Western Kentucky University Women's Track

Jenkins was named head coach of both the men's and women's track and field programs at WKU on January 1, 2008 after spending the previous eight years as an assistant on the Hill. Jenkins - a native of Quincy, Fla., and a 1995 graduate of James A. Shanks High School - was in charge of sprinters, jumpers and recruiting for the programs prior to taking over head coaching duties. Jenkins has continued WKU's storied track and field/cross country success, leading the programs to a combined 27 Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference Championships since 2008. Jenkins and his staff have developed a knack for producing All-Americans, leading athletes to a combined 57 All-America selections. Seventeen of those All-American performances came in WKU's historic 2014 outdoor season in which seven athletes combined for 10 First Team All-American performances. Jenkins has racked up 18 Conference USA and Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors from the league, including back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Women's Coach of the Year honors in 2014 after guiding the Lady Toppers to indoor and outdoor championships. During WKU's inaugural 2014-15 season in Conference USA, Jenkins was named the Men's Indoor and Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year after leading the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers to conference titles in those campaigns. Nine Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers earned All-American status in the 2015 outdoor season and Jenkins' guidance led to his second-straight USTFCCCA Men's Southeast Region Coach of the Year honor. The Lady Toppers' season was highlighted by a 2015 C-USA Outdoor title, where seven individuals captured gold and 14 turned in all-conference performances. Senior sprinter/jumper hybrid Chioma Agwunobi was the story of WKU's postseason success as she won C-USA titles in the long jump and 200-meter dash on her way to C-USA Women's Top Point Scorer honors. Agwunobi continued her dominance at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships with a pair of school-record performances in the 200-meter dash to advance to the NCAA Championships. She also qualified for nationals in the 100-meter dash to become the first Lady Topper in program history to advance to the NCAA Championships in two sprinting events. At the NCAA Championships, Agwunobi finished 18th in the 200-meter dash, 22nd in the 100-meter dash and ran a leg on WKU's 19th-place 4x100-meter relay to capture three Honorable Mention All-America accolades. Following her tremendous postseason, Agwunobi was named the C-USA Women's Track Athlete of the Year. Jenkins has now tutored eight-consecutive Lady Toppers to conference track or field athlete of the year honors. The Hilltoppers began the outdoor season ranked No. 25 by the USTFCCCA, marking the first time in program history that the men cracked the national Top 25 polls. Following a 2015 C-USA Indoor title, the Hilltoppers came up 10 points shy of sweeping both championships as they finished third at the outdoor championships despite six individual titles and 14 All-Conference USA performances. Sophomore sprinter Emmanuel Dasor won 200 and 400-meter dash titles at the championships and ran a leg on WKU's championship-winning 4x100-meter relay while classmate Ventavius Sears won the long jump crown, finished runner-up in the 200-meter dash and also ran a leg on the title-winning 4x1. Dasor and Sears were WKU's top point scorers in its run to the C-USA Indoor Title and repeated the feat at the outdoor championships while also advancing to the NCAA East Prelims. Both sprinters narrowly missed the cut line for nationals in the 200-meter dash, but both ran legs on WKU's 4x100-meter relay that garnered Second Team All-American status in Eugene by finishing 11th. Individually, Sears finished eighth in the long jump at the NCAA Championships to secure First Team All-American accolades. Junior Tomas Guerra also finished 10th in the javelin throw at the NCAA Championships to land Second Team All-American status, making him just the second three-time All-American field athlete in Hilltopper history.  Both the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers made a strong impression in their first C-USA Championship meet as Jenkins guided the men to the title and the women to a runner-up finish at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Hilltopper sprinters combined to score 57 of WKU's 127 team points, which was highlighted by Dasor, Sears and Julius Morris sweeping the 200-meter dash medals. Dasor and Ja'Karyus Redwine won sprinting titles while seniors Cyrus Johnson (triple jump) and Travis Gerding (weight throw) also delivered title-winning performances. The Lady Toppers finished second at the indoor championships behind six all-conference performances. WKU also racked up awards off of the track in 2014-15 as Sandra Akachukwu, Karliegh Parker, Ria Moellers and Cyrus Johnson all were named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for their combination of success in competition and in the classroom. The Lady Toppers held a 3.32 team GPA during the academic year and earned their third-straight USTFCCCA All-Academic honor as a unit. Akachukwu, Parker, Gerding and Johnson were also named to the C-USA All-Academic Team. During WKU's first Conference USA cross country season, the Lady Toppers finished fourth and the Hilltoppers finished fifth at the conference championships. Junior Katie Lever nabbed First Team All-Conference USA honors with a seventh place finish at the championship meet and senior David Mokone secured his fourth-straight all-conference honor with a 12th-place finish in the men's race. Lever was later named the C-USA Women's Cross Country Scholar of the Year and landed on the C-USA All-Academic Team for her perfect 4.0 GPA in the classroom. In 2014, Jenkins was named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Men's Coach of the Year while leading the Hilltoppers to a 18th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Hilltoppers reached No. 26 in the national rankings in 2014, which is their highest ranking in program history. Jenkins led the Hilltoppers to a fourth-place ranking in the final Southeast Region index behind only Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina. Jenkins also received the Women's Coach of the Year honor from the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (KTCCCA) in 2013, which gives him four-consecutive Women's Coach of the Year honors from the organization. He has also been named the KTCCCA Men's Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2012. Both the Hilltopper and Lady Topper programs reached new heights during the 2013-14 indoor and outdoor seasons under Jenkins' direction. The Lady Toppers reached their highest USTFCCCA ranking in school history at No. 22 on April 29 and came in at No. 23 on May 13. The Hilltoppers also reached their highest USTFCCCA ranking at No. 26 on May 13. Both teams reached the highest ranking of any Sun Belt Conference team in conference history. Jenkins led a school record 13 athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and had 19 athletes qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships. A school record seven athletes earned First Team All-American honors, headlined by the highest relay finishes in program history. WKU's 4x400-meter relay (Chris Chamness, Emmanuel Dasor, Ventavius Sears, Elvyonn Bailey) qualified for finals for the first time in school history and finished fourth at 3:03.99 seconds behind Texas A&M, Florida and LSU. The 4x100-meter relay (Ja'Karyus Redwine, Sears, Dasor, Bailey) qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time ever and reached the finals, placing fifth with a time of 39.43 seconds. WKU joined Texas A&M, Florida and LSU as the only teams in the country to place Top 5 in both relays. Tomas Guerra finished sixth-place in the javelin throw at the NCAA Championships to secure First-Team All-American honors for the second-straight year while Jessica Ramsey became the first Lady Topper in history to garner All-American honors in the shot put, nabbing First Team honors with an eighth-place showing. Ramsey was also a Second-Team All-American in the hammer throw and a honorable mention All-American in the shot put. The Hilltoppers finished with 12 team points at the NCAA Championships, good enough for an 18th-place finish, the highest for any WKU sport since men's basketball made the Sweet 16 in 2008. Ramsey was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year and Bailey was named the Southeast Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year, becoming the first athletes in WKU Track and Field history to garner the awards. Jenkins was tabbed the Southeast Region Men's Coach of the Year while assistant coach Ashley Muffet-Duncan secured Southeast Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Jenkins guided the Lady Toppers to Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2014, which was spearheaded by five combined individual titles from Jessica Ramsey. The Lady Toppers posted the second-highest point total in SBC history at the indoor championships with 169 points, trailing only the 2010 Lady Toppers' output of 179.3 points. The Hilltoppers finished second in both the indoor and outdoor championships but combined to win 12 individual titles and capture 25 All-Sun Belt Conference honors. The Lady Toppers finished with nine individual champions and 28 All-Conference honorees in the two championships. The WKU squads combined to break 12 school records during the 2013-14 indoor and outdoor seasons. Jessica Ramsey was named the Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Women's Field Performer at both the indoor and outdoor championships while Elvyonn Bailey was the Top Point Scorer and Men's Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the outdoor championships. Freshmen Ventavius Sears and Sandra Akachukwu were named Most Outstanding Freshmen at the 2014 SBC Indoor Championships. During the 2013 cross country season, Jenkins guided David Mokone to an individual Sun Belt Conference title at the SBC Championships and tutored four All-Conference selections overall. The Lady Toppers finished third at the championships and were led by second and fourth-place showings from Lindsey Hinken and Katie Lever. The Hilltoppers finished fifth at the SBC Championships and were sparked by Mokone's title and freshman Peter Agaba's all-conference performance. Although only the WKU men's indoor track and field team was the only squad to secure a championship in 2012-2013, it was still another landmark year for Jenkins and the WKU Track and Field program. With Joseph Chebet earning All-American honors at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, David Mokone capturing All-American status at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships and Tomas Guerra and Sharika Smith also nabbing All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, it marked the first time since 1992 that WKU produced All-Americans in the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. The 2012 cross country season was highlighted by the dominance of Joseph Chebet, who became the first Hilltopper runner since Sean Dollman in 1992 to capture All-American honors. Chebet finished 35th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to cap a season that saw him win three races, including the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championship. Teammate David Mokone finished fourth at the conference championships to join Chebet on the Sun Belt Conference First Team. For the Lady Toppers a youthful unit was led by freshman Lindsey Hinken, who nabbed All-Sun Belt honors with a seventh place finish at the league championships. The WKU men's indoor track and field team became the first Sun Belt team since 2003-04 to win back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, outpacing league foes with 139 team points. All-American David Mokone won the 800 and 1,500-meter runs and finished second in the 3,000-meter run to earn Most Outstanding Track Performer and Top Point scorer award. Mokone would advance to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 800-meter run and place 14th. The Lady Toppers placed fifth at the indoor championships and were led by title winning, school-record performances from Jessica Ramsey (shot put) and Sharika Smith (triple jump). The outdoor season was headlined by school-record performances by a pair of Hilltoppers and a trio of Lady Toppers. Mokone broke his own school record in the 800-meter run