Wichita State Athletics

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Now in his 16^th year as Wichita State’s head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach, Kirk Hunter has maintained one of the top distance programs in the Midwest.
 
Hunter has coached at the collegiate level for 36 years, serving as the Colby Community College head coach from 1988-2000 and the Butler Community College head coach from 2000-09 before taking over as Wichita State’s distance leader in 2009. He was named the NJCAA Coach of the Year 22 times between his men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams’ successes, coaching 274 athletes to a total of 674 NJCAA All-American honors and 45 Honorable Mention honors. He coached 50 individual national champions and 79 runner-up national finishers, claiming six NJCAA team championships and seven NJCAA second place team trophies. Hunter served as President of the NJCAA DI Cross Country Coaches Association from 2000-05 and Vice President from 2005-08.
 
Since joining the Shockers in 2009, Hunter has coached 37 All-Americans, 84 individual conference champions and has led Wichita State to two cross country conference team titles, the first being the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Championship and the most recent being the 2018 American Athletic Conference Women’s Championship. He was named the MVC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2010 and has coached eight conference cross country Runners of the Year, four in the MVC and four in the AAC. He also assists with the multi-event athletes’ training in the 800 meters, 1,000 meters and 1500 meters, helping the Shockers continue their long history of success in the multis.
 
In Hunter’s first season with the Shockers (2009-10), the women’s cross country team continued its tradition of winning Missouri Valley Conference titles. Hunter was named 2010 MVC Cross Country Women’s Coach of the Year as the women claimed their sixth-straight MVC cross country crown in the fall of 2010. Senior Tonya Nero won the MVC Championship and was named the MVC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Nero went on to place 16th at the NCAA Championships and was named an NCAA All-American. In the spring of 2010, Wichita State won the MVC men’s and women’s indoor team titles, as well as the men’s outdoor team title. Hunter coached Nero to indoor MVC titles in the mile and 5,000 meters and outdoor MVC titles in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. Nero was named the MVC Indoor Most Valuable Athlete for her performances at the conference championships. She also set a then WSU record in the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 33:11.71, qualifying her for the outdoor NCAA West Preliminaries. With an NCAA First Round win in the 10,000 meters, she advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she finished seventh overall, earning First Team All-America recognition.
 
During the Shockers’ 2010-11 season, Hunter led the women’s cross country team to an MVC runner-up finish, while the men finished fourth as a team. Aliphine Tuliamuk won her first MVC individual cross country title and was named the MVC Cross Country Women’s Athlete of the Year before going on to win the NCAA Midwest Regional. Tuliamuk finished 12^th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to be named an NCAA Cross Country All-American, her first of 13 All-America honors. During the track and field season, the Shockers swept the MVC women’s championships, winning both the 2011 indoor and outdoor team titles. Tuliamuk was named the MVC Women’s Indoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete, winning the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, and Tonya Nero claimed another distance title for the Shockers, winning the mile. Tuliamuk and Nero both qualified to the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5,000 meters, where they finished eighth and 13^th, respectively. Tuliamuk was named a First Team All-American, and Nero was named a Second Team All-American. At the MVC Outdoor Championships, the Shocker women swept the long-distance titles with Tuliamuk winning the 5,000 meters and Nero 10,000 meters. The pair went on to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Tuliamuk in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters and Nero in the 10,000 meters. Tuliamuk took fifth and Nero seventh in the 10,000 meters, and Tuliamuk finished eighth in the 5,000 meters for a total of three First Team All-America awards between them.
 
In 2011-12, Tuliamuk continued her cross country dominance, winning her second MVC individual title and being named the MVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season. She went on to become the second Shocker woman in history to win the NCAA Midwest Regional, qualifying to the NCAA Championships, where she finished 12^th, earning All-America recognition. Hunter’s group had four indoor and four outdoor conference champions. Tuliamuk won the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 as well as the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 and was named the MVC Women’s Indoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete for the second time. Tomas Cotter won his first two MVC titles, winning the indoor 3,000 and outdoor steeplechase, and Danielle Chapman (Walker) swept the indoor and outdoor 800-meter titles. The Shocker women won their second-straight MVC Outdoor Championship. Tuliamuk claimed four more All-America awards, finishing second in the NCAA outdoor 10,000, third in the NCAA indoor 5,000, fifth in the NCAA outdoor 5,000 and seventh in the NCAA indoor 3,000.
 
