Beverly Kearney named Black Coaches & Administrators Female Coach of the Year
April 24, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - University of Texas Women's Track and Field head coach Beverly Kearney has been named the Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) Female Coach of the Year, the BCA announced Friday. This marks the second prestigious honor for Kearney this year. In late February, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named the Division I Women's Indoor Coach of the Year accolade in her honor. Kearney and the other awards recipients will be honored during the awards banquet at the Annual BCA National Convention and Expo. The awards banquet is scheduled for May 29, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. The event is open to the public. Registration information for the awards banquet or the full convention can be located at www.bcasporsts.org. "Beverly's record of achievement sets the standard in women's track and field," said Texas Women's Athletic Director Chris Plonsky. "She has a long legacy of building championship teams as well as helping young women learn about facing challenges in life away from the competition arena with a positive and achievement-oriented mindset. She is a treasure for the University of Texas." During the recent 2009 Indoor season, Kearney took her team from a No. 15 national ranking to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Despite having only seven individuals on her roster competing at the meet, the Horns earned eight All-America honors, one individual national title in high jumper Destinee Hooker, and their second straight top-five finish at the Championships. Since coming to Texas in 1993, Kearney has produced six NCAA titles, a string of 16 straight Top 11 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships (1993-2009) and 14 Top 10 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, highlighted by the back-to-back indoor and outdoor team titles in 1998 and 1999. Kearney's 1998 squad won the Championship by the largest margin of victory for any team that has won a Division I women's indoor track and field title. At UT, she has also mentored 58 student-athletes to 298 All-America honors and 30 individual NCAA titles.
The USTFCCCA Hall of Famer has regularly been recognized by her peers, claiming nine National Coach of the Year awards (five indoor/four outdoor) and 21 conference Coach of the Year awards (11 indoor/10 outdoor). Off the track, Kearney is an active player in Austin's minority community. She created the Pursuit of Dreams Foundation and hosts the annual Minority Mentorship Symposium, which was formed to teach, mentor and inspire minority students and student-athletes. All BCA Coach of the Year recipients were nominated and selected by BCA based on the following criteria: team success during the most recent season, team improvement from previous season, fulfillment of team potential and professional manner and attitude. "Each of the awardees exemplifies the values and mission of the BCA. Our honorees are not just successful professionals, but they are also outstanding people", said Floyd Keith, BCA Executive Director. |
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