National Coaching Symposium

Amy Deem
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country,  University of Miami
2012 Olympic Games Women's Head Coach

Amy Deem, who has spent the previous 27 seasons coaching the Hurricanes, is the Director of Track and Field/Cross Country at the University of Miami.

Deem was promoted to her current position in 2008 after serving as the head women's coach since June 1990. At the time of her promotion, she became just the sixth woman to oversee both the men's and women's track and cross country programs at a Division I school.

Deem guided a youthful team to the 2018 ACC Women’s Outdoor Championship, Miami's first since 2006. This was the third conference title in three years after claiming the Indoor Championship in both 2016 and 2017. She was named the 2018 ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the year for the third time, her seventh overall ACC coaching honor.

Under Deem's guidance, Symone Mason was named the 2018 ACC Women’s Track MVP, while Michelle Atherley was named the ACC Women’s Field MVP for 2018. The pair won six of Miami’s seven individual events conference titles at the 2018 ACC Outdoor Championships.

Miami totaled 11 total medals at the Outdoor Championships: seven gold, one silver and three bronze. The Canes also picked up 21 All-ACC awards, including 17 spots on the All-ACC first team and saw eight Canes make their way to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The Canes women were ranked as high as No. 15 nationally during the season and earned nine USTFCCCA All-American honors.

The Indoor season also produced 12 different student-athletes earning 13 All-ACC honors. Atherley finished sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championship in the pentathlon and was named a first team All American. The indoor season saw Kayla Johnson break the Top 5 list in UM history in both the 600 meters and 800 meters, while Anne den Otter broke Latrice Shaw’s 1000m time set in 1998. Amy Taintor finished her final season with the Canes’ third-best Pentathlon finish with 3,967 points.

The 2016 track and field season was monumental in Hurricanes history, as the Miami women won their third ACC Indoor Championship. Deem was named ACC Coach of the Year and USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year for the 2016 indoor season.

The Canes had six women qualify for the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, with Alysha Newman and Dakota Dailey-Harris earning First Team All-America honors and four other Canes being named to the second team.

Shakima Wimbley was named ACC Women’s Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performer after winning the 200m, 400m and 4x400m at the ACC Indoor Championships. Dailey-Harris was one of several ACC Champions during the indoor season, winning the high jump title. She was joined by Wimbley (200m and 400m) and the 4x400m relay team of Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne, Brittny Ellis and Destiny Washington.

There was more success outdoors for Miami's women, as they finished second at the ACC Outdoor Championships, securing a top three finish for the third consecutive year. Wimbley was named ACC Women’s Outdoor Track MVP after winning the 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m conference titles. She was joined by Stiverne, Ebony Morrison and Carolyn Brown on the 4x100m, and Stiverne, Washington and Ellis on the 4x400m. Newman was the ACC women’s pole vault champion for the 2016 outdoor season.

Fourteen women qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary, with 11 advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Newman was the national runner-up in the pole vault, while Wimbley finished third in the 400m. The women’s 4x400m relay placed seventh to round out Miami’s First Team All-America performers. Miami earned three First Team All-America honors, four Second Team All-America honors and one All-America honorable mention after its performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Miami's men also had a stellar 2016 season, scoring the most points at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships since joining the conference in 2004-05. Freshman Andreas Christodoulou won the men’s decathlon at the ACC Outdoor Championships.

Carlos Mangum qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw. The ACC runner-up in the weight throw placed 14th, earning Second Team All-America honors. The Hurricanes had three men qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships: Isaiah Simmons and Gian Piero Ragonesi in the shot put and John-Patrick Friday in the triple jump. Ragonesi and Friday earned Second Team All-America honors.

Six men competed at the NCAA East Preliminary: Simmons, Ragonesi, Friday, Mangum, Jaalen Jones and Henri Delauze.

In 2015, Deem's Hurricanes thrived as Miami had 19 student-athletes competed at the NCAA East Preliminary and 11 advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while seven Canes qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. In recognition of Miami's success in 2015, Deem was named the USTFCCCA South Region Women's Head Coach of the Year.