In 2012-13, Tuliamuk’s senior season, she defended all five of her MVC titles and claimed five more All-America awards for a grand total of 13, becoming the most decorated student-athlete in Shocker history. She was the NCAA runner up in the 10,000 for the second-straight year, tying for the best Shocker finish in women’s history. Tuliamuk also finished third in the NCAA indoor 5,000, fourth in cross country, fourth in the outdoor 5,000, and sixth in the indoor 3,000. That same year, she teamed up with Samantha Shukla, Cassidy Downing and Clarissa Johnson to win the MVC distance medley relay title. Ryan Hocker won the MVC indoor 800, and Cotter won the MVC outdoor 1500 and steeplechase. Tuliamuk was named the MVC Women’s Indoor Most Valuable Athlete, leading the women to another MVC Indoor Championship, and Cotter was named the Men’s Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete. Cotter qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase, where he finished ninth to be named a Second Team All-American. He went on to represent Ireland at back-to-back European Team Championships, as well as representing both WSU and Ireland at the 2013 World University Games in Russia, where he finished 10^th in the steeplechase.
The 2013-14 season was highlighted by Ugis Jocis’s MVC indoor mile victory, and the Wichita State women won another MVC Outdoor Championship.
 
In 2014-15, Hunter’s Shockers swept the MVC outdoor steeplechase titles with Jocis winning the men’s race and Sidney Hirsch claiming the women’s title. The Shocker women claimed their second-straight MVC Outdoor Championship.
 
In 2015-16, seven distance runners earned All-Valley honors by finishing in the top three at the 2016 MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, helping Wichita State win the MVC Women’s Outdoor and Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championship team titles.
 
During the 2016 cross country season he coached the Shockers to a second-place men’s finish, the highest in his tenure, and a third-place women’s finish. Rebekah Topham won her first MVC title, taking the women’s cross country crown for Wichita State and earning All-MVC honors as the MVC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. She went on to claim the MVC indoor mile, indoor 3,000 and outdoor 5,000 titles, while Sidney Hirsch claimed the MVC indoor 5,000 title. In the Shockers’ final year in the Missouri Valley Conference, Wichita State swept all four team titles before moving to the American Athletic Conference.
 
In the Shockers’ first season as a member of the AAC, Hunter coached Winny Koskei to two individual outdoor titles. Koskei swept the long-distance events at the 2018 AAC Outdoor Championships, winning the 5,000 and 10,000. Zack Penrod also won an AAC title, claiming victory in the indoor mile, and recorded a runner-up finish in the outdoor 1500m. Topham ran a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:00.59) to finish 13th overall at the USATF Senior Outdoor Championships, and Ben Flowers finished fifth at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships.
 
In 2018-19, Hunter coached Koskei to her first of three AAC Cross Country titles and led the Shocker women to the 2018 AAC Cross Country Championship team title. Hunter was named the AAC Cross Country Coach of the Year, and Koskei was recognized as the AAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Koskei also went on to earn All-American status with a 35th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. At the AAC Indoor Championships, Penrod defended his mile title, and three Shocker women claimed distance titles, with Topham winning both the mile and 3,000 and Koskei claiming the 5,000 title. Hunter coached Topham, Yazmine Wright, Trudy Martin and Tianna Holmes to the distance medley relay title. At the AAC Outdoor Championships, Penrod won the 1500, Topham claimed her first steeplechase title, and Koskei defended her 10,000-meter title, leading the Shocker women to their first AAC Outdoor Championship team title. Hunter was named to the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Topham qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase, where she finished eighth to earn First Team All-America recognition, the first Shocker woman since Mica Land in 2008 eight to be named a steeplechase All-American.

During the 2019 cross country season, Hunter coached the American’s best duo in Winny Koskei and Rebekah Topham. Koskei defended her conference crown and went on to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year where she finished in the top 50. Topham finished as the conference’s runner-up, earning All-AAC honors. Ben Flowers had a breakout season under Hunter’s tutelage. Flowers was an All-Conference and All-Region athlete with a seventh-place finish at the conference meet and a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The indoor 2020 season saw Hunter’s group claim all three of the Shockers’ individual conference titles. Topham won her second-straight AAC Indoor MVP award for scoring 21 team points, including titles in the mile and the 3,000. The men’s distance medley relay team won their own conference title with a huge kick from Adam Moore.
 
