Track Coaches Reap National Honors

METARIE, La. Two University of Oklahoma assistant coaches were honored by the U.S. Track and Field Coaches and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Saturday afternoon.

Dana Boone and Jeremy Fischer, both in their second season at OU, were named as top Division I assistants in the Midwest region for their accomplishments with the Sooner men's track and field program.

The accolades come the same week OU head coach Martin Smith was named Big 12 Men's Coach of the Year.

USTFCCCA honors the top assistant coaches in the four regions in the following categories: men's and women's sprints/hurdles, distances, jumps/combined events and throws. Coaches from each region vote on the awards.

The Division I Assistant Coaches of the Year are selected on the basis of both indoor and outdoor season accomplishments.

Boone, the lone woman honored for work with a men's team, was named the Midwest region men's sprints/hurdles coach of the year.

Boone's athletes played a major role in Oklahoma winning the Big 12 Conference and Midwest Region titles. Marcus Pugh was the Big 12 champion in the 100-meter dash and the men's 4x100-meter relay, ranked No. 9 in the nation, won a regional title.

Seven of the 14 Sooner men competing at the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships are coached by Boone.

Fischer was named the men's jumps/combined events coach of the year for the Midwest region.

Fischer coached four men to the NCAA Championships. Dermillo Wise and Frankie Wright qualified in the long jump, as did Shardae Boutte and Tydree Lewis in the triple jump. Boutte was the Midwest Regional champion.

Boutte and Lewis finished 1-2 in the triple jump at the Big 12 meet, helping put Oklahoma over the top in the team scoring.

The USTFCCCA will announce the National Men's and Women's Coach of the Year and National Men's and Women's Athletes of the Year at a later date.

Oklahoma qualified a record number of athletes to the NCAA Championships, which begin June 6 at the Alex G. Spanos Track and Field Complex in Sacramento, Calif.

National Assistant Coaches of the Year

East Region
Men's Sprints/hurdles: Ken Harnden, Florida State
Men's Distances: Dave Hartman, Georgia
Men's Jumps/combined events: Josh Langley, Clemson
Men's Throws: Brian Blutreich, North Carolina
Women's Sprints/hurdles: Lawrence Johnson, Virginia Tech
Women's Distances: Michael Whittlesey, North Carolina
Women's Jumps/combined events: Todd Lane, Miami (Fla.)
Women's Throws: Don Babbitt, Georgia

Mideast Region
Men's Sprints/hurdles: Norbert Elliott, Tennessee
Men's Distances: Jerry Schumacher, Wisconsin
Men's Jumps/combined events: Jake Jacoby, Louisville
Men's Throws: Jerry Clayton, Auburn
Women's Sprints/hurdles: Rolando Greene, Arkansas
Women's Distances: Mike McGuire, Michigan
Women's Jumps/combined events: Boo Schexnayder, LSU
Women's Throws: Ross Richardson, Purdue

Midwest Region
Men's Sprints/hurdles: Dana Boone, Oklahoma
Men's Distances: Jason Vigilante, Texas
Men's Jumps/combined events: Jeremy Fischer, Oklahoma
Men's Throws: Scott Cappos, Iowa
Women's Sprints/hurdles: Vince Anderson, Texas A&M
Women's Distances: Jon Murray, Texas Tech
Women's Jumps/combined events: Kris Grimes, Nebraska
Women's Throws: Lynne Anderson, Minnesota

West Region
Men's Sprints/hurdles: Dan Steele, Oregon
Men's Distances: Tony Sandoval, California
Men's Jumps/combined events: Sheldon Blockburger, Arizona
Men's Throws: Dan Lange, USC
Women's Sprints/hurdles: Tina Fernandes, USC
Women's Distances: Patrick Shane, BYU
Women's Jumps/combined events: Mike Powell, UCLA
Women's Throws: David Dumble, Arizona State

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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