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Jim Bevan, in his 19th season as the top assistant to Rice women's track coach Victor Lopez, will become the program's head coach upon Lopez's retirement following the 2005 season, athletic director Bobby May announced Dec. 21, 2004. Bevan, 43, is a three-time conference coach of the year for cross country, winning the honors in the Southwest Conference after the Owls' 1994 championship, and in the Western Athletic Conference following Rice's titles in 1999 and 2002. In addition to his role as assistant coach in charge of cross country, Bevan has been the program's recruiting coordinator, worked with the Owls' jumpers, and coordinated the team's travel. Lopez will retire after his 26th season as the Rice head coach in July, 2005. "To succeed Victor Lopez as the head coach of his program is very humbling," said Bevan. "The past 19 seasons have been a great learning experience for me, and his legacy of achievement in this program will hopefully give us momentum toward more success in Conference USA." "Jim and Victor Lopez have been a formidable coaching tandem for a long time, and his selection as the program's second head coach was an easy choice," said May. "I know Jim has big shoes to fill, but his experience and accumen will make this as seamless a transition as possible." Throughout his tenure, Bevan has nurtured the careers of numerous all-Americas. Claudia Haywood was perhaps the most successful of his jumpers. She went on to win five SWC championships, earn four all-America honors and capture both the NCAA and USA outdoor triple jump titles in 1993. Sonya Henry, Diane Somerville, Yvette Haynes and Alice Falaiye have earned all-America honors under his direction. Falaiye later won the long jump gold medal in the 2003 Pan American Games and also competed in the 2001 world championships. The distance runners have also prospered under his guidance. The cross country team finished second in the SWC and qualified for the NCAA championships the two seasons prior to the 1994 conference championship. As coach of the cross country squad, Bevan has tutored two WAC freshman of the year runners in Shannon Murto (2000), who was the top runner for the Owls in each of the last four races in 2003, and Tanya Wright (1999). In 2004, the Owls finished second in the WAC with junior Kate Gorry winning the individual title. Later, freshman Marissa Daniels ran in the NCAA championships after qualifying in the regional meet. Bevan's runners have succeeded not only on the cross country course, but on the track as well. Julie Jiskra placed fourth in the 10,000 meters at the 1991 NCAA outdoor meet, Nicole Aleskowitch finished fourth in the 3,000 meters at the 1994 NCAA outdoor meet, and Canadian Candace Lessmeister was an eight-time SWC middle-distance champion and the runner-up in the mile at the national indoor meet in 1994. In 1999, the distance medley relay team, comprised of Kari Vigerstol, Margaret Fox, Aimee Teteris and Erin Brand, won the USA Track and Field Championships and finished sixth at the NCAA championships. The 2000 DMR crew of Vigerstol, Teteris, Allison Beckford, and Shaquandra Roberson, perhaps one of the best relay teams to run under Bevan, set the Rice record of 11:15.70 with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA indoor championships. Stacy Swank garnered all-America honors in the 3,000 in 1995, while Roberson earned all-America honors in 2000 following her fourth-place finishes at the NCAA outdoor championships in the 800- and 1,500-meters, the only runner in the nation to double as an all-American. In all, Bevan has coached 16 runners and jumpers to 29 all-America honors and has seen three different cross country teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The 1994 team captured the SWC championship, and the 1993 team finished 19th in the NCAA meet. His 1999 and 2002 squads earned WAC titles, and he reaped his coach of the year honors following both championships. Bevan also has worked with some post-collegians in their efforts to represent their country in Olympic and other world competitions. In 1995, he coached Diana Orrange, who set a U.S. Olympic Festival record with a mark of 46-2 in the triple jump, and went on to represent the United States at the 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympics. Bevan has also coached two-time Olympian and 1998 CAC champion Flora Hyacinth in both the long jump and triple jump. Bevan came to the Owls with excellent credentials. Before joining the Rice staff in 1986, he was an assistant men's track and cross country coach for two years at his alma mater, Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. Bevan was an assistant to Dr. Joe I. Vigil, the U.S. distance coach for the 1988 Olympics and 1991 U.S. Pan American team head coach. He also spent one season as the Indians' assistant coach when the men's and women's programs were combined. While Bevan was at Adams State, the Indians won three consecutive NAIA cross country titles. During his last year at Adams State, the squad set an NAIA scoring record at the national cross country meet. The school has won more cross country national championships than any other school in the country (30). Bevan graduated from Adams State in 1984 with a degree in history and physical education, and in the summer of 1986 received his masters in health, physical education and recreation. He is a TAC certified Level I and Level II coach. |
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