and recorded the fifth-fastest time in the NCAA regular season with a time of 1:47.51 at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 18, 2013. He would go on to nab second-team All-American honors in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Newcomer Elvyonn Bailey also set a record for the Hilltoppers, clocking a 46.17-second 400-meter dash in the preliminaries of the Sun Belt Conference Championships to set the mark. For the Lady Toppers, Sharika Smith continued to set and re-set her own triple jump record, ultimately ending her career with a record jump of 44-feet-1 1/4 inches at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to secure first-team All-American honors. Jessica Ramsey shattered the shot put record with a heave of 52-feet-4 1/4 inches at the Troy Invitational while Karleigh Parker set the pole vault record at 13-feet-3 1/2 inches. Nine WKU athletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the third time WKU has accomplished the feat since 2000. Since Jenkins took the program reins, 46 athletes have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Triple jumper Sharika Smith and javelin thrower Tomas Guerra both placed seventh in their respective events to earn first-team All-American honors at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships while Mokone notched second-team honors with a 14th-place finish in the 800-meter run. In six years at the helm of the track and field program, Jenkins' teams have continued to be a dominant force in the Sun Belt Conference and have become known across the country as a program that will have a balanced group of athletes at the regional and national level. When taking the handoff from 27-year head coaching legend Dr. Curtiss Long prior to the 2008 indoor season, the WKU track and field program was in the midst of undoubtedly the most successful time period in the history of the women's program. At the time, the Lady Toppers had won seven-straight league championships. When Jenkins was promoted, the women continued their SBC dominance with a conference winning streak that stands at 17-straight championships heading into the 2011-12 academic year - the longest league championship streak in the nation. The women's cross country team extended the streak to 18 in 2011, but it was snapped after finishing 5th at the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Hilltoppers have also had a very successful run thus far in Jenkins' head-coaching tenure, having won 11 Sun Belt titles since his promotion, including five-straight league outdoor team championships from 2008-12. The 2011-2012 season was highlighted by the first men's triple crown in school history as WKU captured Sun Belt Championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field and Outdoor Track and Field. The women's cross country team also notched another title, bringing Jenkins' total championships to 22 (12 women, 10 men). Five individuals qualified for NCAA Championships, headlined by javelin thrower Ignacio Guerra's 4th place finish in the javelin throw. Guerra was named first-team All-American for the second straight year. Monteka Flowers also earned All-America honors, as she was named to the second team after a 15th place finish in the discus. Jade Nimmo was the third and final All-American for the Hilltoppers in 2012, as she earned second team honors after a 12th-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Sophomore distance runner David Mokone made significant contributions as well, winning three individual Sun Belt titles in the Indoor and Outdoor Sun Belt Championships. He was named Most Outstanding Track Performer in both conference championships. The 2011 Cross Country season saw both the men's and women's squads sweep the Sun Belt Championships, placing four Top 10 finishers on the men's side and three on the women's side, including the overall winner Marion Kandie. During the 2010-2011 season, the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers combined to win four Sun Belt Conference titles and have six all-Americans, while Jenkins collected SBC Coach-of-the-Year honors at the women's outdoor championship. Shadrack Kipchirchir was the top-finishing freshman at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championship, finishing 27th. During the indoor campaign, Sharika Smith became just the second student-athlete in WKU's storied track & field history to earn multiple all-America honors in a single meet, when she earned second-team honors in the long jump and honorable mention honors in the triple jump. Also in the 2010-11 season, WKU had two national qualifiers in cross country, one student-athlete qualify for two indoor national events, ten preliminary round outdoor qualifiers, and three outdoor national final qualifiers. WKU collected the individual titles on both the men's and women's side during the cross country season, added four event champions at the SBC indoor meet, and had eleven event champions at the SBC outdoor meet. In his second full academic year as head coach in 2009-10, the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers combined to win five Sun Belt Conference titles for the second year in-a-row. The WKU women captured the program's fourth consecutive SBC "triple crown" - winning league titles in cross country, indoor, and outdoor - while the men captured the second indoor title in three years and the third-straight SBC outdoor title. In recognition of the program's success in 09-10, Jenkins was voted by league coaches as the Sun Belt Coach-of-the-Year for women's indoor and men's and women's outdoor, marking the ninth, thenth and eleventh such honors in his 29-month tenure at the helm of the programs. WKU once again had strong representation at the NCAA national championships in 2009-10. Janet Jesang and Patrick Cheptoek each qualified for cross country nationals, where Jesang earned the fourth all-America honor of her career with an 11th-place finish, and Cheptoek finished 91st. Jesang then pulled double duty at the NCAA Indoor Championship, where she finished 12th in the 5,000 meters and 13th in the 3,000 meters. During the 2010 outdoor campaign, WKU qualified 15 individuals and three relays to the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Greensboro, NC, with every event group being represented by an athlete in a WKU uniform. With