Cardinals Earn Trio of USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Outdoor Awards
June 18, 2026 | Track & Field
Geoffrey Kirwa was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, KJ Byrd was named Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, and Baylee Mires was recognized as Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Three members of the University of Louisville track & field program were recognized by the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday as part of the organization's yearly regional awards for the 2026 outdoor season.
Sophomores Geoffrey Kirwa and KJ Byrd were named Southeast Regional Men's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, respectively, while assistant coach Baylee Mires earned Southeast Regional Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
The full list of the USTFCCCA regional award winners for the 2026 outdoor season can be found here.
Kirwa won the first NCAA title of his career and the sixth outdoor national title in program history at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Jun. 12, breaking the tape in the men's 3000m steeplechase in 8:17.46 to avenge his national runner-up finish from a season ago.
Earlier in the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 16, the sophomore improved on his own No. 2 time in collegiate history with a mark of 8:08.10 that broke his own ACC and program record and currently stands as the fifth-fastest steeplechase time in the world in 2026.
Along with his success in the steeplechase, Kirwa earned the bronze medal in the 5000m at the ACC Outdoor Championships, the first ACCs podium finish of his career. He also posted a program-record 5000m time of 13:21.49 from the Stanford Invitational on Apr. 3, which ranked just outside the top 10 in the NCAA this season.
With the honor, the native of Kapsabet, Kenya becomes the first athlete in Louisville history to be named Southeast Regional Track Athlete of the Year in either the indoor or outdoor season.
Byrd finished as the national runner-up in the men's decathlon, accruing a total of 8,160 points to establish a new ACC and Louisville program record while narrowly missing out on his first national title.
At NCAAs, Byrd set a championship meet record in the decathlon pole vault with a clearance of 5.41m (17-9) and notably equaled his personal best in the high jump with a height of 2.13m (6-11.75) that would have ranked him in the top five in the ACC this season.
The sophomore from Connelly Springs, N.C. won the ACC title in the open pole vault at the ACC Outdoor Championships on May 14, setting a new Louisville program record of 5.53m (18-1.75) in the process. He also picked up a point for the Cardinals in the open long jump at the conference championship meet, finishing eighth with a mark of 7.40m (24-3.5).
After being named the Men's Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season, Byrd becomes only the third athlete ever to sweep the award in the Southeast Regional. He also joins Andre Black (2007) as the only two Cardinals to be recognized as the region's top outdoor field athlete on the men's side.
Mires oversaw a historic outdoor season for the Louisville men's distance program, as her athletes combined for three First Team All-American nods, four NCAA Championship qualifications, two ACC records, four Louisville program records, and an individual NCAA title.
In her third season with the Cardinals, Mires guided Kirwa to the NCAA title in the men's 3000m steeplechase while continuing his rise into one of the world's top steeplechasers.
Mires was also instrumental in the development of freshman Elsingi Kipruto, who established himself as one of the NCAA's top distance talents during his rookie season. Kipruto scored 14 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing second in the 10000m and third in the 5000m, while also winning the 5000m title at the ACC Outdoor Championships and setting an ACC record of 27:29.83 in the 10000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 16.
The Cards also saw success in the middle-distance events, as Mires mentored Ryan Farrell to the program's first ACC title in the men's 800m and a Second Team All-American showing in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Over the course of the 2026 outdoor campaign, Farrell recorded eight of the top 10 800m times in program history, highlighted by his program-record time of 1:45.73 at the NCAA East First Round on May 29.
Originally from Spokane, Wash., Mires becomes the first in program history to be named Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year on the men's side during the outdoor season.
She also extends Louisville's streak of USTFCCCA assistant coaching honors to three seasons after jumps coach Bob Thurnhoffer was named Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year in 2025 and throws coach Cory Martin earned the same honor in 2024.
For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagramand X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.
Sophomores Geoffrey Kirwa and KJ Byrd were named Southeast Regional Men's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, respectively, while assistant coach Baylee Mires earned Southeast Regional Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
The full list of the USTFCCCA regional award winners for the 2026 outdoor season can be found here.
Kirwa won the first NCAA title of his career and the sixth outdoor national title in program history at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Jun. 12, breaking the tape in the men's 3000m steeplechase in 8:17.46 to avenge his national runner-up finish from a season ago.
Earlier in the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 16, the sophomore improved on his own No. 2 time in collegiate history with a mark of 8:08.10 that broke his own ACC and program record and currently stands as the fifth-fastest steeplechase time in the world in 2026.
Along with his success in the steeplechase, Kirwa earned the bronze medal in the 5000m at the ACC Outdoor Championships, the first ACCs podium finish of his career. He also posted a program-record 5000m time of 13:21.49 from the Stanford Invitational on Apr. 3, which ranked just outside the top 10 in the NCAA this season.
With the honor, the native of Kapsabet, Kenya becomes the first athlete in Louisville history to be named Southeast Regional Track Athlete of the Year in either the indoor or outdoor season.
Byrd finished as the national runner-up in the men's decathlon, accruing a total of 8,160 points to establish a new ACC and Louisville program record while narrowly missing out on his first national title.
At NCAAs, Byrd set a championship meet record in the decathlon pole vault with a clearance of 5.41m (17-9) and notably equaled his personal best in the high jump with a height of 2.13m (6-11.75) that would have ranked him in the top five in the ACC this season.
The sophomore from Connelly Springs, N.C. won the ACC title in the open pole vault at the ACC Outdoor Championships on May 14, setting a new Louisville program record of 5.53m (18-1.75) in the process. He also picked up a point for the Cardinals in the open long jump at the conference championship meet, finishing eighth with a mark of 7.40m (24-3.5).
After being named the Men's Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season, Byrd becomes only the third athlete ever to sweep the award in the Southeast Regional. He also joins Andre Black (2007) as the only two Cardinals to be recognized as the region's top outdoor field athlete on the men's side.
Mires oversaw a historic outdoor season for the Louisville men's distance program, as her athletes combined for three First Team All-American nods, four NCAA Championship qualifications, two ACC records, four Louisville program records, and an individual NCAA title.
In her third season with the Cardinals, Mires guided Kirwa to the NCAA title in the men's 3000m steeplechase while continuing his rise into one of the world's top steeplechasers.
Mires was also instrumental in the development of freshman Elsingi Kipruto, who established himself as one of the NCAA's top distance talents during his rookie season. Kipruto scored 14 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing second in the 10000m and third in the 5000m, while also winning the 5000m title at the ACC Outdoor Championships and setting an ACC record of 27:29.83 in the 10000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 16.
The Cards also saw success in the middle-distance events, as Mires mentored Ryan Farrell to the program's first ACC title in the men's 800m and a Second Team All-American showing in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Over the course of the 2026 outdoor campaign, Farrell recorded eight of the top 10 800m times in program history, highlighted by his program-record time of 1:45.73 at the NCAA East First Round on May 29.
Originally from Spokane, Wash., Mires becomes the first in program history to be named Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year on the men's side during the outdoor season.
She also extends Louisville's streak of USTFCCCA assistant coaching honors to three seasons after jumps coach Bob Thurnhoffer was named Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year in 2025 and throws coach Cory Martin earned the same honor in 2024.
For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagramand X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.
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