June 5, 2007

For leading Texas A&M to the top ranks of women's track and field, Aggies coach Pat Henry is the Midwest Region Women's Coach of the Year, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced today.

In his third years as Texas A&M's head coach, Henry led the Aggies to Big 12 Conference and Midwest Region titles. Prior to taking the job at Texas A&M, Henry led LSU to 12 NCAA women's outdoor championships.

Texas A&M's women are ranked third in the country entering this week's NCAA Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The USTFCCCA honors the top men's and women's coaches in four regions. Honorees include the coaches of the top-ranked men's and women's teams, Bob Bramen of Florida State and Greg Kraft at Arizona State.

Regional Athletes of the Year for Division I track and field are posted at www.ustfccca.org.

The 2007 Men's and Women's Regional Coaches of the Year for Division I track and field (by region):

EAST REGION

Men's Coach: Bob Bramen, Florida State

Braman guided the top-ranked Seminoles to Atlantic Coast Conference and East Region championships ... Entering the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Florida State has top-seeded athletes in the 100 and 200 (Walter Dix), 400 (Ricardo Chambers) and 4 x 100 relay ... Dix set a collegiate record in the 200 (19.69) at the East Regional ... Florida State won last year's NCAA outdoor title, the first national championship in the history of the program ... This is Braman's fourth season as Florida State's head coach.

Women's Coach: Dave Ciannelli, Virginia Tech

Hokies won their program's first-ever championships at Atlantic Coast Conference and East Regional meets ... Eleven Hokies qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship ... In six events, Virginia Tech will have two competitors at nationals ... Freshman Kristi Castlin broke the U.S. junior record in winning the 100 hurdles in 12.82 at the East Regional ... Hokies enter NCAA meet ranked 16th in the country ... Cianelli is in his sixth season as Virginia Tech's head coach.

MIDEAST REGION

Men's Coach: Ron Mann, Louisville

Won first men's conference title in school history, scoring 142 points to finish first in Big East Conference ... Qualified eight men for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including NCAA indoor champions Tone Belt (long jump) and Andre Black (triple jump) ... Belt and Black each qualified for outdoor nations in the long and triple jumps) ... Cardinals finished the season ranked 14th in the country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ... Mann is in his third season as Lousville's coach following 24 seasons at Northern Arizona.

Women's Coach: Dennis Shaver, LSU

Shaver is accompanying 19 Lady Tigers to Sacramento for the NCAA Championships, the largest contingent of any team ... Second-ranked LSU won the Southeastern Conference and Mideast Regional championships, both by substantial margins ... In seven events, LSU has entrants who rank in the top eight nationally ... Nickiesha Wilson has the top time in the 400 hurdles (55.20), as does LSU's 4 x 100 relay (43.26) ... Shaver is in his third season as LSU's head coach after spending nine years as an assistant under Pat Henry, now the head coach at Texas A&M.

MIDWEST REGION

Men's Coach: Martin Smith, Oklahoma

Guided the Sooners to their first Big 12 Conference men's championships in 29 years ... Oklahoma then won its first-ever Midwest Region title ... Smith was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year ... Sooners qualified 14 men for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including both relay teams ... Shardae Boutte (triple jump), Scott Martin (pole vault) and Kevin Bookout (shot put) are all ranked among the top six nationally in their events ... Smith is in his second season at Oklahoma after a successful run at Oregon in which the Ducks won a Pacific-10 Conference men's title.

Women's Coach: Pat Henry, Texas A&M

Henry led the Aggies to their first-ever women's titles at the Big 12 indoor, Big 12 outdoor and Midwest Region meets ... In just his third season in College Station after winning 12 NCAA women's outdoor titles at LSU, Henry led Texas A&M to a No. 3 ranking in the final USTFCCCA poll ... Qualified 15 women in 12 events for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento ... Henry was named the NCAA Silver Anniversary Coach in celebration of 25 years of women competing in NCAA track and field competition.

WEST REGION

Men's Coach: Ron Allice, USC

Trojans finished the regular season ranked third in the nation by USTFCCCA ... Won the West Region men's title with 83 points after finishing a close third to Oregon and Arizona State at the Pacific-10 Conference meet ... Qualified 14 men for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including top contenders Lionel Larry (400), Duane Solomon (800), Kai Kelley (110 high hurdles), Noah Bryant (shot put) and Adam Midles (hammer) ... Trojans tied for 10th at last year's NCAA outdoor meet ... Allice is in his 12th season as USC's director of track and field.

Women's Coach: Greg Kraft, Arizona State

Sun Devils were ranked No. 1 by USTFCCCA throughout outdoor season after winning NCAA indoor title in March .... Kraft guided Arizona State to team victories in the Pacific-10 Conference and West Region Championships ... Sun Devils will have 12 women competing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with Sarah Stevens and Jessica Pressley each entered in three events (shot put, discus and hammer) ... Jacquelyn Johnson is the defending champion in the heptathlon while Stevens has the nation's best marks in the shot put (60-4½) and discus (189-5) ... Kraft is in his 11th season at ASU.