Former Hilltopper Patrick Cheptoek has been hired as an assistant coach for cross country and track and field, the program announced Wednesday.

Cheptoek was an accomplished runner during his time as a student-athlete at WKU, earning seven all-conference honors during the 2008-2010 seasons. He was also a national qualifier as a member of the cross country team in 2009 and 2010.

Cheptoek will mainly work with the distance runners for both the cross country and track and field teams.

“Patrick was an outstanding student-athlete during his time at WKU,” head coach Erik Jenkins said in a press release. “He cares about the program and is excited to manage the distance group.”

Cheptoek, originally from Uganda, has had a successful professional running career since graduating. He has run in multiple events around the country. He most recently completed the 2017 Bowling Green Medical Center 10K where he posted a time of 30:46.

Cheptoek’s best conference finishes came during the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he placed first in the 3,000-meter and 10,000-meter steeplechase. Cheptoek was an NCAA qualifier for cross country and outdoor track and field that season as well.

“He was a consistent scorer and was a valued team member on multiple championship teams,” Jenkins said.

WKU begins its season on August 31 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Belmont Opener.

Reporter Cameron Coyle can be reached at 270-745-6291 or [email protected].