The Hurricane women had an impressive showing in 2015, led by two-time First Team Outdoor All-American Shakima Wimbley.

The sophomore, who ran the fastest 400m time in the NCAA in 2015, was named USTFCCCA South Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year. Wimbley also earned First Team All-America honors with the 4x400m relay.

Wimbley was named the ACC Women's Outdoor Track MVP after an outstanding showing at the ACC Championships. The sophomore won the 200m and 400m individual titles and set ACC records in both events, while helping the 4x400m relay place third.

The stellar sophomore also was a star during the indoor season, qualifying for nationals in the 400m and as a member of the 4x400m relay. She also set an ACC Championship records in the 200m, running a time of 23.08 seconds to win gold.

Hurdler Kelsey Balkwill also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, placing ninth in the women's 400m hurdles to earn Second Team All-America honors. Pole vaulter Alysha Newman, thrower Precious Ogunleye and the women's 4x400m relay rounded out Miami's competitors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The women's team also had a stellar showing at the ACC Outdoor Championships, placing third with 93 points. In addition to Wimbley's outstanding showing at the conference meet, Precious Ogunleye earned an ACC title in the women's hammer.

On the men's side, Artie Burns and Christian Cook qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110m hurdles, while John-Patrick Friday represented Miami in the triple jump.

Cook ran a personal-best 13.78 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and was the ACC Indoor Champion in the men's 60m hurdles, earning First Team All-ACC honors.

Burns earned a silver medal at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the men's 110m hurdles, running a time of 13.70 seconds that ranks third in school history. The standout hurdler earned First Team All-ACC honors, while Cook was named to the second team after placing fourth in the 110m hurdles and scoring in the 400m hurdles.

Sprinters Henri Delauze, Jaalen Jones and Josh Johnson all scored at the ACC Indoor Championships, while the men's 4x400m relay scored at both the indoor and outdoor conference meets. The men's 4x100m relay of Burns, Cook, Johnson and Robert Grant earned a bronze medal at the ACC Outdoor Championships.

The 2014 season was filled with success for the Canes as Miami had 20 student-athletes compete at the NCAA East Preliminary and 10 advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while five Hurricanes represented UM at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The Canes won six ACC outdoor individual titles and picked up another six individual championships at the ACC Indoor Championships. Ten student-athletes earned All-ACC honors in 13 outdoor events, while 11 were named All-ACC during the indoor season.

Alysha Newman was a two-time All-America, first team honoree. The pole vaulter earned her spot among the best in the country after finishing fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Other notable performers in 2014 include Shakima Wimbley, who was named the ACC Freshman of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and Isaiah Simmons, who claimed his second straight Field MVP at the ACC Outdoor Championships.

In 2013, Miami had 13 different student-athletes qualify for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Championships.

On the women’s side, Samantha Williams (triple jump) and Amber Monroe (discus) qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary for the second consecutive year. Alyssa McClure (100m), Alaine Tate (800m), Taneisha Cordell (800m), Lea Johnson (hammer) and the women’s 4x100 relay team of McClure, Jokira Jiles, Jasmyne King and Kelsey Balkwill also qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary.

The men had four student-athletes qualify in six events. Isaiah Simmons (shot put and discus), Christian Cook (110m hurdles and 400m hurdles), Timothy Richardson (long jump) and John-Patrick Friday (triple jump) combined to form the largest group of males to qualify for an NCAA Regional in program history.

Prior to the 2013 track and field season, Deem helped guide the women's track and field team to one of the most dominating performances in USA Olympic track and field history. The team won 14 medals, including six gold, four silver and four bronze. Overall, she was part of Team USA who won more medals and gold medals than any other nation at the Games. Three of her former athletes - Murielle Ahoure, T'erea Brown and Lauryn Williams - competed in the Games. Ahoure (100m, 200m) and Brown (400m hurdles) reached the finals of their events, while Williams earned gold as part of the 4x100m relay pool.

