Illinois State head track and field coach John Coughlan has been recognized for the 24th time as the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Redbird women to the conference championship, in Wichita, Kan., last Saturday.
Coughlan led the Redbirds to the highest point total in the history of the womens meet, as the Birds compiled 170 points. The 65-point margin of victory over Southwest Missouri State also ranks as the second highest, only trailing Illinois States 84-point win over Drake in 1984.
The victory also marked the 100th conference title Illinois State has won since joining the Missouri Valley in 1982.
In addition to Coughlans award, ISUs Tom Barrett (OFallon, Ill.) claimed the Valley Mens Field Athlete of the Meet award, while Egle Kregzdyte (Vilnius, Lithuania) was honored as the Valleys Womens Track Athlete of the Meet.
Barrett won the shot put, discus and hammer throw titles, to bring his career total to 12 championships which is the most by any throws athlete in the history of the conference. Barrett also matched last seasons feat, when he became the first athlete in the history of the league to win five throwing titles in a single season. Barrett won both the shot put and 35-lb. weight titles at the indoor championships.
Kregzdyte became only the second woman in conference history to win both the 800- and 1,500-meter runs. Kregzdyte claimed the 1,500 title first and then returned to the track an hour later to garner the 800 championship. Drakes Gina DeWitt accomplished the feat first in 1996.