strong showings in the Preliminary Rounds, 11 WKU athletes advanced to the NCAA finals in Eugene, including the women's 4x100-meter relay, the men's 4x400-meter relay, Cheptoek in the 10,000 meters, Deus Rwaheru in the 5,000 meters, and Andrejs Maskancevs in the long jump. In Eugene, Jenkins helped Maskancevs to a seventh-place finish with a leap of 25-0.75, making him the fifth individual to earn all-America honors in the long jump in WKU history. In all, 15 WKU records were set during the 09-10 school year, including four new school standards in the jumps, three each in the middle distances and the throws, two in the relays and one each in the long distances, hurdles, and combined events. Taking a closer look at Jenkins' sprinters and jumpers, the men and women combined to have 29 all-Sun Belt performances in the 2009-10 indoor and outdoor seasons, while also capturing five individual league titles. Jenkins led the men and women to a banner year in 2008-09. The Lady Toppers made another successful run for the Sun Belt Conference triple crown, and the men came within four points of claiming the first men's triple crown in conference history, taking the league titles in cross country and outdoor track and field, while falling just four points shy of Middle Tennessee during the indoor championship. For his efforts, Jenkins was named SBC Coach-of-the-Year for men's cross country and outdoor track and field and in women's indoor and outdoor track and field, while assistant coach Michelle Scott earned Coach-of-the-Year laurels for women's cross country. WKU's success during the 2008-09 school year was further recognized as Jenkins' coaching peers named him Women's Southeast Region Coach-of-the-Year through the United State Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). On a regional and national level, WKU had one of its best years in school history in 08-09. The men and women combined to send 21 student-athletes to the NCAA Mideast Regional during the outdoor season, including representation in the sprints, relays, jumps, distances and throws. Then, 14 of those athletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including two relays, two individuals in the sprints, and one individual each in the distances and jumps. For the indoor season, seven individuals qualified for the national championships, while another athlete and relay ran provisional-qualifying times during the season. Janet Jesang became just the fourth athlete in school history to earn all-America honors in all three disciplines - 13th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, seventh in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and fifth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. For her efforts on the 2008-09 academic year, Jesang was named WKU's John Oldham Female Student-Athlete of the Year. At the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, joining Jesang with USTFCCCA all-America honors was Valerie Brown, who finished third in the 400-meter dash. Also, the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Miaie Williams, Samantha Smith, Alecia Brown and Valerie Brown finished 11th at the national indoor meet, defeating Seton Hall and Auburn. After winning the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Mideast Regional, Gavin Smellie joined Jesang in earning USTFCCCA all-America honors at the NCAA outdoor championship, as he finished fifth in the finals to earn the second national honor in his Hilltopper career. Williams advanced to the second round of the women's 200-meter dash at the NCAA outdoor championship, while Mandhla Mgijima narrowly missed making the finals of the long jump, placing 14th. Also, the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Smellie, Alexander Larin, Romaine McKay, and Terrill McCombs placed 13th after taking runner-up honors at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Smellie went on to have a great summer running for his home country of Canada. Competing in his second Summer Universiade, Smellie finished sixth in the finals of the 200-meter dash. Also, Smellie was one of 31 athletes named to the Berlin World Championship team by Athletics Canada, where he advanced to the second round of the 200-meter dash. Brown also made a move into the national stage after her all-America efforts during the indoor season. She advanced to the second round of the 400-meter dash at the USATF Championships in Eugene, Ore., and also ran internationally in Canada and Europe. Still training with Coach Jenkins, Brown also took seventh-place in the 400-meter dash at the USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque. During the 2009 indoor campaign, Brown earned Most Outstanding Track Athlete laurels for winning the 200- and 400-meter dashes in NCAA provisional qualifying fashion at the SBC meet. At that same meet, Sharika Smith was named the league's Most Outstanding Freshman after winning the long jump, finishing fourth in the triple jump, fifth in the 55-meter hurdles and sixth in the 200-meter dash. At the 2009 Sun Belt outdoor meet, Smellie was named men's Outstanding Track Performer, winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes with times of 10.29 and 20.73, respectively, as well as running a leg on the winning and school-record setting 4x100-meter relay team along with Mgijima, McCombs and Tory Womack with a time of 39.93. Mgijima enjoyed a stellar individual weekend as well, and was named co-Outstanding Field Performer for his winning leap of 25-11 in the long jump and third-place finish in the triple jump at 50-4.50. Jenkins' first season as head coach goes down as arguably the most successful in the program's history, with both the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers sweeping the Sun Belt Conference titles at the league's indoor and outdoor championships. Jenkins was hansomely rewarded as the league's Coach of the Year four times in his first season - men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field - giving him a perfect four-for-four record in his inaugural season at the helm of WKU's track and field programs. Jenkins has made a name for himself as one of the top sprint coaches in the nation. After coaching Jonathan Brown to all-America honors in the 100- and 200-meter dashes during the 2004 campaign, Jenkins assembled the first all-America relay team