In June 2012, Thandi Stewart (400m hurdles) and Samantha Williams (triple jump) both earned All-America status at the NCAA Championships under the direction of the veteran mentor. It was the 21st season in a row in which one of her student-athletes received All-America honors.

Deem, elected to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, has been responsible for building the women's track and field program from very modest beginnings into an NCAA powerhouse. Prior to her being named head coach in 1990, the Hurricanes had never had an athlete record an NCAA qualifying mark. Since then, Deem has guided 57 student-athletes to a combined 173 First Team All-America honors and 14 national championships.

Behind Deem, Miami proved its national dominance in the hurdle events in 2010. At the NCAA Outdoor National Championships the Hurricanes became the first program in history to have three women compete in a 400m hurdle championship race. T'erea Brown placed second, while twin sisters Tameka and Takecia Jameson placed third and eighth, respectively. Each woman earned All-America accolades.

As a team, the Miami women finished the championship in 11th-place - the highest result for UM since a seventh-place outcome in 2006.

Brown earned a total of three All-America distinctions on the year - increasing her career total to five - with her runner-up performance in the 100m hurdles and a third-place showing in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Brown also did something that no student-athlete had ever done at Miami. She became the first to win a U.S. Championship when she won the 400m hurdles in 54.84 seconds on June 27, 2010. Tameka Jameson also competed in the race - placing fifth.

The 2009 track season brought a total of six individual All-America honors and an indoor national title. Sprinter Murielle Ahoure came to Miami for her senior season to train under Deem and was rewarded greatly for her decision.

Under Deem, Ahoure raced to the Indoor 200-meter National Championships and earned All-America honors in the indoor 60-meter dash and the outdoor 100 and 200-meter dashes. In addition Ahoure broke UM legend, Lauryn Williams' indoor 60-meter dash record, was a four-time ACC Champion and earned the ACC's Indoor Track Performer of the Year Award.

As in years past, the Hurricanes hurdlers had a stellar season under Deem's direction. Sophomores Takecia Jameson and T'erea Brown advanced to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles, with Brown crossing the finish line as the national runner-up.

In her first season at the helm of the men's program in 2009, Deem saw Mikese Morse claim All-American status in the indoor long jump with his fifth-place finish at the national championships. Also, junior Cory Nelms (indoor 60-meter hurdles) was the first male track athlete to claim an ACC Title that wasn't named Tim Harris since Lance Leggett in the 400-meter hurdles in 2006.

In 2008, Deem saw Krista Simkins win a NCAA National Title in the indoor 400-meters. Also, during the indoor season, Viktoria Andonova took home All-American honors as she tied for ninth in the high jump at the Indoor NCAA National Championships.

During the outdoor season, freshmen hurdlers, Takecia Jameson and T'erea Brown finished third and eighth respectively to earn All-American accolades in the 400-meter hurdles. In July of 2008, Jameson ran for the United States in the Junior World Championships in Poland, where she claimed two world titles, in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x100-relay.

The Hurricanes have had at least one student-athlete earn All-America honors in each of her 21 seasons and are perennial contenders for conference championships and top-10 national finishes. In Miami's first two seasons in the ACC (2004-05 and 2005-06), Deem led the Hurricanes to consecutive indoor and outdoor conference titles. In addition, she was honored as the league's indoor and outdoor Coach of the Year both seasons. Miami finished tied for fifth at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships marking the program's second consecutive top five finish while the team placed seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships marking the highest outdoor finish in school history.

The 2005 season saw Miami reach unprecedented heights. The Hurricanes finished a program-best third at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, which included a school-record 12 All-America honors. Miami finished ninth at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, also the highest finish at the time in school history, notching another 14 All-America honors. The Hurricanes placed second at the 2005 NCAA East Regional Championships marking the highest finish and most points scored (81) in the program's history.

In 2004, the Hurricanes concluded their final season of BIG EAST competition by posting one of the best seasons in school history. Miami recorded 17 All-America honors, won both the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season, including the school's sixth BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, and placed 10th at both the NCAA Indoor Championships and NCAA Outdoor Championships.

