BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recognized WKU head coach Erik Jenkins on Monday as its Southeast Region Men's Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.
Jenkins guided the Hilltoppers to a 2015 Conference USA Indoor Championship crown during their first season in the league and they came within 10 points of capturing the C-USA Outdoor title. WKU entered its outdoor campaign with a No. 25 ranking in the USTFCCCA poll, which was its highest position in the poll in school history. He was also the recipient of the 2015 C-USA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year following the Lady Toppers' title run.
The USTFCCCA has now named Jenkins as its Southeast Region Coach of the Year three times during his eight seasons at the helm of WKU's track and field program. The 2014 and 2015 Southeast Region Men's Coach of the Year honoree was also tabbed the 2009 Southeast Region Women's Coach of the Year. Jenkins' impressive resume now includes three Coach of the Year accolades from the USTFCCCA and 17 Coach of the Year awards from WKU's Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA tenures.
In his eight seasons at WKU, 104 Hilltopper and Lady Topper athletes have qualified for the NCAA Championships and 175 have advanced to the preliminary championships. Additionally, the men's and women's track and cross country programs have combined to win 27 conference championships under Jenkins' guidance since 2008.
Under Jenkins' direction, 12 Hilltoppers advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Championships and five have marched on to this week's NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Two-time All-American javelin thrower Tomas Guerra is headed back to the NCAA Championships for the third-straight season and sophomore Ventavius Sears will give WKU national representation in the long jump for the first time since 2010.
Jenkins has pieced together another championship-caliber 4x100-meter relay that will compete at the NCAA Championships this week. Sears, Emmanuel Dasor, Ja'Karyus Redwine and Corey Parks have combined to run two of the three fastest relays in WKU history during the postseason and hope to repeat their success in Eugene. WKU had never advanced to nationals in the 4x100 before last season and has now qualified for nationals in consecutive years.
The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set to begin Wednesday in Eugene with field events kicking things off at 3:30 p.m. (CT).