in school history during the 2008 school year. The quartet of Larin, McKay, Smellie and McCombs finished eighth in the 4x400-meter relay at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. WKU had a school-record 17 athletes qualify to compete at the NCAA Mideast Regional in 2008. Among those qualifiers, Jenkins coached both the men's and women's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays to the meet for the second-consecutive year, joining an elite list of schools to accomplish that feat. Of the four WKU relays, the men's 4x400 team of Larin, McKay, Smellie, and McCombs earned all-Mideast Region honors with a third-place finish, while the women's 4x100 team of Temi Akojie, Williams, Kellie Morrison and Brown earned similar honors with a fourth-place finish, and the women's 4x400 team of Alecia Brown, Williams, Morrison, and V. Brown was fifth to earn all-Region honors. In addition, McCombs earned all-Mideast Region team honors for the second-consecutive year and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter dash with a fifth-place finish, while Smellie earned all-Region honors and received an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships in the 200m. WKU had strong representation at the 2008 NCAA outdoor championships, with both the men's and women's 4x400m relays, McCombs in the 200-meter dash and Smellie in the 400-meter dash. On the conference level, the Hilltoppers won every sprint race at the 2008 Sun Belt indoor and outdoor championships, with Smellie taking top honors in the indoor 55 meters, outdoor 100 and 200 meters, and McCombs winning the indoor 200 and 400 meters, as well as the outdoor 400 meters. In all, the WKU sprinters won 11 sprint races during the 2008 season at the league meets, while earning 30 all-SBC accolades. Jenkins has also had success coaching at the international level. In 2007, Smellie earned runner-up honors at the Canadian Track Championships in the 200-meter dash, qualifying to compete in the World University Games, where he finished fifth. Also in 2007, McCombs qualified to compete in the Pan-American Junior Games after a runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash at the USA Junior Nationals. In 2008, Smellie finished third at the Canadian Championships, qualifying to compete in the U-23 NACACs in Mexico. In addition, Jenkins has mentored seven WKU football/track athletes including former WKU record-holder Rod "He Hate Me" Smart (200m), as well as Mel Mitchell and Joseph Jefferson, who all played in the NFL. Now, Jenkins is building a reputation for coaching multi-sport student-athletes. Competing in his first year of collegiate track in 2004, Dennis Mitchell, a starting defensive back on the Hilltopper football team (who later played in the Canadian Football League), had the ninth-fastest 100-meter dash time in the nation at 10.19 seconds, making him arguably the fastest player in college football that year. All-SBC basketball standout Tiffany Porter-Talbert was also one of Jenkins' student-athletes. In her first year of college track in 2004, Porter-Talbert qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional, making her one of a select number of female student-athletes in the country to participate in NCAA post-season competition in multiple sports. Most recently, Jenkins coached Hilltopper football player Derrius Brooks to all-SBC honors at the 2008 indoor championships, while WKU basketball standout Jeremy Evans - who earned Sun Belt tournament MVP honors on the hardwood - earned runner-up honors in the high jump at the 2008 Sun Belt outdoor meet. As a collegian, Jenkins was a four-year letterwinner at WKU from 1995-99, where he was a Sun Belt Conference champion, NCAA qualifier, and six-time all-league performer. His primary event was the long jump, where he was crowned SBC champion and Performer of the Meet while qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 1999. He also competed for the Hilltoppers in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and was a member of the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays. Jenkins earned his bachelor's degree in mass communications from WKU in 2000; he earned a master's degree in corporate communications at WKU in 2002. Jenkins has also earned USATF Level II certifications in the sprints, jumps and throws. He has a daughter, Erykah, and is married to the former Kacey Lusk, a WKU graduate. B.A., WKU, 1999 M.A., WKU, 2002 USATF Level 1 USATF Level 2 Sprints USATF Level 2 Jumps USATF Level 2 Throws WKU - Asst. Coach, 2000-07 WKU - Head Coach, 2008 - present Track & Field, WKU, 4 letters NCAA Qualifier Long Jump, 1999 All-Sun Belt, 6 Honors

Johnson's impact on the program has been apparent from the get go as 18 of his athletes have advanced to the NCAA Championships and secured All-American status in just two seasons heading the sprinters and jumpers. His athletes combined to win 10 Conference USA titles during WKU's 2014-15 inaugural campaign in the league, with both the Hilltoppers (indoor) and Lady Toppers (outdoor) also winning conference championships. Overall, Johnson's pupils turned in 24 all-conference performances in 2015. His work with Conference USA Female Track Athlete of the Year Chioma Agwunobi, First Team All-American Ventavius Sears and Second Team All-American Emmanuel Dasor in 2015 was the driving force behind a dominant C-USA debut for WKU. Agwunobi won league titles and established school records in the 200-meter dash (22.68) and long jump (22'4), and also became the first Lady Topper in program history to advance to the NCAA Championships in two sprinting events. She also ran a leg on WKU's 4x100 relay that finished 19th at the NCAA Championships to capture three overall Honorable Mention All-America honors on the season. Sears scored a combined 57 points across four events individually at the C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and also ran a leg on WKU's championship-winning 4x100-meter relay. He hit a personal-record 7.84 meters in the long jump at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships to advance to the NCAA Championships, where he earned First Team All-American status with an eighth-place jump of 7.76 meters. After garnering First Team All-American honors individually, Sears ran a leg on WKU's 4x100 that finished 11th at the NCAA Championships