June 17, 2008
NEW ORLEANS- Texas A&M assistant coach Vince Anderson received his third national coaching honor in the past five seasons as the 2008 awards were announced by United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. The organization selected Anderson as the Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
“Vince Anderson is a very hard working, dedicated assistant,” said Aggie head coach Pat Henry. “His ability to relate to his athletes on and off the track is unique. He has a great understanding of his role in the development of not only the individual athlete, but the team.”
Upon the completion of the collegiate season, voting for athlete and coaching honors was held on Monday. Receiving recognition as the top head coaches for the season were national champion coaches Bob Braman of Florida State and Dennis Shaver of LSU. Auburn’s Jerry Clayton received the men’s assistant coaching honor.
Athlete honors went to Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego (Women’s Track Athlete), Richard Thompson of LSU (Men’s Track Athlete), Auburn’s Cory Martin (Men’s Field Athlete) and Brittany Reese of Mississippi (Women’s Field Athlete).
Coaching in his fourth year with the Aggies, Anderson earned South Central region assistant coaching honors during the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2008. Last season Anderson was awarded the Midwest Region women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
Previous national honors for Anderson included a women’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006 with the Aggies and a men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003 while at Tennessee.
During the 2008 NCAA Championships the Texas A&M sprinters accounted for 40 of the 48 points that led to a third place team finish for the Aggie women. It was also the first national meet in which Texas A&M claimed two NCAA titles in one meet.
The A&M 4 x 100-meter relay squad defended its NCAA title from the previous season with a school record of 42.59 seconds and broke the Drake Stadium record. It was the fourth time the Aggies set a stadium record in its fourth consecutive race at the famed stadium.
In the sprint finals Texas A&M enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the 200 from Simone Facey and Porscha Lucas, who were separated by only 0.04 of a second. Facey was also the NCAA runner-up in the 100. Jessica Beard placed fourth in the 400, the only freshman among the eight finalists.