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| • 2006-07 Track and Field Coaches | ||||
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Head
Coach Mike Thompson 12th Season Northern Colorado (1990) Mike Thompson begins his 12th season as head men’s and women’s track and field coach in 2006-07. During his tenure, he has guided Binghamton from the NCAA Division III level to its current status on the Division I level. In addition, the Bearcats have become a solid program within the America East Conference. Last year, Thompson led the Binghamton men's squad to a third-place finish at the America East Outdoor Championships, its best finish since joining the conference five years ago. In addition, Rory Quiller became the first Binghamton athlete to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. The previous season, Thompson led both the men's and women's squads to fourth-place finishes at the America East Conference Outdoor Championships (out of 10 schools). In addition, Quiller became the first Binghamton athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champsionships. Since he joined BU’s staff in 1994, Thompson has produced 32 track All-Americans, including eight national champions, five runners-up and five third-place individual performances. This past season, he coached Rory Quiller to the NCAA Division I regional meet. Numerous honors have come Thompson’s way during his tenure at Binghamton. In 1998, he was named New York State Coach of the Year for both men’s indoor and outdoor track. Thompson also was selected as NCAA Division II Regional Coach of the Year indoors and outdoors. Two years prior, the Colorado native was named NCAA National Coach of the Year after leading the BU women’s indoor team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship. In 1997, Thompson earned his first New York State Coach of the Year honor after his men were runners-up outdoors. In 1999, Thompson’s men placed 3rd at the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship, fifth at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) meet, and took 10th at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship. The women, meanwhile, were third at the conference championship, seventh at ECAC’s and 16th at the NCAA championship— all in the program’s first year at Division II. Thompson also served as the men’s cross country head coach for four seasons, before handing over the reins in 1999. Prior to assuming the head coaching duties, Thompson was BU’s assistant cross country/track coach during the 1994-95 season. A former two-time national track champion for the University of Northern Colorado, Thompson served as jumps coach at UNC, helping produce eight All-Americans and three NCAA champions. As an athlete, Thompson captured both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II pole vault titles in 1989. He was a three-time All-American, four-time conference champion, and still holds the UNC pole vault record at 17-7 1/4. In 2003, he was inducted into the Northern Colorado Hall of Fame. Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in physical education, both from UNC. In addition, he also has a USA Track and Field Level II Certification in the Jumping, Sprinting, Hurdle and Throwing Events. In addition, Thompson has been published in the Winter 2003 edition of Track Coach. The article, which is Thompson’s first published work, is entitled “Troubleshooting the Pole Vault.” Thompson has won four pole vault titles at the Empire State Games (1995, 1996, 1997 and 2004). He and his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Kelly (7) and Rory (4) live in Binghamton. Both are instructors in the University’s physical education department. |
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Assistant
Coach Annette Acuff 7th Season Oklahoma (2005) Annette Acuff begins her sixth season as a full-time assistant coach with the track and field team. She coaches the distance runners and also serves as the cross country coach in the fall. Acuff came to Binghamton from University of Northern Colorado, where she was the assistant women’s cross country coach for three years. During that span, she coached one cross country All-American and three All-American distance runners in track. Under Acuff’s leadership, the Bears enjoyed back-to-back NCAA Division II Championship appearances, placing 10th in 1997 and 14th in 1998. A former NCAA Division I runner, Acuff earned all-conference honors in indoor track three straight years in the 1,000 meters at Oklahoma (1992-94). Acuff was also an Academic All-Big Eight selection four times (1991-94). Acuff received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oklahoma in 1995, and went on to earn her master’s degree in physical education, with an emphasis in sports psychology, from Northern Colorado in May 2000. Acuff has also earned her Level II Certification in the sprint and distance events from USA Track & Field |
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Assistant
Coach Dawkins arrives from Gardner-Webb University, where she was the graduate assistant coach the past two years and also worked with the sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers. She was also a volunteer assistant coach at Middle College High School in New York City during that time. A
2003 graduate of Gardner-Webb, Dawkins earned her bachelor's
degree in business administration. On the track, she was a three-time
NCAA Division II All-American during the 2000 indoor and outdoor
season. Originally from Jamacia, she also represented her country
at the 1998 Junior Pan Am Games in Cuba. |
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Assistant
Coach Wally Yelverton Eighth Season Oswego (1977) Wally Yelverton begins his eighth season as an assistant track coach on the Binghamton staff. He was also a member of the staff in 1999. From 1991-2000, Yelverton was an assistant track coach at nearby Maine-Endwell High School. During the 2001-02 season, Yelverton coached his daughters, Marisa and Laura, both of whom were standout throwers. Laura won the conference title in the discus while Marisa finished third. Yelverton graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1977. In his senior year, he earned All-America honors in the shot put. Yelverton then went on to earn his teaching certification from Binghamton. |
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Copyright © Binghamton University. All rights reserved. |
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