to capture Second Team All-America honors. Dasor swept the 200-meter dash Conference USA titles at the indoor and outdoor championships and also won the 400-meter dash title at the outdoor competition. His three individual gold medals were a WKU-high in 2015 and he also ran a leg on the Hilltoppers' Second Team All-American 4x100-meter relay that finished 11th at the NCAA Championships. He finished one spot out of qualifying for nationals in the 200-meter dash with a 13th-place finish in the event at the NCAA East Prelims. Dasor's 400-meter dash time of 45.61 that won him gold at the C-USA Outdoor Championships ranked as the 12th-best clocking in the nation in 2015. Under Johnson's direction, 14 athletes qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships and of those 14, eight advanced to the NCAA Championships. Agwunobi, Sears, Dasor, Ja'Karyus Redwine, Cyrus Johnson and Carrol Hardy all won C-USA individual titles with Johnson's guidance. Johnson's athletes experienced tremendous success during the 2013-14 seasons as 10 advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and garnered All-American honors. Twelve of Johnson's athletes qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships, 10 won Sun Belt Conference indoor or outdoor titles and 28 captured All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Working with WKU's sprinters and horizontal jumpers, Johnson was instrumental in guiding both programs to their highest USTFCCA rankings in program history. The Lady Toppers reached as high as No. 22 in the USTFCCCA poll and the Hilltoppers climbed as high as No. 26 before finishing 18th at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A significant factor behind those rankings was the success of WKU's sprinters and jumpers. The Hilltoppers' 4x400 and 4x100-meter relays qualified for finals at the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history and placed fourth and fifth respectively. WKU was one of four men's programs in the nation to place Top 5 in both relays. Both relays set school records, with the new 4x400 standard being set at 3:03.02 and the 4x100 record being lowered to 39.18 seconds. Anchoring both relays was senior Elvyonn Bailey, who Johnson led to USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year honors. Bailey won individual titles in the 200 and 400-meter dashes at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships and was also named the Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer following the outdoor meet. Johnson also tutored Gelela Cooley, who won a pair of 400-meter titles at the SBC Championships and ran the second leg of the Lady Toppers' Honorable Mention All-America 4x100-meter relay. France Makabu advanced to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump under Johnson's direction and finished 19 to secure Honorable Mention All-American honors. Makabu and teammate Ana Camargo ranked as high as sixth in the nation in the event during the 2014 season with a clip of 43'3 (13.18m) and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships. Eight of the 12 athletes Johnson led to the NCAA East Prelims qualified in multiple events, headlined by freshman Ventavius Sears' qualification in four events. Sears, who was named the Sun Belt Conference's Most Outstanding Freshman at the indoor championships, advanced to regionals in the long jump and triple jump and helped both the 4x400 and 4x100 relays set school records on their way to First-Team All-American honors. Johnson also coached Lady Topper freshman Sandra Akachukwu to Most Outstanding Freshman honors at the indoor championships. Akachukwu qualified for the NCAA East Prelims in the 200-meter dash, long jump and ran a leg for WKU's Honorable Mention All-American 4x100-meter relay. Under Johnson's guidance, freshman sprinter Carrol Hardy set Lady Topper records in the 60 and 100-meter dashes during the 2014 season. Hardy shattered the 60-meter dash record with a time of 7.41 seconds and set the 100-meter mark at 11.56 seconds. Elvyonn Bailey also set school records in the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash at 46.52 seconds and 45.52 seconds, respectively. Derrick Hill and Cyrus Johnson both qualified for the 2014 NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the high jump, becoming the first pair of Hilltopper jumpers since at least 2000 to qualify in the event during the same season. He guided his athletes to a strong showing at the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships as Derrick Hill and Sandra Akachukwu both set school records during the most important meet of the season. Hill's high jump of 7'1.25 (2.18m) broke a 37-year old school record and won him his third-straight SBC high jump crown as he became just the third jumper in school history to clear the seven-foot mark. Akachukwu broke the Lady Toppers' 15-year old high jump record with a leap of 5'9.25 (1.76m) and finished second in the event for all-league honors. Akachukwu was named the Women's Most Outstanding Freshman at the conclusion of the meet and also picked up all-conference honors in the high jump at the outdoor championships. During his three years of directing sprints, jumps, and multis at Marshall, Johnson mentored five NCAA Championship qualifiers, two first-team All-Americans, four Conference USA champions and 10 All-Conference USA performers. Johnson was named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year following the 2012-13 season after guiding two First-Team All-Americans at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Johnson's tutelage produced 31 school-record performances over the past three seasons, seven of which were set by 2013 All-American and Mid-Atlantic Women's Field Athlete of the Year Vanessa Jules. In total, 227 personal bests were recorded during Johnson's time as assistant. Prior to returning to Marshall, Johnson spent two years as the assistant coach at Radford University, where he directed five conference champions in the triple jump, long jump, and multi-events. He also coached three of his athletes to school records in the high jump, triple jump, and multi-events, and guided a further two of them to Big South Conference Athlete of the Year awards. Johnson was also a three-year graduate assistant for the Marshall track & field team from August of 2005 to