Women's Track and Field Finishes Fifth in Program of the Year Standings
Friday, June 19, 2009 | Track and Field
The University of Florida women's track and field team finished the 2009 campaign in fifth place in the inaugural United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award standings, the New Orleans-based organization announced Friday evening.
The Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I women's cross country/track & field program. The award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at the NCAA Division I Championships.
Oregon finished first in the standings, followed by Florida State and Arizona State. The Gators were the top Southeastern Conference team in the 2009 Program of the Year standings.
Most recently, the Florida women's track and field team posted a ninth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, highlighted by an individual shot put title by Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) and four All-America honors. The Gators won the SEC Outdoor Championship and head coach Mike Holloway was named the 2009 SEC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year.
The Gators finished tied for 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March in College Station, Texas, capped off by the NCAA shot put title by Kevkhishvili. Florida also earned three All-America honors at the event.
The Florida women's cross country team placed 17th at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., following runner-up finishes at the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional.
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team's finish at each NCAA Division I Championship in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient.
The Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award is named after USTFCCCA Hall of Famer and current Cal Poly head coach Terry Crawford. Crawford has won five NCAA National Championships, and over 20 Conference Championships. Her 1986 Texas squad remains as the only NCAA women's program to ever win the Triple Crown (cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles).
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TERRY CRAWFORD PROGRAM OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
1. Oregon
2. Florida State
3. Arizona State
4. Michigan
5. Florida
6. Minnesota
7. Texas Tech
8. Illinois
9. Washington
T10. Arkansas
T10. Stanford
12. Villanova
13. Baylor
14. Providence
15. Georgetown
16. Notre Dame
17. Nebraska
18. Rice
END OF REPORT
