K-State Men’s Track Earn Three USTFCCCA Midwest Region Honors
Jun 18, 2026 | Track & Field
Travis Geopfert, Clive Pullen and Tah Chikomba earned outdoor postseason awards
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State men's track and field team had three honors for USTFCCCA Midwest Region awards, K-State Director of Track and Field Travis Geopfert, Assistant Coach Clive Pullen and junior Tah Chikomba.
Geopfert was named the Men's Coach of the Year, previously winning the Midwest Men's Indoor award in March. Pullen was named the Men's Assistant Coach of the Year and Chikomba the Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
"It takes a village and these awards are a compliment to the entire program and the team of people it takes for success," Geopfert said. "Huge congrats to Tah and Clive. They are so well deserving and are a prime example of what dedication and hard work can do for you. I'm very appreciative they are being recognized for their success!"
Geopfert led the men's team to 8th place at the NCAA Championship with 30 points, the most points scored at the outdoor championships while eighth place is the highest finish since 1998. During the Big 12 Championship, the team had its highest finish in five years in 4th place with 83.33 points, the best performance since 2021.
Pullen, in his second year as assistant coach for the horizontal jumpers, earns his first coaching award after nine seasons. He guided two men to national titles, Chikomba in the long jump and sophomore Selva Prabhu in the triple jump, the first time in program history that two Wildcats were crowned champions in a single season. Along with sophomore Uroy Ryan, bronze medalist in the long jump, the jumpers accounted for 26 of the team's 30 points.
At the Big 12 Championship, Chikomba and Prabhu were crowned champions, Ryan secured 3rd place and four more jumpers landed on the podium for 37 of the total 83.33 points.
Chikomba, the native of Zimbabwe, was crowned the outdoor champion in the long jump at both the NCAA Champion and the Big 12 Championship. At the national championship he jumped 8.37m (27' 5.5"), the furthest jump to win the title since 2018, and improving his own school record. At the conference championship he jumped 8.27m (27' 1.75"), the newest Big 12 and Drachman Stadium facility record.
During the NCAA West Preliminary on May 27, Chikomba jumped 8.75m (28' 8.5")(3.2) which is the #1 all-time all-conditions in the NCAA and #7 all-time all-conditions in world history. On June 4 he was named to The Bowerman watch list, the first Wildcat to appear since Erik Kynard finished as a semifinalist in 2013.
TJ Shankar was the last Wildcat to be named the Midwest Men's Field Athlete of the Year in 2022, while the last time K-State's coach was honored was in 2019 when Cliff Rovelto was named the Women's Coach of the Year.
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.
Geopfert was named the Men's Coach of the Year, previously winning the Midwest Men's Indoor award in March. Pullen was named the Men's Assistant Coach of the Year and Chikomba the Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
"It takes a village and these awards are a compliment to the entire program and the team of people it takes for success," Geopfert said. "Huge congrats to Tah and Clive. They are so well deserving and are a prime example of what dedication and hard work can do for you. I'm very appreciative they are being recognized for their success!"
Geopfert led the men's team to 8th place at the NCAA Championship with 30 points, the most points scored at the outdoor championships while eighth place is the highest finish since 1998. During the Big 12 Championship, the team had its highest finish in five years in 4th place with 83.33 points, the best performance since 2021.
Pullen, in his second year as assistant coach for the horizontal jumpers, earns his first coaching award after nine seasons. He guided two men to national titles, Chikomba in the long jump and sophomore Selva Prabhu in the triple jump, the first time in program history that two Wildcats were crowned champions in a single season. Along with sophomore Uroy Ryan, bronze medalist in the long jump, the jumpers accounted for 26 of the team's 30 points.
At the Big 12 Championship, Chikomba and Prabhu were crowned champions, Ryan secured 3rd place and four more jumpers landed on the podium for 37 of the total 83.33 points.
Chikomba, the native of Zimbabwe, was crowned the outdoor champion in the long jump at both the NCAA Champion and the Big 12 Championship. At the national championship he jumped 8.37m (27' 5.5"), the furthest jump to win the title since 2018, and improving his own school record. At the conference championship he jumped 8.27m (27' 1.75"), the newest Big 12 and Drachman Stadium facility record.
During the NCAA West Preliminary on May 27, Chikomba jumped 8.75m (28' 8.5")(3.2) which is the #1 all-time all-conditions in the NCAA and #7 all-time all-conditions in world history. On June 4 he was named to The Bowerman watch list, the first Wildcat to appear since Erik Kynard finished as a semifinalist in 2013.
TJ Shankar was the last Wildcat to be named the Midwest Men's Field Athlete of the Year in 2022, while the last time K-State's coach was honored was in 2019 when Cliff Rovelto was named the Women's Coach of the Year.
-- 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.
Players Mentioned
Wednesday, June 17
Monday, June 15
Thursday, June 11
Wednesday, June 10
