Kent State's Lawson and Rickaby Recognized By USTFCCCA With Regional Coaching Awards
3/4/2013 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Kent State coaches earn awards following dominant performance by women's team at MAC Indoor Championships
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NEW ORLEANS, La.—The record-setting performance by the Kent State women's track and field at the Mid-American Conference Championships a week ago has yielded regional awards for two members of the Golden Flashes' coaching staff. Head coach Bill Lawson was named NCAA Division I Great Lakes Region Women's Coach of the Year and Phil Rickaby was named Women's Assistant Coach of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday (March 4).
Lawson was named MAC Women's Coach of the Year after Kent State turned in the most dominant performance in MAC Championships history. The Golden Flashes scored a meet-record 175 points, surpassing the previous mark by 30 points. They won eight events and nearly doubled their closest opponent, winning by a record 81 points. In addition to the team title, Kent State freshman Dior Delophont was named Most Valuable Performer and junior Shanequa Williams was named Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer for the second consecutive year. The Golden Flashes set school records in six events this season.
This is the third time Lawson has been honored as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA since being named as Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Kent State eight years ago. Lawson has built the Flashes into one of the elite programs in the conference as the women have won three of the past four conference indoor titles and six of the past seven titles overall. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year seven times.
Rickaby, in his fifth season on staff, helped the Flashes dominate the jumps at the MAC Championships. A true freshman, Delophont has blossomed under Rickaby's guidance and became the first athlete to win the high jump, long jump, and triple jump at the MAC Championships on her way to MVP honors. She ranks 10th nationally in the triple jump with a mark of 42'-09.25" and 11th in the high jump with a mark of 6'-00.75", and has qualified for the NCAA Championships in both.
The long jump has been one of the strongest events for Kent State as the top three marks in school history have all taken place this season. Junior Ann Marie Duffus shattered the previous record this past weekend with a jump of 20'-09.25" to qualify for the NCAA meet. The Flashes took the top three places in the long jump and the top two places in the triple jump at the conference meet.
The USTFCCCA selects the top men's and women's track athlete, field athlete, assistant coach, and head coach for the nine regions in Division I indoor track and field.
 The 2013 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field National Championships will take place on March 8th through March 9th in Fayetteville, Ark. at the Randal Tyson Track.