June 2008. While a member of the Herd staff as a graduate assistant, Johnson oversaw two Conference USA runner-ups, five school record holders, and three NCAA Regional Qualifiers. In the process he also earned his Masters in Sports Administration. Originally from Orlando, Fla., Johnson was a two-time All-American and four-time All-ACC triple jumper at Florida State from 2002-05. "We're very happy to have Willie join us. He has done a great job of identifying, recruiting and developing quality student athletes at every stop in his coaching career," said Jenkins. "I have admired his commitment to developing his student athletes and helping them mature. His recent accolades are proof positive of his technical knowledge as well as his ability to connect and communicate with the student athletes. I am excited to have him and his wife Lacee joining us in Bowling Green." "I'm very excited to join the WKU staff," said Johnson. "I have a strong belief in the vision of Coach Jenkins and have always been a follower of the success at WKU." B.A., Florida State, 2005 M.A., Marshall, 2008 USATF Level I, 2008 Marshall - Grad Asst., 2005-08 Radford - Asst. Coach, 2008-09 Marshall - Asst. Coach, 2009-13 WKU - Asst. Coach, 2013 - present Track & Field, Florida State, 4 years Two-time All-American (triple jump) Four-time All-ACC (triple jump)

Toompuu was named the throws coach for WKU Track and Field on Sept. 21, 2014 after spending the previous season as a graduate assistant for the program. During Toompuu's first season as throws coach, five of his throwers combined for 10 All-Conference USA honors and three captured individual titles at the league championships. His work with Travis Gerding resulted in significant improvement in marks and Gerding went on to win weight throw and shot put titles in 2015. Gerding also secured silver in the hammer throw at the C-USA Outdoor Championships with a school-record toss of 203 feet. Rookie thrower Nick Demaline finished third in the shot put at the C-USA Indoor Championships to help the Hilltoppers to a title and he grabbed silver behind Gerding in the shot put at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Both throwers advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the shot put. Toompuu's tutelage of sophomore Jenessa Jackson also paid major dividends for the Lady Toppers as she contributed a combined three All-Conference USA performances and a hammer throw title at the conference championship meets. Jackson won the hammer throw crown at the C-USA Outdoor Championships with a toss of 184-feet-9 inches and was runner-up in the shot put to account for 18 individual points for the Lady Toppers' title-winning total. Jackson was a multiple-event qualifier for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the shot put and hammer throw. Toompuu brings a wealth of throwing experience and knowledge to the track and field staff. He was a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier in the shot put for the Hilltoppers from 2002-05 and represented his native country Estonia in the event at the 2012 London Olympics, where he placed 30th overall. "We are thrilled to have Raigo coming back to the Hilltopper family," said Jenkins. "Our throwers have experienced tremendous success the past couple of seasons so the position has garnered strong attention from numerous outstanding candidates. It's a strong testament to the program we are building and I believe Raigo will continue to build upon what is already established." As a Hilltopper thrower, Toompuu won 12 individual Sun Belt Conference titles, four SBC Outdoor Championship Top Scorer honors and three SBC Most Outstanding Field Performer Awards. He set WKU's top discus mark at 192'10 in 2005 and became the first thrower to eclipse 60 feet in the shot put in 30 years when he hit 60'10 ¾ as a senior. "Raigo was an outstanding thrower for us during his time on the Hill and his experience on the international and Olympic levels brings instant credibility to what he'll be coaching" said Jenkins. "I'm very excited about the direction our throws program is heading with Raigo aboard."

Murphy was elevated to the title of assistant coach prior to the start of the 2008 season. He heads the combined-events, pole vault and javelin throw for the track and field program and worked with vertical jumpers prior to the 2013-14 season. In Murphy's coaching tenure on the Hill, his student-athletes have set 64 all-time top-five performances in the WKU record books. Of those performances, Murphy has helped guide student-athletes to new WKU records in the women's pole vault, women's pentathlon, women's heptathlon, men's high jump, women's high jump, men's pole vault, men's heptathlon and men's javelin. In his eight years as assistant, athletes under Murphy's tutelage have earned 38 All- Conference USA and All-Sun Belt Conference honors and have claimed 12 individual league titles. Murphy's tutelage of Lady Topper pole vaulters and javelin throwers in 2015 played a key role in WKU's run to the C-USA Outdoor title. Rookie vaulters Ria Moellers and Morgan McIntyre took gold and silver at the C-USA Outdoor Championships and javelin throwers Karleigh Parker and Antonia Susnjar captured gold and silver. The performances of Murphy's quartet of Lady Topper field athletes resulted in 34 of the team's 157 points in the championship. Additionally, Parker, Moellers and McIntyre turned in the top three pole vaulting performances in Lady Topper history during the 2015 season. Parker (13'9) and Moellers (13'7) became the first set of Lady Topper pole vaulters to advance to the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the same season. Murphy continued his development of Tomas Guerra in 2015 as the junior Chilean earned All-American honors for the third-straight season competing in the javelin. Guerra became the second Hilltopper in program history to capture three All-American honors in a field event when he finished 10th in the javelin throw at the NCAA Championships in June. He guided Karleigh Parker to a record-setting indoor campaign in 2014, as she extended her own pole vault record to 12'11.5 (3.95m) on her way to winning her first indoor title. Murphy led Tomas Guerra to First-Team All-American honors in the javelin throw for the second-straight season as he placed sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Guerra