March 2, 2006
DALLAS - The Big 12 Conference has announced Indoor Track & Field postseason honors, as selected by the league's head coaches. Honors include Men's and Women's Performer of the Year, Coach of the Year, as well as Freshman of the Year.
Bubba Thornton (Texas) was named Men's Head Coach of the Year for the second time (1999), while Texas' Beverly Kearney earned her fifth Women's Head Coach of the Year accolade (1998, `99, `02, `03). Baylor's Reggie Witherspoon and UT's Marshevet Hooker were chosen as Men's and Women's Indoor Performer of the Year for the first time, while Men's and Women's Indoor Freshman Performer of the Year honors went to sprinter Jacob Norman (Baylor) for the men and high jumper Destinee Hooker (Texas) for the women.
Thornton, in his 10th season as Texas' head coach, led the men's team to its first top place finish since 1999. The Keller, Texas native has produced 28 of Texas' 61 men's indoor track & field All-Americans and led the Longhorns to two top-10 NCAA indoor finishes.
Kearney, a Bradenton, Fla. native in her 13th season with the Longhorns led the team to their fifth Big 12 team title in nine years. Under Kearney's direction, UT has posted 13 consecutive top-11 indoor finishes and seven top-three finishes.
Witherspoon, a junior from Marietta, Ga., was named the individual high point award winner for the men at the Big 12 Championships, compiling 22.5 points. He also earned conference titles in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay.
The elder Hooker was honored as the Women's Performer of the Year after being named the women's individual high point winner with 30 points. The San Antonio, Texas native returned to Austin with three Big 12 titles, including the long jump, 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
The Women's Freshman Performer of the Year honor was awarded to UT's Destinee Hooker, younger sibling of Marshevet Hooker, after she won her first Big 12 high jump title with a personal-best leap of 6-3.50 feet, which tied the Devaney Sports Center record held by Olympian Amy Acuff.
Norman was named as the Men's Indoor Freshman Performer of the Year after his performance at the conference championships. Norman clocked a time of 6.66 to win the title in the 60-meters after running the nation's fastest time in the event in preliminary heat at 6.56. Norman sustained a groin injury coming out of the blocks in the 200-meter final, but was tough enough to finish the race and earn another point and a All-Big 12 honor for the Bears by finishing eighth in 26.09.
Men's Coach of the Year - Bubba Thornton, Texas
Women's Coach of the Year - Beverly Kearney, Texas
Men's Indoor Performer of the Year - Reggie Witherspoon, Baylor
Women's Indoor Performer of the Year - Marshevet Hooker, Texas
Men's Indoor Freshman of the Year - Jacob Norman, Baylor
Women's Indoor Freshman of the Year - Destinee Hooker, Texas