University of Kentucky assistant track and field coaches Erin Tucker and Doug Reynolds were recognized as Division I Assistant Coaches of the Year in the Mideast Region according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Tucker, praised for his work with the UK male sprinters and hurdlers, quickly developed his corps into a nationally recognized group. When Tucker arrived at UK for the 2004 track & field season, he did not have a scholarship sprinter. Since his arrival, Tucker?s athletes have assaulted the UK record books, owning 18 (8 indoor, 10 outdoor) marks currently among the top ten in various sprint events, including the school record in the outdoor 4 x 400 relay (3:02.97) ? a record that stood at Kentucky for over 11 years. During the 2006 indoor season, Tucker?s 4 x 400 relay squad ran the fourth fastest time in the country (3:07.81). In the outdoor campaign, Tucker?s group composed of freshman Jose Acevedo, sophomores Nathan Browning and Justin Harrison, and junior Luis Luna finished the season with the fourth fastest 4 x 400 relay (3:02.97) in the country. The group also posted second place finishes ? behind national champion LSU ? at the SEC Championships and Mideast Regional. Of the 16 regional marks held by the 2006 Kentucky men?s team, athletes under the tutelage of Tucker owned ten of those performances. Tucker sent his 4×400 squad, 400 hurdler Dedrick Tillerson, Gordon McKenzie (100) and Jose Acevedo (200) to this year?s NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Reynolds, in his first year in Lexington, was named Mideast Regional women?s throws coach of the year. Reynolds? group broke three Kentucky school records in 2006 to go along with six of the team?s ten regional qualifying marks. Reynolds helped frosh standout Ashley Muffet produce one of the greatest UK season?s in school history. The N. Canton, Ohio native broke the freshman indoor records in the weight throw and shot put and the outdoor marks in the shot put and hammer throw. Muffet?s mark in the shot put (54-2.50) broke a 23-year old Kentucky record. Muffet went on to place third in the shot put at the SEC indoor meet and second at the outdoor meet. Senior Nicole Allyn closed out her Wildcat career by breaking the Kentucky mark in the hammer throw (194-7) and placing fourth at the SEC Championships. Senior Ildiko Varga also finished her career atop the UK record books with a mark of 185-10 in the discus. Varga placed second at the conference meet in the discus and sixth in the hammer throw. The UK women throwers posted 12 marks (five indoor, seven outdoor) currently ranked among the top ten all-time in various events in 2006.
