Geopfert Announces Coaching Staff

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Travis Geopfert announced on Friday (August 2) eight additions to his coaching staff for the 2024-25 seasons.

Geopfert (pronounced GEF-Fert) named Kate Bucknam head cross country coach and an assistant coach for distance, John Newell associate head coach and throws coach, Trey Brokaw as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, Mat Clark (sprints), Kip Janvrin (pole vault/multis), Clive Pullen (jumps) and current Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall as assistant coaches. In addition, Geopfert retained Kayla Tully as a staff assistant.

Geopfert is currently in Paris coaching Davis-Woodhall as well as seven others who will strive for Olympic glory next week.

Below are bios on each staff member and quotes from Geopfert.

Kate Bucknam
Head Cross Country Coach/Assistant Distance Coach
Minnesota '15

Bucknam will begin her first season as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach in 2024-25, joining the Wildcats after spending the last seven seasons at Belmont, where she worked with the men's and women's cross country/track and field teams. The women's cross country team claimed two conference titles in three years – the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference, in the Bruins' second year in the conference, and the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference title. Last season, Bucknam coached Kaitlyn Vanderkolk to NCAA South All-Region honors with a top-20 finish, qualifying her for the NCAA Championship.

"Early in her career Coach Bucknam has already proven herself a quality leader," Geopfert said. "She has led her cross country programs at Belmont to two different conference championships in both the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conferences. Her knowledge of training and understanding of how to individualize programming creates a situation where her athletes can thrive. She's a leader with a passion and enthusiasm to help young student-athletes that is contagious. I'm excited for our student-athletes to get the opportunity to work with such a passionate coach."

Prior to her time at Belmont, Bucknam spent one season at Syracuse (2016-17) as an assistant cross country/track and field coach. During that time, the men's cross country team claimed the 2016 ACC title and finished 3^rd at the NCAA Championship. During the track season, she was part of the men's team finishing 10^th at the NCAA Indoor Championship.

Bucknam ran at Minnesota and was team co-captain in 2014. She qualified for the NCAA Championship in 2014 and won the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award in 2015. She earned her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology in 2015.

John Newell
Associate Head Coach/Throws
Georgia '05

Newell begins his first season as the associate head coach of the track and field teams, overseeing the throws program, in 2024-25. He brings 19 years of experience to the staff, spending the last two seasons at Arkansas (2022-23) and Vanderbilt (2023-24). In his career, he has coached one national champion, 41 First Team All-Americans and 22 conference champions.

During the 2024 season, Newell coached SEC Field Athlete of the Year Veronica Fraley to the discus crown at the NCAA Outdoor Championship with a Vanderbilt school record throw of 63.66m/208-10. Fraley then claimed the bronze medal at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (62.54m/205-2) to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team where she will compete in the qualifying round on Friday, August 2 at 11:55 a.m. CT. Newell also oversaw SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year Giavonna Meeks with the No. 2 weight throw mark in collegiate history at 23.04m/75-7. At the NCAA Indoor Championship Meeks finished 6th, the best finish by a freshman since 2004.

Newell has coached six total Olympians in his career, including Travis Bailey (USA, Discus) and Steven Mozia (Nigeria, Shot Put) at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Stamatia Scarvelis (Greece, Hammer Throw) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"For nearly two decades Coach Newell has continued to prove himself as one of the best throws coaches in the NCAA and in the world," Geopfert said. "He's had multiple Olympians in different events and has consistently proven himself as an elite coach in all four throws disciplines. His knowledge and experience at a high level for many years in both the SEC and Big Ten will be invaluable to our program. To say that I'm excited to have Coach Newell as an associate head coach is an understatement. Looking forward to his leadership within our program."

Newell worked alongside Geopfert at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant coach, part of the 2023 NCAA men's indoor national champions and men's SEC indoor and outdoor championships. With the Razorbacks he helped Roje Stona record the discus No. 2 all-time mark in NCAA history at 68.64m/225-2 to win the SEC Outdoor Championship before claiming the silver medal at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championship.

Newell's longest stint was at Tennessee (2013-22) as an assistant coach. Newell started his career at Michigan State (2007-13) as an assistant, during which he was named the 2011 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Assistant Women's Coach of the Year.

Newell graduated from Georgia in 2005 with a degree in sociology. During his collegiate career with the Bulldogs, he was a six-time NCAA qualifier and earned All-America honors in the shot put at the 2005 NCAA indoor Championships.

Trey Brokaw
Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach
Emporia State '13

Brokaw is set to begin his first season at K-State in 2024-25, as recruiting coordinator and an assistant coach after spending the last three seasons (2021-24) as the director of track and field and cross country at Western Illinois. This past season, he helped the men's and women's teams produce eight Ohio Valley Conference champions, one NCAA Championship qualifier and 10 school records. With his first two Leatherneck recruiting classes he brought in 70 new student-athletes, quadrupling the roster size.

