Head coach Edrick Floreal adds three names to inaugural UK track and field coaching staff

From the University of Kentucky Media Department:

July 24, 2012

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky track and field head coach Edrick Floreal has begun work on his inaugural coaching staff at UK by naming Hakon DeVries, Jason Dunn and Andrew Ninow assistant coaches. DeVries, Dunn and Ninow each join the Wildcats staff after coaching under Floreal at Stanford.

“They are hard workers, we competed against some of the best of the best at Stanford and I know what these guys can do,” Floreal said. “We all get along well and that’s important too. I’ve seen them coach and develop student-athletes, and that’s what their passion is. I want guys around me who want to win championships and develop student-athletes. I am a big believer in mentoring these student-athletes and that’s what they do.”

DeVries, who coached for two years under Floreal at Stanford as a volunteer assistant, will be an assistant track coach at Kentucky working with the distance runners, and will also be an assistant coach on the cross country team. DeVries was a key member of the 2010 Stanford staff that saw seven Cardinal distance runners receive a total of nine All-America honors for the year.

In 2011, seven Stanford distance runners advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with two earning first-team All-America honors by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and five earning second-team All-America honors by the USTFCCCA.

DeVries also ran at Stanford with Floreal serving as the head coach. While a student-athlete, DeVries was a two-time All-America selection in track and a critical member of the cross country team as well. DeVries scored in each of the cross country championship races and helped guide the Cardinal to a third-place national finish.

“Hakon, having competed as a student-athlete in both cross country and track in various events, has an excellent background of a competitive athlete,” Floreal said. “He knows the true combination of being a student and an athlete and how to best maximize athletic and academic potential. He’s a great coach and great mentor, and he brings a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.”

Dunn will be an assistant coach on the cross country team, and will also be an assistant coach on the track team, where he will work the distance runners. Dunn, who coached for three years under Floreal at Stanford, guided the Cardinal men’s cross country team to a fifth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships, while the women’s team finished 10th.

Dunn led Stanford’s men’s cross country program to a No. 1 ranking throughout much of the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Cardinal men dominated its 2010 NCAA Pre-National meet by sweeping first, second and third. Stanford’s men and women’s teams then won the 2010 Pac-10 title before the Stanford men finished fourth nationally and the women finished 13th. During the 2010 indoor and outdoor track season, Dunn’s student-athletes earned a total of 10 All-America honors.

Dunn came to Stanford after coaching cross country and track at Virginia, Arizona State and William & Mary.

While at Virginia, Dunn coached cross country teams to the NCAA Championships on eight occasions (four men, four women). He also led the 2005 and 2007 men’s squads to Atlantic Coast Conference titles, and in 2005 saw both the men’s and women’s teams advance to the NCAA Championships, marking the first time in school history both qualified for the championships in the same season. For his efforts, Dunn was honored as the 2005 and 2007 ACC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. 

In all, Dunn brought 28 All-ACC honors to 17 cross country runners during his time at Virginia. This tally was highlighted when seven Cavaliers earned conference honors in 2005, with the men's team winning the league championship for the first time since 1984. Dunn led 23 runners to 40 all-region honors and five to All-America status. 

On the track, Dunn coached 41 All-ACC performances among 20 athletes. He led eight Cavaliers to nine individual ACC Championships and coached six All-Americans. Virginia distance runners recorded 18 NCAA qualifying times during Dunn’s tenure, and three school records fell under his guidance.

Dunn’s athletes at Virginia also excelled in the classroom as both the men’s and women’s cross country squads were named All-Academic teams for five years in a row. Additionally, Dunn’s student-athletes have achieved All-Academic status as individuals in cross country and track and field on 22 occasions.

While at ASU, Dunn was part of a staff that built the distance program from the ground up. During his tenure, the cross-country teams went from having never qualified for the NCAA Championships to finishing 14th and 12th, respectively, in 1999.

“Jason Dunn is a proven coach both at Virginia and Stanford,” Floreal said. “He’s had phenomenal success at the highest level and knows how to develop talent. He has done that everywhere he has been. He can get the kids who are not the best athletes at the time, and those who are the best athletes, and get them both to the top level. He can find diamond in the rough kids and the superstars. He can coach kids at any level and get them to the top.”

Ninow will work with the throwers at Kentucky after working for three seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford. 

In those three seasons, Ninow led seven Stanford throwers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and two throwers to Pac-10 titles.

Ninow came to Stanford after coaching the throwers at the University of San Francisco. There, Ninow coached the female school record holder and conference champion in the javelin, and his male throwers scored a total of 32 points at the conference championships.

As a student-athlete at UCLA, Ninow was a two-time Pac-10 and West Regional competitor.

“Andrew is a student of the sport,” Floreal said. “He eats, drinks and breaths throws. That’s his passion. Coming from UCLA, where he was coached by Art Venegas, he’s learned from the best. Art is someone who developed his throwers not only while they were there, but many of them are now great throws coaches around the country. Andrew is one of those young, bright minds in throws coaching.” 

For all Kentucky track and field and cross country news and information, go to UKathletics.com and follow the Cats on Twitter at “KentuckyTrack.”