June 21, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. - Two members of the Arizona State University track and field program have been honored by the Pacific-10 Conference with annual honors, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced this week. Sun Devil Head Coach Greg Kraft has been selected as the 2007 Pac-10 Women's Coach of the Year while Sarah Stevens was selected as the 2007 Pac-10 Women's Field Athlete of the Year following a successful outdoor season.
Kraft posted his second consecutive women's coaching honor after leading Arizona State to a successful defense of its Conference championship, then led the Sun Devils to their first-ever NCAA outdoor title. The Sun Devils scored 158 points to outdistance host Stanford (134.33) at the Pac-10 Championships, while tallying 60 points to edge LSU (53) at the NCAA Championships. In addition, Kraft was honored as the NCAA Division I Track and Field Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Along with those two coaching accolades, Kraft also earned regional and district coaching honors from the USTFCCCA during the outdoor season.
Along with the Pac-10 and NCAA outdoor crowns, Kraft's women swept three other scored events, including the NCAA West Region Outdoor Championship and a pair of indoor titles, including the 2007 MPSF Indoor Championship and the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championship, the program's first indoor national team title and the first national team title of any kind for the Sun Devil women's program. Following the indoor season, Kraft was selected as the USTFCCCA West Region and National Women's Coach of the Year while also earning MPSF Coach of the Year honors.
Stevens, a sophomore from Ft. Collins, Colo., successfully defended her Pac-10 title in the shot put with a toss of 17.61m/57-09.50, then doubled with a victory in the discus throw (57.73m/189-05). She added a third-place showing in the hammer throw (64.97m/213-02) to earn 26 points in leading the Sun Devils to the defense of their Pac-10 title. She established a school record in the shot put with a throw of 18.40m/60-04.50 - the second best mark in Pac-10 history. At the NCAA Championships, Stevens finished third in the shot put (17.40m/57-01.00) and fourth in the hammer throw (65.75m/215-08) to help lead the Sun Devils to their first outdoor national title.
The 2007 NCAA Indoor Shot Put Champion, Stevens earned All-America honors four times this year, including accolades in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put, indoor weight throw and outdoor hammer. During the outdoor season, Stevens was a finalist for the Honda Sports Award and was selected as the USTFCCCA West District and West Region Co-Field Athlete of the Year. The Pac-10 Conference Field Athlete of the Week on both April 16 and April 22, Stevens was recently selected Honorable Mention Academic All-Pac-10 as well as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII Second Team. Indoors, Stevens was named the USTFCCCA West Region Field Athlete of the Year as well as the MPSF Female Athlete of the Year.
Kraft earned the coach of the year honor for the second year in a row and brought ASU's total to four accolades after Leonard Braxton was named the women's coach of the year in 1994 and Len Miller was awarded the men's honor in 1981. Stevens' accolade is fourth of any kind for an athlete in the Sun Devil program, following Jacquelyn Johnson (2004 Women's Newcomer of the Year), Marcus Brunson (2001 Men's Athlete of the Year) and LaMonte King (1981 Men's Athlete of the Year).
2007 Pac-10 Conference Award Winners
Women's Track Athlete of the Year - Alysia Johnson (California)
Women's Field Athlete of the Year - Sarah Stevens (Arizona State)
Women's Co-Newcomer of the Year - Shalina Clarke (USC) & Shana Woods (USC)
Women's Coach of the Year - Greg Kraft (Arizona State)
Men's Track Athlete of the Year - Lionel Larry (USC)
Men's Field Athlete of the Year - Noah Bryant (USC)
Men's Newcomer of the Year - Ahmad Rashad (USC)
Men's Coach of the Year - Vin Lananna (Oregon)