WKU News

The 2026 Coming Home King will be crowned on February 14. The 2025 Coming Home King was Ryan Dilts.

Twenty Western Kentucky University students are candidates for the 2026 Coming Home King. 

Candidates will participate in numerous activities, including an interview on Tuesday (February 10), a volunteer project with The Salvation Army on Thursday (February 12) and a banquet on Saturday (February 14). The king will be crowned Saturday (February 14) during halftime of Hilltopper Basketball’s game versus Middle Tennessee. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Diddle Arena.

WKU students will cast their votes for the Coming Home King on Monday, February 9, via TopNet.

The 2026 Coming Home King Candidates are:

• Demani Bell of Danville is a Performing Arts and Musical Theater major with a minor in Arts Administration and American Sign Language. Bell is son of Decarla and Maurice Bell. He is representing Kappa Delta.
• Jacob Brown of Louisville is a Sports Management major with a minor in Event and Facilities Management. Brown is the son of Shoshawna Smith and Jacob Brown Sr. He is representing the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
• Hayden Burt of Lexington is a Communication Studies major and Legal Studies minor. Burt is the son of John and Amanda Burt. He is representing Delta Zeta and Sigma Nu.
• Cai Coburn of Versailles is an Accounting major and Finance minor. Coburn is the son of Clay and Tonya Coburn. He is representing WKU Spirit Masters.
• Dylan Coleman of Santa Claus, Indiana, is a Finance major. Coleman is the son of Grant and Michelle Coleman. He is representing Alpha Gamma Delta.
• Will Derryberry of Bowling Green is a Finance major. Derryberry is the son of Pitt and Amanda Derryberry. He is representing the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council.
• Aiden Fleck of Henderson is a Finance major. Fleck is the son of Mike and Jamie Fleck. He is representing the WKU Men’s Rugby Club.
• Josh Gillespie of Elkton is a Corporate and Organizational Communication, Public Relations and Political Science major. Gillespie is the son of Marla and Frank Gillespie. He is representing the Potter College of Arts and Letters’ Dean’s Council of Students.
• Richard Gutierrez of Huntingburg, Indiana, is a Healthcare Administration major. Gutierrez the son of Ricardo and Maria Gutierrez. He is representing Alpha Tau Omega.
• Konner Harl of Owensboro is a Psychology major. Harl is the son of Chad Harl and Julie Hagan. He is representing the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Ambassadors.
• Malachi Humble of Russellville is a Marketing and Spanish major. Humble is the son of April and Dustin Cowan, and the late Matthew Humble. He is representing Phi Mu.
• Carter Lowry of Nolensville, Tennessee, is an Environmental, Sustainability, and Geographic studies major with a concentration in Geology. Lowry is the son of Tammie Ford and Kevin Lowry. He is representing Omega Phi Alpha.
• Jacob Mullins of Mount Sterling is an Electrical Engineering major and Mathematics and Systems Engineering minor. Mullins is the son of Darren and Melissa Mullins. He is representing the Baptist Campus Ministry.
• Caleb Penick of Campbellsville is a Psychology and Child and Family Services major. Penick is the son of Chris Penick and Lynn Vaughn. He is representing the Mahurin Honors College Honors Toppers.
• Garrett Price of Louisville is a Sports Management major. Price is the son of Shawn and Natalie Price. He is representing Alpha Omicron Pi.
• Rush Robinson of Benton is a Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy major. Robinson is the son of Paul and Paula Robinson. He is representing the Student Government Association.
• Blair Tate of Frankfort is a Construction Management major. Tate is the son of Jim and Gina Tate. He is representing Alpha Delta Pi.
• Charlie Uland of Bowling Green is a Chemistry and Computer Science major. Uland is the son of Will and Tasha Uland. He is representing Phi Gamma Delta.
• Luis Vazquez of Hodgenville is a Construction Management major. Vazquez is the son of Reyna Tapia Santos and Jose Luis Vazquez Flores. He is representing Alpha Xi Delta.
• Noah Wilson of Bowling Green is a Marketing major with a Sales concentration. Wilson is the son of Tim and Sami Wilson. He is representing Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Contact: Amelia Kolb, (270) 745-5791

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.