"Trey is a proven coach and recruiter that has proven himself at every stop that he's made," Geopfert said. "His mind understands the subtle nuances of our sport and he's a veteran voice that I can count on. He's been a head coach and understands every aspect of what it takes to run a highly competitive program. His knowledge of the middle distance and distance events has been proven multiple times and his eye for talent across all event areas is unmatched. I'm thrilled to have Coach Brokaw join us."

In his three seasons at WIU, Brokaw led the track and field and cross country teams to a total of 18 school records, including Ackeen Colley in the men's indoor 800 meters. The Oklahoma transfer ran a 1:47.98 in the 800 meters en route to ending his Leatherneck career with five school records, five conference titles, a Drake Relays 800-meter title and a conference record in the 800 meters.

Prior to Western Illinois, Brokaw spent time at Akron (2018-21) as the head cross country coach and recruiting coordinator. He guided middle distance runners to eight Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles and two-time NCAA qualifier Mackenzie Andrews in the mile and 3,000 meter steeplechase. Andrews won five conference titles as a senior in 2019 and clocked a mile time of 4:27.83 as a post collegiate runner.

Brokaw started his coaching career at his alma mater Emporia State in 2012-13 before coaching three seasons (2013-16) at Northern Iowa. He joined the staff at Nebraska in 2017-18 as the recruiting coordinator for track and field, signing George Kusche who qualified for eight NCAA Championships. Kusche was named the 2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year in cross country and won the 2021 Big Ten Cross Country Championship. He also set multiple school records for the Cornhuskers, in the mile (3:57.93), 3,000 meters (7:50.93) and 5,000 meters (13:28.95).

A 2013 graduate of Emporia State, Brokaw is the married to the former Stephanie Brown, who was an eight-time First Team All-American at Arkansas.

Mat Clark
Assistant Coach/Sprints
Northern Iowa '09 / Arkansas '19

Clark is in his first season at K-State as an assistant coach working primarily with the sprinters. He has spent most of his professional career with Arkansas, most recently as the director of strength and conditioning for track and field and cross country since 2014. With the Razorbacks, he designed and taught event specific training plans for all athletes, including 5 Bowerman award finalists, also aiding in training professional athletes on campus, including Davis-Woodhall and multiple 2024 Olympians.

Clark trained athletes through 8 NCAA Championship titles—women's cross country (2019), women's indoor (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024), women's outdoor (2019, 2024) and men's indoor (2023). He also oversaw 19 athletes to 33 individuals to NCAA titles, along with 7 Championship relay teams. At the end of the 2020-21 season, Clark was named interim field coach, coaching Markus Ballengee in the decathlon to a bronze medal finish at the NCAA Championship before he finished 7^th in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

"I've worked side by side with Mat Clark for over 10 years now. I've had the privilege of coaching him in college and upon us hiring him at Arkansas quickly realized how brilliant of a mind he is in our sport," Geopfert said. "He's worked with countless Olympians across a variety of event groups. His understanding of how the human body adapts is beyond impressive. His knowledge and experience at the highest of levels will be invaluable not just for the sprinters but for all of our student-athletes. I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue to work alongside one of the best minds in the sport of track and field in Mat Clark."

As a student-athlete at Northern Iowa, Clark was coached by Geopfert in the heptathlon and decathlon. He was the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion in the decathlon and a three-time All-American. Clark went on to win the decathlon twice at the Drake Relays, competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and was part of the U.S. team in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Thorpe Cups. He graduated from UNI in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in biology before receiving his master's in physical education at Arkansas in 2019.

Kip Janvrin
Assistant Coach/Pole Vault & Combined Events
Simpson College '88

Janvrin is in his first season at K-State in 2024-25 as an assistant coach, overseeing the combined events and pole vaulters after recently retiring from Central Missouri. At UCM, he served as the co-head track and field coach for 28 years and spent 35 years overall with the program. The women's team won its first ever Division II National Championship titles during both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2014-15. During his tenure he saw 26 national champions win 49 titles. In the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) conference the men's team won 28 titles (16 indoor, 12 outdoor), including sweeping the 2018-19 season, while the women's team won nine titles (six indoor, three outdoor) under Janvrin's leadership with Kirk Pedersen.

