Amy Deem
Position:
Director of Track and Field/Cross Country
Experience:
18th Year
As Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Deem, who has been the Hurricanes head women's track and field coach for the past 17 years, becomes just the sixth woman to be in charge of both the men's and women's track and cross country programs at a Division I school. She replaces Mike Ward who recently retired as the head coach of the men's track and cross country teams
Hurricanes Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said of Deem, "Amy is one of the premier track and field coaches in collegiate athletics. Since being hired at UM in 1990, she has continually distinguished herself both as a leader of student-athletes and through the accomplishments of her teams. I am confident that she will bring those skills to her new duties and continue to bring distinction to the University of Miami."
"I want to thank President Shalala and Kirby for giving me such a tremendous opportunity and showing confidence in my ability to lead both the men's and women's programs", Deem said. I am looking forward to the challenges that come with being the head coach of both teams".
Deem, elected to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, has been responsible for building the women's track and field program from very modest beginnings into an NCAA powerhouse. Prior to her being named head coach in 1990, the Hurricanes had never had an athlete record an NCAA qualifying mark. Since then, Deem has guided 39 student-athletes to a combined 133 All-America honors and 11 national championships. This past season saw four student-athletes attain All-America status for the first time--high jumper Viktoria Andonova, Khadija Talley in the throws and freshmen hurdlers Ti'erra Brown and Takecia Jameson. This month, Jameson also won gold medals at the World Junior Championships in the 4x400 meter relay and the 400-meter hurdles.
The Hurricanes have had at least one student-athlete earn All-America honors in each of the last 15 seasons and are perennial contenders for conference championships and top-10 national finishes. In Miami's first two seasons in the ACC (2004-05 and 2005-06), Deem led the Hurricanes to consecutive indoor and outdoor conference titles. In addition, she was honored as the league's indoor and outdoor Coach of the Year both seasons. Miami finished tied for fifth at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships marking the program's second consecutive top five finish while the team placed seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships marking the highest outdoor finish in school history.
The 2005 season saw Miami reach unprecedented heights. The Hurricanes finished a program-best third at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, which included a school-record 12 All-America honors. Miami finished ninth at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, also the highest finish at the time in school history, notching another 14 All-America honors. The Hurricanes placed second at the 2005 NCAA East Regional Championships marking the highest finish and most points scored (81) in the program's history.
In 2004, the Hurricanes concluded their final season of BIG EAST competition by posting one of the best seasons in school history. Miami recorded 17 All-America honors, won both the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season, including the school's sixth BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, and placed 10th at both the NCAA Indoor Championships and NCAA Outdoor Championships.
That season, Miami recorded 12 All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships including Lauryn Williams' NCAA National Championship in the 100-meters. Williams posted a winning time of 10.97 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. In three seasons under Deem, Williams developed into one the top sprinters in the world. For most of 2004, Williams had the top time in the world in both the 100-meter and 200-meters. She went on to win a silver medal in the 100-meters at the Olympic Games in Athens, and at just 20 years of age became the youngest sprinter in 32 years to medal in the event. Williams competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and continues to train under Deem.
In 2005 Williams captured the gold medal in the 100-meters and also anchored the USA 4x100-meter relay to the gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
During Deem's tenure the Hurricanes developed into the premier track and field program in the BIG EAST winning a combined 79 BIG EAST individual and relay titles. Miami's team title at the 2004 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship marked the fourth consecutive for Deem's Hurricanes making UM the only program in BIG EAST history to win four straight outdoor team titles.
Under Deem the Hurricanes have become a fixture at the NCAA Championships scoring at 14 of 15 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1992. Both in the state of Florida and around the nation Deem is recognized as one of the best developers of talent in the coaching ranks. Deem, who served as President of the United States Track Coaches Association from 2003-05, has won numerous coaching awards and been appointed to various national coaching positions. In 2007, she served as the Head Coach of the United States team at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan where the Americans won the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays Deem has been honored four times as the USTCA South District Coach of the Year (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), and in 1998 was named the USA Track and Field Florida Coach of the Year. In 2002 she was honored as the United States Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year for Track and Field.
In addition, Deem served three seasons (1998-2000) as the Event Coordinator for Sprints and Hurdles for the USA Track and Field Coaches Education Program, and in 2001 served as head coach of the USATF Junior National team that competed in England and Scotland.
In the summer of 2003 Deem served as the Explosive Events Coach (sprints and hurdles) for the United States at the Pan American games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic guiding Lauryn Williams to the gold medal in the 100-meters. In addition the United States swept the gold medals in the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay for the first time since 1987. In 2002 Deem guided Williams to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.
In addition to Williams, Deem has coached numerous other top sprinters and hurdlers including five-time NCAA Champion Gillian Russell, 1999 NCAA Champion Yolanda McCray, two-time Olympian Patrina Allen, and Debbie Ferguson, a two-time Olympic medalist.
Russell, who competed for the Hurricanes from 1992-95, won the NCAA National Indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles in 1992 and 1995, as well as the NCAA 100-meter hurdle championship in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Russell is a two-time Olympian having competed for Jamaica in 1992 and 1996. Russell was ranked among the World's top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles from 1995-1998 reaching a career-best ranking of sixth in 1998.
McCray, a six-time All-American, won the 100-meter hurdles at the 1999 NCAA Championship and, in 1997 and in 1999 was ranked as high as sixth in the United States in the event. Allen, a teammate of McCray, was also a six-time All-American. She competed for Jamaica at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in the 400-meter hurdles.
In 2002, Deem began coaching Bahamian sprinter Debbie Ferguson. Ferguson went on to post one of the best seasons of her career winning gold medals in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, setting meet records in all three events. She went on to win championships in the 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 World Cup, and ended the season ranked second in the world in the 200-meters and fifth in the world in the 100-meters. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Ferguson captured the bronze medal in the 200-meters and reached the final of the 100-meters where she placed seventh. She competed in the 200-meter event at the 2008 Olympics and again be coached by Deem.
Originally from West Virginia, Deem, a Level III coach and instructor as certified by USA Track and Field, first came to Miami in 1988 as an intern in the Compliance Department to complete her degree at Ohio University. While fulfilling her internship she simultaneously served as assistant track coach. In what could be termed as perfect timing, in the Spring of 1990, Deem decided to stay in the Miami area and the head women's track coach position opened up.
Courtesy University of Miami
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