown the most. He has really stepped up. Even now he encourages, coaches up, and talks to younger runners about the proper way to do things. He helped establish a culture of success. His attention to detail and doing any little thing to make himself better even after practices, on the weekends, and on his own showed others what needs to be done to be great.”
His work ethic followed him from Ben Davis to Wabash.
“He is becoming more of a leader, but he’s someone who recognizes he doesn’t know everything,” says McCreary. “He asks a lot of questions. He wants to learn. He connected with some of our veteran runners like Haiden (Diemer-McKinney ’26) and Will (Neubauer ’25). Day one last year, he attached to their hip and was doing everything they did trying to learn from them. He just wants to get better.”
Adesanya appreciates what the talented duo can teach him.
“Haiden and Will are two nationally ranked guys and have embraced me training with them,” he says. “I’m always excited to train with them because I know they’re making me better.”
As year two takes off, McCreary knows great things are possible but keeps Adesanya focused on the training.
“We’re really process oriented in our program,” McCreary says. “He and I have never talked about the next step in terms of performance. That takes care of itself when you show up, go through the day-to-day, and put in the work. What excites me is being able to work with him every day. He’s a wonderful person.
“He trains well every day. Every race he had last year was an incremental personal record,” he continues. “I always had to put it in perspective, ‘You do know that’s the fastest you’ve ever run? You haven’t had a bad day yet.’
“He’s consistent because that’s how he works.”
Even when Adesanya feels like he hasn’t done as well as he should, he tries to keep a positive attitude.
“When I have a bad race or something, I try to say to myself, ‘Everyone has a different journey. Sometimes you’re going to feel bad,’” he says. “I just keep driving and training. It’s going to come. Just be patient.”