June 4, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – On the heels of winning the men’s BIG EAST Conference Outdoor title and qualifying eight student-athletes for the upcoming NCAA Championships, Notre Dame’s Joe Piane was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) men’s coach of the year for the Great Lakes Region, as voted by the nation’s coaches announced Friday morning.
Throws coach Adam Beltran was named the region’s assistant coach of the year.
“This is a true honor from the coaching community when considering that they are the ones that vote for this award,” Piane said. “And it’s especially great knowing that Adam has been recognized for his hard work. It’s just the best. He really deserves this award, and we would not have won the BIG EAST outdoor meet without him.”
Beltran’s throwers accounted for nearly one-third of Notre Dame’s total points to capture the program’s third straight outdoor league title in May. The Irish effort was aided by Denes Veres’ first individual conference crown as he set a school record in the shot put with a mark of 18.57m (60-11.25).
Piane and his staff also earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors following the 2010 men’s outdoor meet, the seventh such honor of his career.
The longest active tenured coach at Notre Dame, Piane is in his 35th season under the Golden Dome. A distance-coaching specialist, Piane is recognized across the nation as one of the best in the business. He has been named NCAA Division I National Cross Country Coach of the Year on two different occasions (1987 and 2001) while now garnering six district/regional coach-of-the-year.
The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships take place June 9-12, in Eugene, Ore. Live television coverage of action can be found on CBS College Sports on Friday (June 11) starting at 8 p.m. (ET). The final day of competition will be aired live on CBS College Sports beginning at 1 p.m. Non-televised coverage will be streamed at no cost on NCAA.com beginning Wednesday (June 9).
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