March 10, 2008
Texas A&M assistant coach Vince Anderson was honored with the South Central women?â„¢s Assistant Coach of Year award as announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday.
Nine regions were represented in the awards for the indoor track and field season as USTFCCCA selects the top men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s track athlete, field athlete, head coach and assistant coach. The indoor season concludes this weekend with the NCAA Indoor Championships, held March 14-15 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Anderson, in his fourth season at Texas A&M, was awarded a fourth coaching honor since the 2003 season. He received the Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year for women?â„¢s sprints and hurdles last year during the outdoor season. In 2006 Anderson was selected as the National Assistant Coach of the Year honor for women?â„¢s sprints and hurdles. In 2003 he received the same honor on the men?â„¢s side while coaching at Tennessee.
Sprint, hurdle and relay events accounted for 83 of the Aggies?â„¢ 119.25 points scored during their title defense of the Big 12 Indoor Championship. In addition to having a world-leading winning time of 22.86 in the 200 from sophomore Porscha Lucas, freshman Jessica Beard claimed the 400 in 52.61 seconds. Simone Facey, a senior, established a school record in the 60 meters with a 7.23 clocking and the 4 x 400 relay crew defended their title in a very tight race with Texas.
Other women?™s awards in the South Central region included LSU?™s Kelly-Ann Baptiste receiving the women?™s track honor for posting a collegiate-leading 7.13 in the 60 meters while LSU?™s Andrea Linton was awarded the field event honor for reaching a personal best of 44-6 ?Ľ in the triple jump and a career best of 20-10 in the long jump. The women?™s head coach honor went to TCU?™s Darryl Anderson as the Horned Frogs won their first Mountain West Conference title.
Nominations for the athlete awards in the South Central region included a pair of Aggies in Porscha Lucas and Julian Reid.
Lucas won her first individual Big 12 title with an impressive performance in the 200 meters at the Big 12 meet while Reid, a freshman, shared high-point honors at the conference meet by winning the long jump and placing fourth in the triple jump.