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 | Position:
Director of Track and Field/Cross Country
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| Experience:
21st Year
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Amy Deem, who has been the Hurricanes head women's track and field coach for the past 21years, became just the sixth woman to be in charge of both the men's and women's track and cross country programs at a Division I school, when she was promoted by Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt on July 22, 2008. She replaced Mike Ward who retired as the head coach of the men's track and cross country teams.
Deem, elected to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, has been responsible for building the women's track and field program from very modest beginnings into an NCAA powerhouse. Prior to her being named head coach in 1990, the Hurricanes had never had an athlete record an NCAA qualifying mark. Since then, Deem has guided 41 student-athletes to a combined 147 All-America honors and 12 national championships.
Behind Deem, Miami proved its national dominance in the hurdle events in 2010. At the NCAA Outdoor National Championships the Hurricanes became the first program in history to have three women compete in a 400m hurdle championship race. Ti'erra Brown placed second, while twin sisters Tameka and Takecia Jameson placed third and eighth, respectively. Each women earned All-America accolades.
As a team, the Miami women finished the championship in 11th-place - the highest result for UM since a seventh-place outcome in 2006.
Brown earned a total of three All-America distinctions on the year - increasing her career total to five - with her runner-up performance in the 100m hurdles and a third-place showing in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Brown also did something that no student-athlete had ever done at Miami. She became the first to win a U.S. Championship when she won the 400m hurdles in 54.84 seconds on June 27, 2010. Tameka Jameson also competed in the race - placing fifth.
The 2009 track season brought a total of six individual All-America honors and an indoor national title. Sprinter Murielle Ahoure came to Miami for her senior season to train under Deem and rewarded greatly for her decision.
Under Deem, Ahoure raced to the Indoor 200-meter National Championships and earned All-America honors in the indoor 60-meter dash and the outdoor 100 and 200-meter dashes. In addition, Ahoure broke UM legend, Lauryn Williams' indoor 60-meter dash record, was a four-time ACC Champion and earned the ACC's Indoor Track Performer of the Year Award.
As in years past, the Hurricanes hurdlers had a stellar season under Deem's direction. Sophomores Takecia Jameson and Ti'erra Brown advanced to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles, with Brown crossing the finish line as the national runner-up.
In her first season at the helm of the men's program in 2009, Deem saw Mikese Morse claim All-American status in the indoor long jump with his fifth-place finish at the national championships. Also, junior Cory Nelms (indoor 60-meter hurdles) was the first male track athlete to claim an ACC Title that wasn't named Tim Harris since Lance Leggett in the 400-meter hurdles in 2006.
In 2008, Deem saw Krista Simkins win a NCAA National Title in the indoor 400-meters. Also, during the indoor season, Viktoria Andonova took home All-American honors as she tied for ninth in the high jump at the Indoor NCAA National Championships.
During the outdoor season, freshmen hurdlers, Takecia Jameson and Ti'erra Brown finished third and eighth respectively to earn All-American accolades in the 400-meter hurdles. In July of 2008, Jameson ran for the United States in the Junior World Championships in Poland, where she claimed two world titles, in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x100-relay.
The Hurricanes have had at least one student-athlete earn All-America honors in each of the last 19 seasons and are perennial contenders for conference championships and top-10 national finishes. In Miami's first two seasons in the ACC (2004-05 and 2005-06), Deem led the Hurricanes to consecutive indoor and outdoor conference titles. In addition, she was honored as the league's indoor and outdoor Coach of the Year both seasons. Miami finished tied for fifth at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships marking the program's second consecutive top five finish while the team placed seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships marking the highest outdoor finish in school history.
The 2005 season saw Miami reach unprecedented heights. The Hurricanes finished a program-best third at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, which included a school-record 12 All-America honors. Miami finished ninth at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, also the highest finish at the time in school history, notching another 14 All-America honors. The Hurricanes placed second at the 2005 NCAA East Regional Championships marking the highest finish and most points scored (81) in the program's history.
In 2004, the Hurricanes concluded their final season of BIG EAST competition by posting one of the best seasons in school history. Miami recorded 17 All-America honors, won both the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season, including the school's sixth BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, and placed 10th at both the NCAA Indoor Championships and NCAA Outdoor Championships.
That season, Miami recorded 12 All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships including Lauryn Williams' NCAA National Championship in the 100-meters. Williams posted a winning time of 10.97 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. In three seasons under Deem, Williams developed into one the top sprinters in the world. For most of 2004, Williams had the top time in the world in both the 100-meter and 200-meters. She went on to win a silver medal in the 100-meters at the Olympic Games in Athens, and at just 20 years of age became the youngest sprinter in 32 years to medal in the event. Williams competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and continues to train under Deem.
In 2005 Williams captured the gold medal in the 100-meters and also anchored the USA 4x100-meter relay to the gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
During Deem's tenure the Hurricanes developed into the premier track and field program in the BIG EAST winning a combined 79 BIG EAST individual and relay titles. Miami's team title at the 2004 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship marked the fourth consecutive for Deem's Hurricanes making UM the only program in BIG EAST history to win four straight outdoor team titles.
