Happy but Not Satisfied
May 18, 2026 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Travis Geopfert is happy but not content. The second-year Kansas State head track and field coach saw the men's team finish fourth and the women's team finish ninth in the three-day Big 12 Outdoor Championship at Drachman Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, this past weekend.
K-State school records fell, and personal bests were made as the Wildcats look toward the NCAA West Preliminary in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 27.
On Friday, K-State junior Tah Chikomba captured the Big 12 men's long jump title while his leap of 8.27 meters (27 feet, 1.75 inches) set the Big 12 record, facility record and broke his own K-State school record. He broke the conference record of 8.19 meters set by Texas' Marquise Goodwin in 2011 and the Drachman Stadium record of 8.13 meters set in 1995.
On Saturday, senior Vanessa Mercera won the women's 400-meter hurdles in 55.39 seconds to set a K-State record — a full second faster than her previous best.
Also on Saturday, sophomore Selva Prabhu won the men's triple jump title with a leap of 17.19 meters (56 feet, 4.75 inches) with a wind aide of 4.6, which barely negated the jump from becoming a new Big 12 and K-State record.
In the end, after the Big 12 Championship was complete in Arizona, Geopfert had plenty to say to his squad, which only continues to grow.
Travis Geopfert spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and his vision moving forward.
D. Scott Fritchen: What was the message you shared with the K-State track and field team after the conclusion of the Big 12 Championships?
Travis Geopfert: First, I told them while it isn't our last meet for all of our seniors, it was our last meet for some of our seniors, so I thanked them and gave them a round of applause. Then I discussed some of the performances and the efforts that were given and Aaron Antoine going back and forth between competing in the high jump and the triple jump at the same time. Then I talked about how they're the foundation of what we're going to continue to build on moving forward, and that's exciting. The last thing I talked about is that feeling in their gut of wanting more and being happy with some of the performances but not fully satisfied from a team standpoint. I told them to let that burn in them a little bit, and that's OK, and that's what competitors have, and that's what we do, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's got to be fuel and the fire for what we do moving forward. I expressed how I feel it and how our coaches feel it. It wasn't the final result we wanted as a team, but it's going to feed our energy as we move forward with the program.
Fritchen: Vanessa Mercera hit the school record in the 400-meter hurdles and won the Big 12 Championship. Just what did it mean to you to see Vanessa finish out the Big 12 on top and with a record?
Geopfert: She was ranked seventh coming into the meet in the 400 hurdles and she was ranked third in the open 400, but we felt like if she ran a good race, she needed rest because on a national level, it feels like the 400 hurdles might be her best event once she starts to click a little bit. She had a practice Tuesday and the second half of the race she had a really bad rep, and she came back and said, "Can I do it again?" So, she ran another rep in practice, and in that final, she ran a quality second half of the race. It just started to click. When she came off that last hurdle, her stride pattern into the last hurdle was significantly better, and I stood right there and saw that, and I thought, "Nobody is stronger than her. If her stride pattern is good, nobody is stronger than her. She's going to win this race." And she did, man, she's a competitor.
Fritchen: Selva Prabhu won the men's triple jump with just a little bit of wind that kept him from capturing the Big 12 and K-State record. How impressive has Selva been this year?
Geopfert: When you look historically in an NCAA national meet, you're going to be really hard pressed to find a meet that was deeper than that in the triple jump. That was insane. That whole competition was insane, and not just what Selva did, but what all our guys did. It was phenomenal. Selva has this quiet confidence about him. He doesn't talk a lot, but you know he's a competitor. Clive Pullen told him, "You get the last jump on this thing, and you show them." Selva nodded. And that's exactly what he did. And his celebration wasn't anything too crazy. It was almost like he knew he was going to do it. That's the way he responded. Amazing. That guy is a true competitor, man. Never count him out, that's for sure.
Fritchen: Tah Chikomba won the long jump while setting multiple records. How good has Tah been this year?
