Deem Named South Region Coach of the Year
March 11, 2003
Coral Gables, FL (hurricanesports.com) – University of Miami head women’s track coach Amy Deem has been named the 2003 South Region Indoor Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association.
Deem, in her 13th season at Miami, has built the women’s track program from the ground up. Before her arrival at Miami the Hurricanes had never had an athlete even qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Since taking over the women’s track program in 1990, Deem has guiding 19 different athletes to a combined total of 46 All-America honors and six national titles, including 1999 NCAA 100-meter hurdle National Champion Yolanda McCray and five-time national champion in the hurdles Gillian Russell.
This season Deem guided the Hurricanes to their first BIG EAST Indoor Championship. Following the meet she and her staff were honored as the BIG EAST Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year.
Miami has qualified five individuals and one relay for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 14-15, in Fayetteville, AR.
Last season Deem extended her streak of consecutive seasons with at least one All-American to 11 as Kareen Clarke (triple jump), Gina Harris (long jump) and Lauryn Williams (60-meters) earned All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, AR.
The Hurricanes earned a school-record seven All-America honors during the outdoor season finishing 20th at the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, LA. Williams and senior Wyllesheia Myrick both earned All-America honors in the 100-meters while Clarke earned All-America status in the triple jump. The Hurricanes’ 4×400-meter relay of Saraque Whittaker, Jamillah Wade, Jenise Winston and Kitoya Carter also took home All-America honors.
Over the summer Deem guided Williams to the gold medal in the 100-meters at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. Williams qualified for the World Junior Championships by winning the 100-meters at the USA Junior National Championships.
Deem and her staff has been honored as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year five times in the last seven seasons having taken home the honor in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
In 1998 Deem was honored as the USA Track & Field Florida Coach of the Year. Last season she was honored as the USTCA South Region Outdoor Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and was also named the 2002 United States Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year for Track and Field.
This year she was named to the USA National Team coaching staff for the 2003 Pan Am Games as the women’s assistant coach for explosive events.
