Harter, Compton Named USTFCCCA National Coaches of the Year

NEW ORLEANS, LA – National Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field season were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with Arkansas’ Lance Harter taking home the Women’s National Coach of the Year honor and Bryan Compton earning Women’s National Assistant Coach of the Year accolades.

Harter, in his 29th year as head coach of the Razorbacks, led his women to the second indoor national title in program history this past weekend in Birmingham, Ala.

Arkansas put up 62 points and scored in eight events, which included 14 points between the mile and 3000, which Harter directly coaches (The Razorbacks also got 21 points from their vaulters). Harter’s squad was ranked No. 1 in the USTFCCCA Track & Field Rating Index throughout the season and romped to a win at the SEC Championships. This is the third time in his career that Harter was named National Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year. Harter was also honored in 2015 and 2000.

The first national accolade of his storied career, the award comes two weeks following his South Central regional recognition, having been named the 2019 South Central Region Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year after the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Compton, in his 20th year as an assistant coach with the Razorbacks, helped lead the Razorbacks to the national title. His pole vaulters scored 21 points at the NCAA Championships this past weekend as Lexi Jacobus won the individual title, Tori Hoggard finished third and Desiree Freier took fourth thanks to a new PR. Jacobus, in particular, shined during the indoor season as she became the second-best performer in the indoor pole vault with the No. 2 mark in collegiate history at the SEC Championships when she cleared 4.68m (15-4.25) in a winning effort. Compton also helped Kelsey Herman to the SEC title in the pentathlon. This is the first time that Compton has been named National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year.

These awards were voted on by USTFCCCA member coaches based on performances at both the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, and throughout the regular season.

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.