WKU Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Brent Chumbley announced the hiring of Brooks LeCompte Jan. 22, 2020 as the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach on The Hill.
“We are extremely excited that Coach LeCompte has joined our staff on The Hill,” said Chumbley. “His experience and enthusiasm will quickly raise the level of performance for us. I look forward to watching the development and commitment of the distance group.”
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join an amazing staff at Western Kentucky University,” said LeCompte. “I would like to thank [Director of Athletics] Todd Stewart and Coach Chumbley for believing in me and my vision for the distance program. I can’t wait to get started as a Hilltopper.”
In his first full year on The Hill, LeCompte coached several individuals to personal bests in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He collaborated with fellow assistant coach Tosha Ansley to produce the third-place Distance Medley Relay Team at the 2021 Indoor C-USA Championships. The crew was made up of distance runners Dedrick Troxell, Clint Sherman and Casey Buchanan as well as freshman sprinter Jonathan Allen.
At the Outdoor C-USA Championships, LeCompte led multiple mid-distance and distance runners to scoring for the Hilltoppers. Troxell ran the 12th fastest 1500-meter time in program history. He finished fifth at the meet and is now the fifth-best Hilltopper to ever compete in that event. Freshmen Casey Buchanan placed fourth in the 800 and Rory O'Connor finished seventh in the 10k. O'Connor also won the 5k at the Gamecock Invitational.
LeCompte joined the Track & Field/Cross Country programs shortly after WKU hosted the Conference USA Cross Country Championships in November of 2019. He started with the distance squad on the Indoor Track & Field teams just after he was hired and completed the indoor season with the crew.
Despite the quick start, LeCompte led the mid-distance and distance runners to numerous personal bests in the 2020 indoor season, including multiple PRs at the Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Savannah Heckman notched a PR in both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter while Will Perrone (3000-meter and 5000-meter), Sherman (3000-meter and 1 mile) and Troxell (1 mile) also recorded personal best times at the meet. Troxell scored points on the men's side after a fourth-place finish in the mile. The squads were gearing up for the outdoor season when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled all spring sports.
LeCompte previously served as the Assistant Cross Country/Track & Field Coach at UNC Wilmington before joining the Hilltoppers.
Before joining the Seahawks’ staff in December of 2018, LeCompte served as an Assistant Cross Country Coach at Elon during the 2017-2018 school year. While at Elon, LeCompte was responsible for directing the middle and long distance athletes for the Phoenix as well as assisting the staff with daily operations and recruiting efforts.
Prior to his time at Elon, LeCompte served as a Volunteer Assistant Cross Country/Track & Field Coach at LSU under two-time U.S. Olympian Khadevis Robinson. In his lone year with the Tigers, LeCompte played a key role in helping Robinson pilot LSU to a number of school records and several marks on the program’s top-10 all-time performance lists.
LeCompte helped guide the LSU women’s indoor distance medley relay team to a school-record time of 10:57 in a meet at Notre Dame, which ranked fourth nationally in 2017. He also saw the men’s DMR team break the school record with a time of 9:31.
In addition, LeCompte directed LSU freshman Ruby Stauber to an All-American performance in the indoor 800m after clocking a 2:03.01, while also helping senior Blair Henderson place seventh nationally and earn All-American recognition.
Prior to LSU, LeCompte also had coaching stints at UL-Lafayette and St. Louis Catholic High School.
A Lake Charles, La., native, LeCompte received his bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance from McNeese State University in 2008, where he also competed in track & field and cross country.
LeCompte and his wife, Kelly, have one daughter, Emma, and two sons, Jayden and Kai.