Under Deem the Hurricanes have become a fixture at the NCAA Championships scoring at 14 of 15 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1992. Both in the state of Florida and around the nation Deem is recognized as one of the best developers of talent in the coaching ranks. Deem, who served as President of the United States Track Coaches Association from 2003-05, has won numerous coaching awards and been appointed to various national coaching positions. In 2007, she served as the Head Coach of the United States team at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan where the Americans won the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays Deem has been honored four times as the USTCA South District Coach of the Year (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), and in 1998 was named the USA Track and Field Florida Coach of the Year. In 2002 she was honored as the United States Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year for Track and Field.
In addition, Deem served three seasons (1998-2000) as the Event Coordinator for Sprints and Hurdles for the USA Track and Field Coaches Education Program, and in 2001 served as head coach of the USATF Junior National team that competed in England and Scotland.
In the summer of 2003 Deem served as the Explosive Events Coach (sprints and hurdles) for the United States at the Pan American games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic guiding Lauryn Williams to the gold medal in the 100-meters. In addition the United States swept the gold medals in the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay for the first time since 1987. In 2002 Deem guided Williams to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.
In addition to Williams, Deem has coached numerous other top sprinters and hurdlers including five-time NCAA Champion Gillian Russell, 1999 NCAA Champion Yolanda McCray, two-time Olympian Patrina Allen, and Debbie Ferguson, a two-time Olympic medalist.
Russell, who competed for the Hurricanes from 1992-95, won the NCAA National Indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles in 1992 and 1995, as well as the NCAA 100-meter hurdle championship in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Russell is a two-time Olympian having competed for Jamaica in 1992 and 1996. Russell was ranked among the World's top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles from 1995-1998 reaching a career-best ranking of sixth in 1998.
McCray, a six-time All-American, won the 100-meter hurdles at the 1999 NCAA Championship and, in 1997 and in 1999 was ranked as high as sixth in the United States in the event. Allen, a teammate of McCray, was also a six-time All-American. She competed for Jamaica at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in the 400-meter hurdles.
In 2002, Deem began coaching Bahamian sprinter Debbie Ferguson. Ferguson went on to post one of the best seasons of her career winning gold medals in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, setting meet records in all three events. She went on to win championships in the 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 World Cup, and ended the season ranked second in the world in the 200-meters and fifth in the world in the 100-meters. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Ferguson captured the bronze medal in the 200-meters and reached the final of the 100-meters where she placed seventh. She competed in the 200-meter event at the 2008 Olympics and again be coached by Deem.
Originally from West Virginia, Deem, a Level III coach and instructor as certified by USA Track and Field, first came to Miami in 1988 as an intern in the Compliance Department to complete her degree at Ohio University. While fulfilling her internship she simultaneously served as assistant track coach. In what could be termed as perfect timing, in the Spring of 1990, Deem decided to stay in the Miami area and the head women's track coach position opened up.
She was hired as the head women's track coach on June 26, 1990.
The Deem File: Building a Tradition of Excellence
• Head Coach of the 2007 USA World Championship Team that competed in Osaka, Japan
- U.S. Women earned eight medals (G - 100-meter hurdles, 200-meters, 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay) (S - 100-meters) (B - 10,000-meters, 100-meters, 1,500-meter wheelchair)
• 2006 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Champions
- 7 ACC Titles (two indoor, five outdoor)
• 2005 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Champions
- 12 ACC Titles (six indoor, six outdoor)
• 2005 and 2006 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Coach of the Year
• Six BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships (1998-99, 2001-04)
• Two BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Champions (2003-04)
• Seven-time BIG EAST Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year (1996, 1998-99, 2001-04)
• Two-time BIG EAST Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year (2003-04)
• Past President of the USATF Coaches Association
• Four-time USTCA South District Coach of the Year (2001-02, 2004-05)
• 2001 USATF Junior National Team Coach
• 2002 USOC Developmental Coach of the Year for Track and Field
• 2003 United States Explosive Events Coach at Pan Am Games
• 1998 USA Track and Field Florida Coach of the Year
• Coached UM student-athletes to 86 All-America Honors (Outdoors)
• Coached UM student-athletes to 61 All-America Honors (Indoors)
• Has had at least one All-American each of the last 19 seasons
• Has coached UM student-athletes to 12 NCAA Individual National Titles
• Has coached five Olympians (Gillian Russell, Patrina Allen, Lauryn Williams, Debbie Ferguson, Ginou Etienne)
• Coached Hurricanes to 44 Individual and Relay Conference Indoor Titles
• Coached Hurricanes to 62 Individual and Relay Conference Outdoor Titles
• Coached three BIG EAST Most Outstanding Performers (Indoors)
• Coached three BIG EAST Most Outstanding Performers (Outdoors)
• Coached Krista Simkins to an ACC Most Outstanding Performer award in 2008 (Indoors)
• Coached Kristy Whyte to an ACC Most Outstanding Performer award in 2008 (Outdoors)
• Coached Murielle Ahoure to an ACC Most Outstanding Performer award in 2009 (Indoors)
• Coached Ti'erra Brown to a 400m hurdles U.S. Championship in 2010.
• Coached Lauryn Williams to the gold medals in 4x100-meter relay at the 2007 IAAF World Championships and the 100-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2003 Pan American Games, gold medals in the 100-meters at the 2005 IAAF World Championships and 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships, the gold medal in the
100-meters the USA Junior National Championship, and silver medals at he 2007 IAAF World Championships and the 2004 Olympic Games.
• Coached Team USA to a sweep of the Pan American Gold Medals