Geopfert: Tah is listening well right now and really starting to study his craft. We worked a lot on just some relax mechanic things that are really starting to pay off for him and his execution and approach. He's just starting to grasp it and get it. He broke all the records, did everything as far as that number is concerned, and he broke every record he could break in that moment, but he's going to jump farther. He's just scratching the surface on his potential with this. I'm excited for him because he's really tapping into listening and learning and he continues to do that. I've been fortunate to coach three other 28-foot long jumpers in the past, and he's doing things that exceed what those guys have been able to do in training.
Fritchen: Overall, how would you describe the strides that both the men's and women's teams made over the last year in outdoor track and field?
Geopfert: I'm happy about it, but I'm not content. I don't want to make excuses. We had a lot of bodies missing, you know, and significant points that were missing for various reasons. Life happens to every program, and you get injuries and ultimately, we made a lot of decisions for best interest and long-term health. We had probably 40 points on the bench for both the men and the women, and that's a hard pill to swallow when you're competitive. But what I do appreciate is we made good progress despite that as a program. Last year on the men's side we finished 11th in the Big 12 Championships. What I appreciate about our staff and the team is none of us were making excuses, and we went in there with the mindset of winning this thing, and we tried. I mean, we tried. I appreciate the competitiveness of the team. On Saturday morning, I said, "We're going to celebrate these efforts across the board because these efforts of young people are what we need and what we need to learn, and these things are going to help add up for us in the future. We have a ton of freshmen and a bunch of them scored, and that's not easy to do. And we had freshmen who were in tears when they didn't score. That's what competitors do. They compete and they're angry when they don't do as well as they want to, and that's OK, you know? We just have to focus on the process of getting better.
Fritchen: Obviously, the next step is the NCAA West Preliminary in two weeks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Can you take a peek for what's ahead?
Geopfert: We have lot of highly-ranked athletes going into that meet, and we need to go down there and execute the plan and get the job done. We just have to execute and do what we're supposed to do. There may be a couple people on the outside looking in who might not know, but we have two relay teams who can surprise some people, and that's our men's and women's 4x400s. I really think we can go down there and surprise some people. We're going to get a little more healthy with our crew, and in two weeks' time, that's about what we need to get everybody right, and I'd really like to see those two 4x400s qualify for the national championships. We're going to score well at nationals. Right now, at this moment in time, we probably have better national teams than we do conference teams, just because we have more star power than overall depth. When you have that, you want a dog in the fight at the end of that meet when you're competing for trophies and top 10 finishes. I'm hopeful we'll get those 4x400s through. Right now, they're a long shot, but I'd love to surprise some people.
Fritchen: Looking ahead, who are some K-State athletes who helped themselves the most with their showing in the Big 12 Championship?
Geopfert: The three Big 12 Champions who won, of course, but that women's 4x400, there's three true freshmen and one true sophomore in that relay. We have true freshmen going out there and running 52 seconds. It's just fantastic what they've been able to do in their development. Reese Brownlee making the final in the 400 hurdles as a true freshman. Then Zoey Brinker in the heptathlon, she had an unbelievable year. Then the decathletes, I mean, they're freshmen, three freshmen in the top 10 in one of the deepest decathlon fields in conference history. I want to celebrate the seniors on just an unbelievable job, but gosh, we had a lot of freshmen step up, which is great for the future and with those big meets at a young age when they're already expecting themselves to score. They're not just there to participate but they're there to compete. Dorian Charles, a freshman breaking the Trinidad record and doing everything he's done between the open javelin and the high jump during the decathlon at the same time. He did a terrific job. He's only a sophomore, but Tavon Underwood in the 400 meters is coming into his own, and it's only a matter of time until he runs 44 seconds, which would be huge.
Fritchen: When you think about K-State track and field, what do you think about going forward?
Geopfert: I'm really excited for the experience that a relatively young team got. We competed well, but we're hungry for more. It's a great time to be hungry for more, because we're hosting this thing next year. It's going to be in Manhattan, Kansas, in May, and we want to make this one of the greatest Big 12 Championships ever. So, we want everybody to mark their calendars for the second weekend in May next year because the Big 12 Championships are coming to K-State, and we're going to have two highly-motivated teams that want to put on a show for our hometown crowd.
