Andy Kokhanovsky

Position: Assistant Coach - Throws Experience: Eighth season at KU College: Abilene Christian '98

Andy Kokhanovsky is in his eighth year as a member of the Kansas track & field coaching staff, serving as the throws coach. In his first seven seasons in Lawrence, his athletes have garnered 24 First Team All-America honors, 15 conference championships and two national championships.

Twenty-twelve saw another standout season for Kokhanovsky's athletes with the highlight coming when Alena Krechyk claimed the Big 12 hammer throw title with her school and meet record toss of 69.02 meters (226-05 ft.). Krechyk went on to be named a First Team All-American in the event and joined Kohkanvosky athletes Mason Finley (shot put, discus) and Heather Bergmann (javelin) to add their names to the First Team All-America lists.

Kokhanovsky led one of the strongest groups of throwers the school has seen in 2011. He tutored four throwers to First Team All-American honors in five events, including Mason Finley's fourth Big 12 title. He also saw two of his athletes break school records, with Finley smashing the KU shot put record and sophomore Heather Bergmann breaking the record in the javelin.

In 2010, Kokhanovsky mentored Mason Finley to an outstanding rookie season. Finley won the Big 12 indoor title and claimed both the shot put and discus title at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Finley earned All-America honors in all three events and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor meet in both the shot put and discus. He was named the Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year and also was named the Big 12's Outstanding Male Freshman of the Year Award. Kokhanovsky also coached Brian Bishop to an appearance at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the discus, where he finished 15th.

Kokhanovsky coached Egor Agafonov to his second-consecutive National Championship in 2008 as well as in the weight throw and also saw him claim his fifth and sixth All-America honors (weight throw, hammer throw). That same season, Agafonov also won his third-consecutive Big 12 Championship in both the hammer throw and the weight throw.

In 2007, Kokhanovsky coached then-junior Agafonov to the indoor and outdoor conference championships in the weight throw and hammer throw, respectively. Agafonov earned All-America honors in both events and won the 2007 weight throw national championship. Also that season, Kokhanovsky led Zlata Tarasova to the first women's hammer throw conference championship in school history.

Kokhanovsky guided Agafonov to two Big 12 Championships (indoor weight throw and outdoor hammer throw) in Agafonov's first season in intercollegiate athletics in 2006. Agafonov went on to earn All-America accolades with his second-place finish at NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw.

At Louisiana-Monroe, Kokhanovsky's athletes qualified for a total of 11 NCAA regional championships and set seven school records.

Kokhanovsky graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1998 with a B.S. in education. In 1996, he set a Division II national record in the discus with a throw of 211-5 ft. He was also the national champion and an All-American in the event. In the same year, Kokhanovsky represented the Ukraine in the discus at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Before his time in Abilene, Kokhanovsky competed at Blinn Junior College where he set the national record for junior colleges in the discus in 1995 with a throw of 210-8 ft. He was an All-American and the national champion in the discus in 1994 and 1995 at Blinn.

In addition to his time as a collegiate thrower and coach, Kokhanovsky was a member of the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian national teams from 1984-1993. In 1989, he won the USSR national championship in the discus and in 1992 was ranked as high as 12th in the world in that event after throwing his personal record of 215-05 ft. He competed in the World University Games in Germany (1989), England (1991) and the United States (1993). Additionally, Kokhanovsky held the Soviet national high school record (ages 17 and younger) in the discus with a throw of 215-02 ft.

Kokhanovsky holds a Level I and II USA Track & Field coaching certification and a USA Weightlifting coaching certification. He resides in Lawrence with his wife, Marissa and daughter, Ana-Claire.

PROMINENT PUPILS

• Alena Krechyk (Kansas) - 2012 Big 12 Champion and All-American (Hammer Throw)
• Mason Finley (Kansas) - Eight-time All-American in three seasons at KU, four-time Big 12 Champion, 2010 Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year, 2010 Big 12 Outstanding Male Freshman of the Year.
• Stephanie Horton (Kansas) - Two-time All-American in the shot put (2008 indoor and outdoor) - Holds both Kansas school records in the shot put Indoor - 16.80 meters (55-01.50 ft.) Outdoor - 16.52 meters (54-02.50 ft.)
• Zlata Tarasova (Kansas) - 2007 Big 12 Champion (Hammer Throw) - Holds two school records (weight throw, hammer throw) Weight Throw - 18.97 meters (62-03 ft.) Hammer Throw - 62.95 meters (206-06 ft.)
• Egor Agafonov (Kansas) - Two-time National Champion in the weight throw (2007 and 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships) - Six-time All-American Weight Throw (2006, 2007, 2008) Hammer Throw (2006, 2007, 2008) - Six-time Big 12 Champion Weight Throw (2006, 2007, 2008) Hammer Throw (2006, 2007, 2008) - School record holder in the hammer throw (233-00 ft.)
• Sheldon Battle (Kansas) - Three All-America honors in 2006 Weight Throw and Shot Put (Indoor) Shot Put (Outdoor) 2006 Big 12 Champion (Indoor Shot Put)
• Kristjan Rahnu (McNeese State) - Southland Conference Champion in the decathlon (2001)