After a cancelled 2020 outdoor season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 cross country season was postponed until the spring of 2021 and condensed. Koskei ended her cross country career with her third-straight AAC title and Athlete of the Year award. The 2021 AAC Indoor Championships were cancelled, but Hunter’s group won three individual titles at the outdoor championships with Penrod winning the 800 and Ethan Kossover and Topham sweeping the steeplechase titles.
 
During the 2021 cross country season, Hunter coached Yazmine Wright to an AAC individual title, AAC Athlete of the Year honors and All-Region honors and led the men's team to a second-place conference team finish. The team earned six total (four men, two women) all-conference honors. During the 2022 track and field season, Hunter's group earned four all-conference indoor honors with three individual runner-up finishes and a third-place DMR. Outdoor, Hunter coached Clayton Duchatschek to the AAC steeplechase title, and Adam Moore and Britte Magnuson added three all-conference honors for his group, helping the Shocker men win their first AAC Outdoor Championship team title. Hunter was named to the 2022 AAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
In 2022-23, Hunter led the Shocker men to another men’s runner-up team finish at the AAC Cross Country Championships. Duchatschek recorded the highest-ever AAC finish by a male Shocker, finishing fifth. Duchatschek and Adrian Diaz Lopez both earning All-Region honors at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Shocker men claimed their second-straight AAC Outdoor title with the help of two runner-up finishes from Hunter’s group. Diaz Lopez finished second in the 10,000 meters, and Duchatschek was the steeplechase runner up. Hunter’s 5,000-meter group helped secure the team title, scoring 10 points. Hunter was named to the 2023 AAC Coach Staff of the Year for the second-straight year.
 
Lucy Ndungu highlighted the 2023-24 season for Hunter’s group, racing to an AAC Cross Country runner-up finish and earning All-Region recognition with a 22^nd-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Farrah Miller raced to runner-up finishes in the indoor and outdoor 800 meters, and Ndungu earned two runner-up finishes at the AAC Outdoor Championships, finishing second in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. She advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters, where she earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition.
 
CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY COACH OF THE YEAR
2010 Missouri Valley Conference
2018 American Athletic Conference

PIZZA HUT SHOCKER SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Tonya Nero
Aliphine Tuliamuk
 
NCAA ALL-AMERICANS – 37
2010 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Chris Dickman
2010 Women’s Cross Country – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Cross Country – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Cross Country – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Austin Bahner
2013 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Tanya Friesen
2013 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Austin Bahner
2013 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Tomas Cotter
2013 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Tanya Friesen
2014 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Austin Bahner
2015 Women’s Outdoor Hetathlon – Nikki Larch-Miller
2017 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Hunter Veith
2017 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Nikki Larch-Miller
2017 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Breanne Borman
2017 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Hunter Veith
2017 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Breanne Borman
2017 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Gavyn Yetter
2018 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Hunter Veith
2018 Women’s Cross Country – Winny Koskei
2019 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Ben Johnson
2019 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Ben Johnson
2019 Women’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Rebekah Topham
2024 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Destiny Masters
2024 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Destiny Masters
 
 
MVC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS - 54
2010 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Chris Dickman
2010 Women’s Indoor Mile – Tonya Nero
2010 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Tonya Nero
2010 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Tonya Nero
2010 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Tonya Nero
2011 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Krzysztof Slupkowski
2011 Women’s Indoor Mile – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2011 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Cross Country – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Men’s Indoor 3,000m – Tomas Cotter
2012 Women’s Indoor 800m – Danielle Walker
2012 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Tomas Cotter
2012 Women’s Outdoor 800m – Danielle Chapman
2012 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Tanya Friesen
2012 Women’s Cross Country – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Men’s Indoor 800m – Ryan Hocker
2013 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Austin Bahner
2013 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Indoor DMR – Aliphine Tuliamuk, Samantha Shukla, Cassidy Downing, Clarissa Johnson
2013 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Tanya Friesen
2013 Men’s Outdoor 1500m – Tomas Cotter
2013 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Tomas Cotter
2013 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Austin Bahner
2013 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Tanya Friesen
2014 Men’s Indoor Mile – Ugis Jocis
2014 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Kyle Troxler
2014 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Nikki Larch-Miller
2014 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Austin Bahner
2015 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Hunter Veith
2015 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Nikki Larch-Miller
2015 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Breanne Borman
2015 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Ugis Jocis
2015 Women’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Sidney Hirsch
2016 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Hunter Veith
2016 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Breanne Borman
2016 Women’s Cross Country – Rebekah Topham
2017 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Hunter Veith
2017 Women’s Indoor Mile – Rebekah Topham
2017 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Rebekah Topham
2017 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Sidney Hirsch
2017 Women’s Indoor Pentathlon – Breanne Borman
2017 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Ben Johnson
2017 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Rebekah Topham
2017 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Breanne Borman
 