That season, Miami recorded 12 All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships including Lauryn Williams' NCAA National Championship in the 100-meters. Williams posted a winning time of 10.97 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. In three seasons under Deem, Williams developed into one the top sprinters in the world. For most of 2004, Williams had the top time in the world in both the 100-meter and 200-meters. She went on to win a silver medal in the 100-meters at the Olympic Games in Athens, and at just 20 years of age became the youngest sprinter in 32 years to medal in the event. Williams competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and continues to train under Deem.

In 2005 Williams captured the gold medal in the 100-meters and also anchored the USA 4x100-meter relay to the gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

During Deem's tenure the Hurricanes developed into the premier track and field program in the BIG EAST winning a combined 79 BIG EAST individual and relay titles. Miami's team title at the 2004 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship marked the fourth consecutive for Deem's Hurricanes making UM the only program in BIG EAST history to win four straight outdoor team titles.

Under Deem the Hurricanes have become a fixture at the NCAA Championships scoring at 14 of 15 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1992. Both in the state of Florida and around the nation Deem is recognized as one of the best developers of talent in the coaching ranks. Deem, who served as President of the United States Track Coaches Association from 2003-05, has won numerous coaching awards and been appointed to various national coaching positions. In 2007, she served as the Head Coach of the United States team at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan where the Americans won the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays Deem has been honored four times as the USTCA South District Coach of the Year (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), and in 1998 was named the USA Track and Field Florida Coach of the Year. In 2002 she was honored as the United States Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year for Track and Field.

In addition, Deem served three seasons (1998-2000) as the Event Coordinator for Sprints and Hurdles for the USA Track and Field Coaches Education Program, and in 2001 served as head coach of the USATF Junior National team that competed in England and Scotland.

In the summer of 2003, Deem served as the Explosive Events Coach (sprints and hurdles) for the United States at the Pan American games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic guiding Lauryn Williams to the gold medal in the 100-meters. In addition the United States swept the gold medals in the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay for the first time since 1987. In 2002 Deem guided Williams to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.

In addition to Williams, Deem has coached numerous other top sprinters and hurdlers including five-time NCAA Champion Gillian Russell, 1999 NCAA Champion Yolanda McCray, two-time Olympian Patrina Allen, and Debbie Ferguson, a two-time Olympic medalist.

Russell, who competed for the Hurricanes from 1992-95, won the NCAA National Indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles in 1992 and 1995, as well as the NCAA 100-meter hurdle championship in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Russell is a two-time Olympian having competed for Jamaica in 1992 and 1996. Russell was ranked among the World's top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles from 1995-1998 reaching a career-best ranking of sixth in 1998.

McCray, a six-time All-American, won the 100-meter hurdles at the 1999 NCAA Championship and, in 1997 and in 1999 was ranked as high as sixth in the United States in the event. Allen, a teammate of McCray, was also a six-time All-American. She competed for Jamaica at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in the 400-meter hurdles.

In 2002, Deem began coaching Bahamian sprinter Debbie Ferguson. Ferguson went on to post one of the best seasons of her career winning gold medals in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, setting meet records in all three events. She went on to win championships in the 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2002 World Cup, and ended the season ranked second in the world in the 200-meters and fifth in the world in the 100-meters. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Ferguson captured the bronze medal in the 200-meters and reached the final of the 100-meters where she placed seventh. She competed in the 200-meter event at the 2008 Olympics and again be coached by Deem.

Originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia, Deem first came to Miami in 1988 as an intern in the Compliance Department to complete her degree at Ohio University. While fulfilling her internship she simultaneously served as assistant track coach. In what could be termed as perfect timing, in the Spring of 1990, Deem decided to stay in the Miami area and the head women's track coach position opened up.

Deem, who is a Level III coach and instructor as certified by USA Track and Field, was hired as the head women's track coach on June 26, 1990.