"A full circle moment for me in hiring Kip Janvrin. Kip gave me my first job as a GA [graduate assistant] at Central Missouri," Geopfert said. "He was hard on me, but it made me better. His dad Ken was my high school track coach and was instrumental in my passion for the sport of track and field. Kip's knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our program. He's coached at the Division II level for a long time while raising his family at Central Missouri. I'm excited for the Division I ranks to see what an amazing coach Kip Janvrin is. Truly one of the best coaches in all of NCAA track and field. I'm thankful for the truly special moment for me to work again with Kip Janvrin."

In 2022, Janvrin led the men's team to a fifth-place finish at the DII NCAA Indoor Championship, the highest team finish since 2015. During the outdoor NCAA championship that same year, he coached Christopher Goodwin to UCM's first-ever NCAA long jump national title. During the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons he coached decorated combined athlete and UCM 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Lindsay Lettow to four national titles, twice in the indoor pentathlon and twice in the outdoor heptathlon.

Janvrin was an Olympian in his own right, competing in the decathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the oldest U.S decathlete to ever compete in the Olympics. He is the world record holder for the most career decathlon wins at 41 and the American record holder for the most decathlon wins over 8,000 points at 26. He won the 2001 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and won the Drake Relays decathlon a record 15 times while being inducted to the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 1996.

A 1988 graduate of Simpson College in Iowa, Janvrin won three Division III championships in the decathlon, as well as individual championships in the pole vault and 400-meter hurdles. He and his wife, Teresa, who was standout performer for UCM track and field teams from 1986-89, have two sons, Mason and Jaxon.

Clive Pullen
Assistant Coach/Jumps
Arkansas '17

Pullen is in his first season at K-State in 2024-25 as an assistant coach, working with horizontal and vertical jumpers. He spent last season at Kansas as an assistant coach working with horizontal jumpers. Prior to that, he had two stints at his alma mater Arkansas (2017-18, 2021-23) and three years at Tennessee (2018-2021) as a volunteer assistant coach working alongside Geopfert. He has assisted with six NCAA Champions and 15 First Team All-Americans.

"What an amazing opportunity to hire a former Olympian I coached. I knew at a young age that Clive Pullen was special," Geopfert said. "It's obvious he was talented as an athlete, but I knew his skillset exceeded far beyond his athletic prowess. Clive has a brilliant mind for all of the jumps and is a proven recruiter in a young career. I'm beyond excited to continue to collaborate with him as a coach but to also watch him develop as one of the elite jumps coaches in the country. The young man is big time in everything he does. I'm thrilled to have him on our staff."

A two-time Jamaican Olympian (2016, 2020) in the triple jump, Pullen also competed at World Championships and the Commonwealth Games and was a three-time Jamaican National Champion from 2016-18. While competing for the Razorbacks, he was the 2016 NCAA Indoor triple jump champion with a mark of 16.64m/54-7.25, aiding in the men's team runner-up finish. He was also the 2016 SEC Indoor and Outdoor triple jump champion.

Tara Davis-Woodhall
Assistant Coach
Texas '21

Davis-Woodhall competes professionally in the long jump and is a 2024 U.S. Olympian set to compete in the event's qualifying round on Tuesday, August 6 at 4:15 a.m. CT. A 2021 graduate of Texas, she swept the 2020-21 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the long jump and was the Big 12 Outdoor Champion. Prior to Texas, Davis-Woodhall spent her freshman year at Georgia where she was named the 2018 SEC Indoor Women's Co-Freshman Field Athlete of the Year. All-told, she was a five-time First-Team All American, with four honors in the long jump and one in the 60-meter hurdles.

"I'm thrilled to have Tara joining us at K-State. To say that she brings the energy is an understatement," Geopfert said. "I've loved coaching this young woman for the last three years and to bring her elite level experience to Manhattan is absolutely invaluable. She knows what it takes to be great, and she also fully understands the challenges of what life is like as both a student-athlete and as a professional athlete. Her mentorship of these young student athletes is going to expedite their careers to an elite level in dramatic fashion. So excited to have TDW and her husband Hunter joining us in Manhattan!"

Davis-Woodhall is married to Hunter Woodhall, a Razorback alum and 2024 U.S. Paralympian set for his third Olympic games in the 100- and 400-meter dash on August 28-September 8 in Paris. The couple is represented by Lululemon.

Kayla Tully
Staff Assistant
K-State '17

Geopfert retained staff assistant Kayla Tully who has worked with the cross country/track and field teams for seven years. She is a 2017 Wildcat alumnus from Junction City, Kan.

"I'm super excited to retain Kayla Tully on staff. It's obvious she has a passion for track and field and cross country but more importantly for K-State nation," Geopfert said. "She has proven herself to be instrumental in the running of this program. She's someone with great knowledge of the program and the area that we can lean on for advice. Thankful that she is here with me and our new staff. Very much looking forward to working with her."

-- k-statesports.com --

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

Related Videos