AAC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS - 30
2018 Men’s Indoor 800m – Zack Penrod
2018 Women’s Outdoor 5,000m – Winny Koskei
2018 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Winny Koskei
2018 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Kendra Henry
2018 Women’s Cross Country – Winny Koskei
2019 Men’s Indoor Mile – Zack Penrod
2019 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Ben Johnson
2019 Women’s Indoor Mile – Rebekah Topham
2019 Women’s Indoor 3,000m – Rebekah Topham
2019 Women’s Indoor 5,000m – Winny Koskei
2019 Women’s Indoor DMR – Rebekah Topham, Yazmine Wright, Trudy Martin, Tianna Holmes
2019 Men’s Outdoor 1500m – Zack Penrod
2019 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Ben Johnson
2019 Women’s Outdoor 10,000m – Winny Koskei
2019 Women’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Rebekah Topham
2019 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Kendra Henry
2019 Women’s Cross Country – Winny Koskei
2020 Men’s Indoor DMR – Jed Helker, Jace Coppoc, Josh Cable, Adam Moore
2020-21 Women’s Cross Country – Winny Koskei
2021 Men’s Outdoor 800m – Zack Penrod
2021 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Ethan Kossover
2021 Women’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Rebekah Topham
2021 Women’s Cross Country – Yazmine Wright
2022 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Adria Navajon
2022 Men’s Outdoor 3K Steeplechase – Clayton Duchatschek
2022 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Adria Navajon
2023 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Adria Navajon
2023 Women’s Outdoor Heptathlon – Destiny Masters
2024 Men’s Indoor Heptathlon – Adria Navajon
2024 Men’s Outdoor Decathlon – Adria Navajon
 
MVC CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2010 Tonya Nero
2011 Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Aliphine Tuliamuk
2016 Rebekah Topham
 
AAC CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2018 Winny Koskei
2019 Winny Koskei
2020 Winny Koskei
2021 Yazmine Wright
 
MVC TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS SUPERLATIVES
2010 Women’s Indoor Most Valuable Athlete – Tonya Nero
2011 Women’s Indoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Women’s Indoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete – Aliphine Tuliamuk
2013 Men’s Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Athlete – Tomas Cotter
2013 Women’s Indoor Most Valuable Athlete – Aliphine Tuliamuk
 
AAC TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS SUPERLATIVES
2019 Women’s Outdoor Most Valuable Performer – Rebekah Topham
2020 Women’s Indoor Most Valuable Performer – Rebekah Topham
2020 Women’s Outdoor Most Valuable Performer – Rebekah Topham
2021 Women’s Indoor Most Valuable Performer – Rebekah Topham
 
CONFERENCE TEAM CHAMPIONS - 21
2009 MVC Women’s Cross Country
2010 MVC Men’s Indoor
2010 MVC Women’s Indoor
2010 MVC Men’s Outdoor
2011 MVC Women’s Indoor
2011 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2012 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2013 MVC Women’s Indoor
2014 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2015 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2016 MVC Men’s Indoor
2016 MVC Men’s Outdoor
2016 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2017 MVC Men’s Indoor
2017 MVC Women’s Indoor
2017 MVC Men’s Outdoor
2017 MVC Women’s Outdoor
2018 AAC Women’s Cross Country
2019 AAC Women’s Outdoor
2022 AAC Men’s Outdoor
2023 AAC Men’s Outdoor
 
NCAA ALL-REGION CROSS COUNTRY - 14
2009 Tonya Nero
2010 Tonya Nero
2011 Aliphine Tuliamuk
2012 Aliphine Tuliamuk
2015 Sidney Hirsch
2016 Rebekah Topham
2018 Winny Koskei
2018 Rebekah Topham
2019 Ben Flowers
2019 Winny Koskei
2021 Yazmine Wright
2022 Clayton Duchatschek
2022 Adrian Diaz Lopez
2023 Lucy Ndungu