Travis Geopfert is happy but not content. The second-year Kansas State head track and field coach saw the men's team finish fourth and the women's team finish ninth in the three-day Big 12 Outdoor Championship at Drachman Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, this past weekend.
K-State school records fell, and personal bests were made as the Wildcats look toward the NCAA West Preliminary in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 27.
On Friday, K-State junior Tah Chikomba captured the Big 12 men's long jump title while his leap of 8.27 meters (27 feet, 1.75 inches) set the Big 12 record, facility record and broke his own K-State school record. He broke the conference record of 8.19 meters set by Texas' Marquise Goodwin in 2011 and the Drachman Stadium record of 8.13 meters set in 1995.
On Saturday, senior Vanessa Mercera won the women's 400-meter hurdles in 55.39 seconds to set a K-State record — a full second faster than her previous best.
Also on Saturday, sophomore Selva Prabhu won the men's triple jump title with a leap of 17.19 meters (56 feet, 4.75 inches) with a wind aide of 4.6, which barely negated the jump from becoming a new Big 12 and K-State record.
In the end, after the Big 12 Championship was complete in Arizona, Geopfert had plenty to say to his squad, which only continues to grow.
Travis Geopfert spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and his vision moving forward.
D. Scott Fritchen: What was the message you shared with the K-State track and field team after the conclusion of the Big 12 Championships?
Travis Geopfert: First, I told them while it isn't our last meet for all of our seniors, it was our last meet for some of our seniors, so I thanked them and gave them a round of applause. Then I discussed some of the performances and the efforts that were given and Aaron Antoine going back and forth between competing in the high jump and the triple jump at the same time. Then I talked about how they're the foundation of what we're going to continue to build on moving forward, and that's exciting. The last thing I talked about is that feeling in their gut of wanting more and being happy with some of the performances but not fully satisfied from a team standpoint. I told them to let that burn in them a little bit, and that's OK, and that's what competitors have, and that's what we do, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's got to be fuel and the fire for what we do moving forward. I expressed how I feel it and how our coaches feel it. It wasn't the final result we wanted as a team, but it's going to feed our energy as we move forward with the program.
Fritchen: Vanessa Mercera hit the school record in the 400-meter hurdles and won the Big 12 Championship. Just what did it mean to you to see Vanessa finish out the Big 12 on top and with a record?
Geopfert: She was ranked seventh coming into the meet in the 400 hurdles and she was ranked third in the open 400, but we felt like if she ran a good race, she needed rest because on a national level, it feels like the 400 hurdles might be her best event once she starts to click a little bit. She had a practice Tuesday and the second half of the race she had a really bad rep, and she came back and said, "Can I do it again?" So, she ran another rep in practice, and in that final, she ran a quality second half of the race. It just started to click. When she came off that last hurdle, her stride pattern into the last hurdle was significantly better, and I stood right there and saw that, and I thought, "Nobody is stronger than her. If her stride pattern is good, nobody is stronger than her. She's going to win this race." And she did, man, she's a competitor.
Fritchen: Selva Prabhu won the men's triple jump with just a little bit of wind that kept him from capturing the Big 12 and K-State record. How impressive has Selva been this year?
Geopfert: When you look historically in an NCAA national meet, you're going to be really hard pressed to find a meet that was deeper than that in the triple jump. That was insane. That whole competition was insane, and not just what Selva did, but what all our guys did. It was phenomenal. Selva has this quiet confidence about him. He doesn't talk a lot, but you know he's a competitor. Clive Pullen told him, "You get the last jump on this thing, and you show them." Selva nodded. And that's exactly what he did. And his celebration wasn't anything too crazy. It was almost like he knew he was going to do it. That's the way he responded. Amazing. That guy is a true competitor, man. Never count him out, that's for sure.
Fritchen: Tah Chikomba won the long jump while setting multiple records. How good has Tah been this year?
