Graham cops Coach of the Year Award
JAMAICA’s Lennox Graham, head coach of the NCAA Division Two outfit Johnson C Smith University (JCSU), has been named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) 2010 Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.
Graham, in his third year as coach of the Lady Golden Bulls, guided them to fourth place in the indoor season, but more importantly, ensured five of the women athletes became champions in the NCAA Division Two Indoor Championships.
However, at the CIAA Indoor Championships, JCSU placed second with 87 team points, after St Augustine College, who won with 124 points.
Immaculate Conception past student Shermaine Williams, a junior at JCSU, took MVP honours after amassing 27 points.
A sprinter/hurdler, the 20-year-old Williams, who won the silver medal in the 100m hurdles at both the World Youth Championships and the World Junior Championships, also placed second in the 60m hurdles final at the NCAA Division Two Indoor Championships.
Graham, who was the 2009 CIAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, spearheaded JCSU to third place at the 2010 CIAA Indoor Championships after piling up 145 points.
The JCSU improved on last season’s performance by 43 points, trailing St Augustine’s (193 points) and Bowie State (154 points).
“Wow, this is a great feeling to have our programme recognised two years in a row,” said Graham. “This is truly a testament that our programme in just three short years has moved into a positive direction. I would like to thank everyone for making it possible from the JCSU administration to our athletic director Stephen Joyner, support staff, and of course the student-athletes who continue to work,” added Graham, who guided Kingston College to six national high school championship titles.
JCSU will host the 2010 NCAA Division Two Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Irwin Belk Complex on May 27-29.
The CIAA, consisting mostly of historically black colleges and universities, is home to 12 of those institutions based in the South Atlantic States, mainly Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
