Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference’s 19 sports. Women’s Outdoor Track and Field is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released and the squad is led by former Houston star Jenny Adams, a four-time NCAA All-American and C-USA’s first individual national champion, who was named Athlete of the Decade. The Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Decade award was given to Houston’s Leroy Burrell, who has guided the Cougars to three C-USA titles. Voting on the awards was done by each of the league’s current women’s track and field coaches.

Houston and USF each produced a league-high three members of the All-Decade team, while Marquette, TCU, Tulane and UAB produced one member of the squad.

C-USA WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD ALL-DECADE TEAM

Jenny Adams, Houston (1997-00) - ATHLETE OF THE DECADE
Four-time All-American…Won Conference USA’s first individual national championship in the long jump in 2000…Was also the national runner-up in 100-meter hurdles in 2000…Nine-Time Conference USA Champion…holds the current C-USA records in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump…was named the C-USA Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 1997 after winning the 200 meters, running on Houston's C-USA championship 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay teams, finishing as the runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles and posting a third-place finish in the long jump…was the C-USA 100-meter hurdles and long jump champion in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Rhian Clarke, Houston (2000-02)
Three-time NCAA All-American and Conference USA champion…Won the C-USA pole vault titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002…had a fifth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships after finishing in seventh place at the 2000 NCAA outdoor meet and 15th place in 2001.

Ifoma Jones, Houston (1998-00)
Two-time All-American…Had a fourth-place finish in the heptathlon and seventh-place finish in the high jump at the 2000 NCAA Championships…Six-time Conference USA champion… Won the C-USA high jump and heptathlon championships in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Brianna Dahm, Marquette (2001-present)
Dahm was an All-American in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2003, finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships in that event...She was named Conference USA Athlete of the Year for Outdoor Track and Field in 2002...Placed 18th at the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2002...Dahm was named C-USA Freshman-of-the-Year in outdoor track in 2001, winning C-USA Freshman-of-the-Year in all three running sports...She has three C-USA Outdoor Track and Field selections and has nine all-C-USA honors overall...Has won four C-USA individual championships (1,500 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2003; 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2002; 3,000-meter steeplechase and 1,500 meters in 2001)...Owns C-USA record in 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Donita Harmon, TCU (2003-present)
Two-time all-American, earning the certificate as a member of the Frogs’ 4x100 meter relay unit that placed sixth at the NCAA meet in 2003 and seventh at the national championships in 2004…Finished 12th in the nation in the 200 at the 2004 NCAA Championships…Has captured three Conference USA titles, winning the 200 and the 4x400 meter relay in 2004 and the 4x100 meter relay in 2003…Also took second in the 100 in 2004, second in the 200 in 2003 and sixth in the 100 in 2003.

Hanne Lyngstad, Tulane (1998-2000)
A two-time All-American in outdoor track as well as an eight-time Conference USA Indoor Champion…Placed third at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500 in 1999 and fourth in 1998…Named the C-USA Outdoor Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 2000 after winning the 1,500, the 3,000, and the 5,000 each year…Still holds C-USA Championship records in the 1,500 (4:17.99) and the 3,000 (9:35.79). Overall, earned outdoor all-conference honors nine times during her career.

Vonetta Jeffrey, UAB (1992-96)
A four-year letterwinner at UAB, Jeffrey was a seven-time NCAA All-American in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump, and a six time conference MVP…Jeffrey set 12 school records and still holds four individual records, two team records and two freshman records…A 1996 Olympic Trials Qualifier…Jeffrey won four events at the 1996 Conference USA Championships, leading the Blazers to a fourth-place finish…Jeffrey also led UAB to a 43rd place finish at the NCAA Championships and was the only C-USA women’s athlete to be named All American in 1996.

Kerine Black, USF (1997-01)
Was a two-time All-American during the 2000 season in the long jump and the 4x100 relay…Holds – or is part of – six school records in outdoor track including the 100 meters (11.45), the 200 meters (23.45), the long jump (21-4) and triple jump (44-3.50)…Was a six-time C-USA champion in the 100 and 200 meters, the long jump and triple jump…Won the four titles at the 2001 C-USA Championships in the aforementioned four events… Named as a three-time school track and field MVP (1999, 2000, 2001)…Was also the USF Female Athlete of the Year (2000, 2001).

Amber Delpino, USF (2001-04)
School record holder in the 400-meter hurdles (57.03) and a two-time Conference USA champion (2003, 2004)…Won her first title with a time of 58.35 and her second logging a time of 58.55…Participated in the USF Outdoor Nationals (2003)…Also qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400 hurdles and the US Olympic Trials both in 2004…Her personal best time of 57.03 was good enough for fourth at the NCAA East Region Championships and was also one of the three top 10 fastest times in 2004…Nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Dayana Octavien, USF (2001-04)
One of the best field athletes ever at USF or in C-USA…Earned All-American honors (2004) in the discus…Also took part in the 2004 US Olympic Trials…Competed in the NCAA Championships (2003) in the hammer and discus and in the discus in 2004 where she finished third…Was a two-time C-USA Athlete of the Year (2002, 2004)…Holds two school and conference records in the hammer throw (209-10) and the discus (191-09), and is a two-time C-USA champion in both the disc (2003, 2004) and the hammer (2003, 2004)…Was also a two-time All-C-USA member in the shot put (2002, 2003)…Currently USF’s throwing coach.


C-USA WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD COACH OF THE DECADE

Leroy Burrell, Houston (1999-Present)
Three-time Conference USA Coach of the Year who has led Houston to three C-USA women's championships…Named the C-USA Women's Coach-of-the-Year in 2000, 2002 and 2004….Has produced one NCAA Outdoor champion, 10 NCAA women's All-Americans, One women's C-USA Outdoor Athlete of the Year, two women's C-USA Freshmen of the Year and 25 C-USA individual champions since being taking over Houston's track and field program in 1999.