Geopfert: Tah is listening well right now and really starting to study his craft. We worked a lot on just some relax mechanic things that are really starting to pay off for him and his execution and approach. He's just starting to grasp it and get it. He broke all the records, did everything as far as that number is concerned, and he broke every record he could break in that moment, but he's going to jump farther. He's just scratching the surface on his potential with this. I'm excited for him because he's really tapping into listening and learning and he continues to do that. I've been fortunate to coach three other 28-foot long jumpers in the past, and he's doing things that exceed what those guys have been able to do in training.
Fritchen: Overall, how would you describe the strides that both the men's and women's teams made over the last year in outdoor track and field?
Geopfert: I'm happy about it, but I'm not content. I don't want to make excuses. We had a lot of bodies missing, you know, and significant points that were missing for various reasons. Life happens to every program, and you get injuries and ultimately, we made a lot of decisions for best interest and long-term health. We had probably 40 points on the bench for both the men and the women, and that's a hard pill to swallow when you're competitive. But what I do appreciate is we made good progress despite that as a program. Last year on the men's side we finished 11th in the Big 12 Championships. What I appreciate about our staff and the team is none of us were making excuses, and we went in there with the mindset of winning this thing, and we tried. I mean, we tried. I appreciate the competitiveness of the team. On Saturday morning, I said, "We're going to celebrate these efforts across the board because these efforts of young people are what we need and what we need to learn, and these things are going to help add up for us in the future. We have a ton of freshmen and a bunch of them scored, and that's not easy to do. And we had freshmen who were in tears when they didn't score. That's what competitors do. They compete and they're angry when they don't do as well as they want to, and that's OK, you know? We just have to focus on the process of getting better.
Fritchen: Obviously, the next step is the NCAA West Preliminary in two weeks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Can you take a peek for what's ahead?
Geopfert: We have lot of highly-ranked athletes going into that meet, and we need to go down there and execute the plan and get the job done. We just have to execute and do what we're supposed to do. There may be a couple people on the outside looking in who might not know, but we have two relay teams who can surprise some people, and that's our men's and women's 4x400s. I really think we can go down there and surprise some people. We're going to get a little more healthy with our crew, and in two weeks' time, that's about what we need to get everybody right, and I'd really like to see those two 4x400s qualify for the national championships. We're going to score well at nationals. Right now, at this moment in time, we probably have better national teams than we do conference teams, just because we have more star power than overall depth. When you have that, you want a dog in the fight at the end of that meet when you're competing for trophies and top 10 finishes. I'm hopeful we'll get those 4x400s through. Right now, they're a long shot, but I'd love to surprise some people.
Fritchen: Looking ahead, who are some K-State athletes who helped themselves the most with their showing in the Big 12 Championship?
Geopfert: The three Big 12 Champions who won, of course, but that women's 4x400, there's three true freshmen and one true sophomore in that relay. We have true freshmen going out there and running 52 seconds. It's just fantastic what they've been able to do in their development. Reese Brownlee making the final in the 400 hurdles as a true freshman. Then Zoey Brinker in the heptathlon, she had an unbelievable year. Then the decathletes, I mean, they're freshmen, three freshmen in the top 10 in one of the deepest decathlon fields in conference history. I want to celebrate the seniors on just an unbelievable job, but gosh, we had a lot of freshmen step up, which is great for the future and with those big meets at a young age when they're already expecting themselves to score. They're not just there to participate but they're there to compete. Dorian Charles, a freshman breaking the Trinidad record and doing everything he's done between the open javelin and the high jump during the decathlon at the same time. He did a terrific job. He's only a sophomore, but Tavon Underwood in the 400 meters is coming into his own, and it's only a matter of time until he runs 44 seconds, which would be huge.
Fritchen: When you think about K-State track and field, what do you think about going forward?
Geopfert: I'm really excited for the experience that a relatively young team got. We competed well, but we're hungry for more. It's a great time to be hungry for more, because we're hosting this thing next year. It's going to be in Manhattan, Kansas, in May, and we want to make this one of the greatest Big 12 Championships ever. So, we want everybody to mark their calendars for the second weekend in May next year because the Big 12 Championships are coming to K-State, and we're going to have two highly-motivated teams that want to put on a show for our hometown crowd.
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