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Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
candace greene
Bob Ellis

Women's Cross Country/Track & Field

USTFCCCA Awards Abound for UMass Lowell’s Greene, Gardner, Ibraheem

Greene Named USTFCCCA East Region Athlete of the Year; Gardner named Women’s Coach of the Year, Ibraheem named Assistant Coach of the Year

Junior Candace Greene: Seeded seventh in the shot put at the NCAA Championship.

View the USTFCCCA Division II East Region Award Winners

Candace Greene, a junior from Annapolis, Md., was named the East Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional athlete and coaches award winners Monday.

A shot putter ranked seventh in the country, Greene joined head coach Gary Gardner, who was named the East Region Women's Coach of the Year for the second time this season, and assistant coach Kazeem Dayo Ibraheem, a 2002 graduate of the University, who was named the East Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the USTFCCCA, but I feel coaches awards are a reflection of the whole staff and not just one member,” said Gardner. “Dayo has done a spectacular job with all of our hurdlers during his time here. He goes way above and beyond his responsibilities, as do all of the members of our staff.”

UMass Lowell is sending seven individuals competing in nine events and two relay teams to the NCAA Championship Thursday through Saturday at Colorado State-Pueblo University's Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

In the midst of her best season, Greene makes her second straight appearance at the NCAA Championship this season – having placed 12th in the shot put at the NCAA indoor championship – and has earned the seventh seed by virtue of the seventh-best throw this season (48 feet, 8.25 inches).

Greene is fresh off winning the New England championship in the shot put with a throw of 48' 1.75'' and helping UMass Lowell to a share of second place among 35 NCAA Division I colleges. The triumph came one week after Greene won her sixth Northeast-10 Conference title with a toss of 46' 11.75.

“Candace is having her best season and has been in optimum form her last few weeks,” said Gardner. “We're excited about her chances this weekend in Colorado. This is her fourth time at the NCAA Championship, so she knows what to expect.”

Ibraheem, in his 11th season, is the second UMass Lowell assistant coach to earn the honor from the USTFCCCA, joining sprints coach Mike Ekstrand, named in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013).

Responsible for UMass Lowell's hurdlers, Ibraheem has helped guide junior Elisabeth Monty (Charlton, Mass.) and senior Antoinette Toussaint (Somerville, Mass.) to banner seasons, both which conclude this weekend at the NCAA Championship.

Monty captured the New England Championship in both the 100 meter hurdles (13.75 seconds) and 400 hurdles (59.34) and is currently seeded 12th in the 100 (13.69) and fourth in the 400 (58.22), both school records. Monty will also run a leg on UMass Lowell's 4X400 meter relay team, which is seeded eighth (3:44.29)

Toussaint, the 2013 USTFCCCA East Region Indoor Women's Track Athlete of the Year, is seeded sixth in the 400 meter hurdles and will also run a split on UMass Lowell's 4X400 meter relay team.

A native of Methuen, Mass., Ibraheem is a resident of Reading.

The honor is the latest of a slew this season for Gardner, who guided the UMass Lowell women to both the NE-10 indoor and outdoor titles as well as a sixth-place finish at the New England indoor championship, and the aforementioned tied-for-second place showing at the New England outdoor championship.

He was named the NE-10 Women's Coach of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well as the USTFCCCA East Region Women's Coach of the Year for the 2013 indoor season.

A native of North Attleboro, Mass., Gardner resides in Auburn.
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