WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State track and field program received a trio of awards at the 22nd Annual Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission Sports Banquet, Thursday night.
 
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt won the 2019 Gene Stephenson Coach of the Year award, while Aaron True was named the Male College Athlete of the Year and Rebekah Topham took home the Female College Athlete of the Year award.
 
During the 2018-19 season Rainbolt's program won two American Athletic Conference titles beginning with the women's cross country championship in the fall and concluded with the women winning the 2019 outdoor track and field title.
 
Student-athletes under his supervision in 2018-19 recorded 27 all-conference honors, 19 individual conference champions and four All-American honors. Rainbolt and his staff was named The American's Women's Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year, his 31st honor of his career and first in The American.
 
True wrapped up a stellar Shocker career with first team All-American honors in javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Leroy, Kan., native became the first male Shocker in the program's history to become a two-time first team All-American in javelin.
 
He won five of the seven javelin competitions entered, including all four regular season competitions. True highlighted the regular season winning the 92nd Kansas Relays javelin with a toss of 75.33m/247-2, it was the third farthest throw in the NCAA at the time.
 
True's success continued in postseason action as he defended his American Athletic Conference title winning for a second consecutive season with a throw of 72.93m/239-3. He placed third in the NCAA West Regional before finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships with a throw of 73.11m/239-10.
 
Topham finished the 2018-19 season with six all-conference honors, three during the indoor track and field season, two in outdoor and one in cross country. She also earned the Most Valuable Performance award at the indoor and outdoor American Athletic Conference Championships for being the highest point scorer at the meets. The Griswold, Iowa, native was a four-time conference champion winning the indoor mile (4:49.60), indoor 3000m (9:32.45) and anchored the distance medley relay (11:32.19), she also won the outdoor 3000m steeplechase (10:14.19).

She also became the first athlete to win the J.K. Gold Classic in four consecutive seasons.
 
Topham earned first team All-American honors finishing eighth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:57.80. At the NCAA West Preliminaries she set a school record and all-time American Athletic Conference record placing 11th with a time of 9:53.92.