Northeastern’s track ‘ field head coach Sherman Hart was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year last Tuesday, capping off an excellent 2007-08 season for Hart and the team.
Hart led the squad to Northeastern’s first-ever CAA championship April 21 at James Madison in Harrisburg, Va.
“It’s just a great honor,” Hart said. “It’s a storybook ending to a storybook season. I’m still on cloud nine right now.”
Winning Coach of the Year is nothing new for Hart, who was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year four times during his tenure at Umass-Boston, where he coached prior to coming to Northeastern as the women’s track and field coach in 1988.
While at Northeastern, he was named America East Coach of the Year 11 times (five times in indoor, six in outdoor). In 2002, the award was changed to “Coaching Staff of the Year” and Hart and his staff won the award for both the indoor and outdoor season from 2003 to 2005.
Additionally, Hart was named Division I Coach of the Year four times, with the last honor coming in the 2002-03 indoor season. While in the America East conference, the women’s team won eight indoor track and 12 outdoor titles, while the men’s team won four indoor and three outdoor titles under Hart, who became coach of the men’s team before the 1998-99 season.
But this season was a special one for Hart, as his team proved they belonged in the CAA by edging out William ‘ Mary 163-156 in the conference championship, after finishing second to them the year before.
Northeastern was led by senior thrower Zara Northover, who was named CAA Field Athlete of the Year after winning the shot put, discus, and hammer.
Junior Tramaine Shaw was named co-CAA Track Athlete of the Year after winning the 100-meter hurdles, the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump and running on the second-place 4×400 relay and third-place 4×100 relay. Shaw shared the honor with George Mason’s Murielle Ahoure.
Twelve Northeastern athletes earned All-CAA honors for finishing in the top three in at least one event at the CAA Championship: DaviAnn Brown (400m hurdles, 4x400m relay), Kristie Gagnon (10,000m), Amber Gibney (800m, 4x400m relay), Shanae Henry (4x100m relay, 4x400m relay), Olivia Kalinowska (pole vault), Northover, Nancy Rowe (javelin), Shaw, Colleen Sorensen (javelin), Consandria Walker (4x100m relay, triple jump), Aquila Williams-Judge (4x100m relay) and Ashley Wilson (heptathlon).
“It was just a tremendous season and [it was] extremely special to win Northeastern’s first CAA championship,” Hart said.
