Like most student-athletes, Haiden Diemer-McKinney ’26 is hard on himself. He’s always pushing to be better, to be ready for the next race, to be faster than he was the last time the starting gun fired.
The economics major from Brownsburg, Indiana, used that drive to accomplish quite a bit during his time as a member of the Little Giant cross country and track and field programs. In his collegiate career, Diemer-McKinney was a part of five North Coast Athletic Conference championship teams, was an all-conference performer in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track. He was also an individual event and relay champion multiple times.
The athletic peak arrived for him early. After winning the 800-meter run at the 2022 NCAC Indoor Championships and earning meet Newcomer-of-the-Year accolades, Diemer-McKinney advanced to the NCAA DIII Indoor Championships that year, where he finished third in a school-record time of 1:50.16, earning All-America honors with the effort.
“I still view that race as the high point of my career,” he said. “That weekend was one of the most exciting weekends of my entire life.”
Earning All-America honors is no small feat. Across all NCAA divisions, fewer than one-half of one percent of the more than 550,000 student-athletes achieve that goal. Diemer-McKinney did it in his first season and his first chance at an NCAA Championship.
Inevitably, the question became what’s next? He set his sights on becoming an NCAA champion. Unfortunately, separate injuries derailed those plans for much of his sophomore and junior seasons. Bouncing back proved difficult.
“Haiden wasn’t always able to hide the disappointment that he had each time, but his strength and positive outlook on life always showed much more,” said Tyler McCreary, head cross country coach. “He invested in himself at Wabash to set up an incredible future.”
Fortunately, Diemer-McKinney had other plans. Leaning into that “what’s next” mantra, he discovered that the same drive that helped him as an athlete could help him forge a career path.
“Collegiate athletics and competitive running are great, but it’s also temporary,” Diemer-McKinney said. “There has been some good to come out of (the injuries), like developing opportunities career-wise in an industry I enjoy and is very competitive. I’ve learned to network and I value the experiences I’ve had.
He started by joining the staff of The Bachelor, the campus newspaper, and began working in the athletics communications office. From there, he served internships with college and professional sports, including the Peach Bowl and NCAA Championship events, the Indy Eleven and Indianapolis Colts, discovering a niche for social media content creation.
“From the beginning, Haiden carried himself with a level of professionalism and maturity well beyond his years,” said Brent Harris, athletic communication director. “Every task he was assigned reflected his incredible work ethic, attention to detail, and genuine pride in doing things the right way.”
Like running, Diemer-McKinney discovered that these pursuits also brought
him joy. There was something else he could pour his energy into.
“I’m talking to everyone that I know, trying to connect with people, and learn as much as I can about the opportunities out there,” he said. “I’m at practice trying to be a good teammate. When things get crazy, I know that Wabash has taught me how to manage time. I figured out how to balance it.”
Those efforts have paid off for Diemer-McKinney, as he landed a position in the communications department with the New York Jets.
He feels like these experiences have him ready for what lies ahead.
“If I didn’t get injured, who knows what could have happened?” he asked. “The injuries gave me time to establish what’s important, to understand what I wanted to do after college. Fortunately, my experiences have accumulated to the point where I know what I want. I want to be active. I want to be a part of a team and challenge myself. No matter what I’ve done, I’ve always loved the challenge.”