also won his second-straight Sun Belt Conference title with a career-best toss of 240'8 (73.37m), moving him into second-place in school history behind his older brother Ignacio. Tomas and Ignacio, under Murphy's direction, have given WKU four-consecutive First-Team All-Americans in the javelin throw. Murphy also tutored freshman Antonia Susnjar in the javelin throw and the rookie responded with the second-best throw in Lady Topper history at 139 feet (42.36m). Murphy's athletes experienced tremendous success during the 2012-13 season, winning three Sun Belt Conference individual titles and setting a school record in the pole vault. Derrick Hill captured the league high jump title at the indoor and outdoor championships, becoming the first-ever Hilltopper to win indoor and outdoor high jump titles in the same year. Karleigh Parker broke the outdoor pole vault record on three separate occassions during the outdoor season, ultimately setting the mark at 13-feet-3 1/2 inches at the Hilltopper Relays. Freshman thrower Tomas Guerra picked up where older brother Ignacio Guerra left off, earning first-team All-America honors in the javelin throw with a heave of 233-feet-1 inch. Tomas' honors come after back-to-back (2011-12) All-American javelin performances from Ignacio. Guerra's stellar freshman season included All-American honors and a seventh place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, a Sun Belt Conference javelin throw title and a win at the prestigious Penn Relays. Murphy also guided Ignacio Guerra to All-American status in the 2011-12 seasons, as he finished seventh and fourth in the javelin throw at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Ignacio set a WKU and Chilean National record in the javelin during the 2011 season after a toss of 258-feet-2 inches. Also winning SBC titles in 2011 was Marcus Pope in the 110-meter high hurdles and Karlis Daube in the 55-meter high hurdles and 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Pope also earned all-SBC honors with a third-place finish in the 55m hurdles at the indoor meet, while Daube was second in the 110m hurdles outdoor. In the vertical jumps, Anna Zhidkova placed third to earn all-SBC honors at the league outdoor meet, while Toms Andersons tied for third in the high jump. In 2009-10, Murphy tutored three all-Sun Belt performers. During the indoor campaign, Samantha Smith tied for second-place in the women's high jump, clearing 5-4.25, while Hendrik Themas became the first in Hilltopper history to earn all-league honors in the men's indoor heptathlon, tallying a third-place score of 4,758 points. During the outdoor season, Murphy helped Karlis Daube to a third-place finish in the intermediate hurdles, where he clocked a time of 53.42 seconds. Also during the 09-10 campaign, Murphy helped Anna Zhidkova set new Lady Topper records in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. During the 2008-09 season, Murphy mentored two freshmen to strong combined-event finishes at the Sun Belt Conference and also coached his first NCAA Mideast Regional qualifier. In his freshman campaign, Hendrik Themas finished sixth in the heptathlon at the SBC indoor meet, tallying 4,497 points, while also placing fourth in the open pole vault. Notably, Themas set a new school record for the indoor pole vault during the heptathlon at the indoor championship, clearing 15-11. For Jantelle McNeil, a scoring effort of 4,679 points in the heptathlon at the league outdoor meet was good enough for third place, earning the first all-SBC honor of her career. Hilltopper basketball standout Jeremy Evans qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional after winning the high jump at home in the WKU Invitational, clearing 6-10.75, and then went on to help the men to the outdoor SBC title, placing fifth. In 2007-08, Murphy coached four all-Sun Belt athletes, including the first WKU student to win a combined-event title since WKU joined the Sun Belt. Healther Hammond set a WKU record total of 3,563 points en route to winning the pentathlon title at the 2008 SBC indoor meet. She used a second-place finish in the 800 meters and third-place finishes in the shot put and high jump to bolster her winning point total. To complete an 18-point day for WKU in the pentathlon, Jessica Delaunay finished second in the competition, using a strong 800-meter performance to push past the third-place finisher. Delaunay earned another runner-up finish at the SBC outdoor meet, scoring 4,756 points in the final heptathlon of her career. She solidified her all-conference standing with especially strong field-event performances, winning the shot put by nearly a foot, taking third in the javelin, finishing fourth in both the long and high jumps, and also adding a second in the 800-meter run. Also at the 2008 SBC outdoor meet, Murphy coached Evans to a runner-up finish in the high jump. Amazingly, Evans was able to earn all-conference track honors despite a very short training window for track due to the Hilltoppers' deep run into the NCAA basketball tournament with a "Sweat 16" appearance. In fact, Evans enjoyed much success during the 2007-08 school year, winning SBC titles with both basketball and track, earning all-league honors in the high jump, and being named Sun Belt Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player on the hardwood. In two years as a student assistant, Murphy helped lead Delaunay and Hammond to all-SBC performances in the heptathlon, while also lending his expertise to Evans and Lady Topper alum Cassandra Hickman, who each scored in the high jump at the league meet. Formerly of Burkesville, Ky., the Cumberland County High School graduate has earned his bachelor's degree in art education from WKU, and has also earned a master of science degree in sport administration. Murphy has also earned his USATF Level I certification, and added a Level II coaching certificate in the combined events in the summer of 2008. Murphy resides in Bowling Green and is married to the former Mary Alexander, who is also a graduate of both CCHS and WKU and is employed on the Hill in the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO). B.A., WKU, 2007 M.A., WKU, 2009 USATF Level I, 2007 USATF Level II Combined, 2008 WKU - Grad Asst, 2006-08 WKU - Asst Coach, 2008 - present Track & Field, WKU, 4 years