Oct. 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina track and field coaches Kevin Brown and Mike Sergent are slated to present at symposiums during the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention. The symposiums are an annual opportunity for some of the country’s best coaches to share their wisdom on all aspects of track & field and cross country with attendees.
This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14-Thursday, Dec. 19. Brown, South Carolina assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, is featured in the jumps presentation while fellow assistant coach Sergent is slated for the throws symposium.
Kevin Brown
TOPIC: Acceleration and Max Speed Mechanics in the Pole Vault
Kevin Brown is in the fifth year of his second stint with the Gamecocks following the 2013 season. His primary responsibility is working with the pole vaulters. Brown also works with South Carolina’s well-respected relay teams and sprinters. Brown coached LaKaya Brookins to a collegiate record and a NCAA title at 60 meters.
While in his first stint at Carolina, Brown was named to the Team USA coaching staff for the 2003 Junior Pan American Games and served as an assistant coach during the competition in Barbados. In December 2002, he was voted to the Team USA staff by the USATF Coaches Championship Selection Committee, a group that selects national coaching staffs for International competition including the Pan American Games and Goodwill Games.
Marvin Reitze also reached national prominence under Brown as he was the runner up in the pole vault in the SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships. Reitze vaulted 18’1 to become the Penn Relay’s Pole Vault Champion and was named Field Event Athlete of the Meet. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Reitze was also a NCAA Academic All-American.
Mike Sergent
Mike Sergent enters his 17th season with the Gamecock track and field program. His primary responsibilities are coaching the throwers and coordinating the strength and conditioning program. Sergent has coached 25 All-Americans, 40 NCAA qualifiers, 14 SEC champions and five NCAA champions at South Carolina.
Sergent has also seen success in coaching his student-athletes on the international stage. In 2003, former Gamecock and NCAA champion Dawn Ellerbe reached the World Championships in Paris under Sergent’s tutelage. He also worked with Ellerbe in 2002 to help her become the USATF national runner-up in both the weight and hammer throws. She finished the year ranked seventh in the world in the hammer, set the American record in the hammer, and finished ranked eighth nationally in the discus throw.
In 2001, two of Sergent’s former student-athletes, Brad Snyder and Lisa Misipeka, along with Ellerbe, traveled to Edmonton, Canada, for the 2001 World Championships. In his third year at South Carolina, Sergent coached Candy Mitchell, Bert Sorin and Ryan Harrison through the U.S. Olympic trials. At the 2000 Olympic Games, Snyder, Misipeka and Michelle Fournier all competed.
South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye will be inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame at the event on Monday, Dec. 16.
