Nov. 17, 2015
The trophy case is getting pretty crowded for Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith.
After guiding the cross-country Commodores to their second straight NCAA South Region championship last Friday, Keith was honored by the USTFCCA on Tuesday by being named the South Region Coach of the Year.
For the entire list of USTFCCCA honors, click HERE.
It marked the third time that Keith has won the award. He also did so last year and in 2011.
As he has done each time, Keith deflected the praise after the award was announced Tuesday.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized, but this award is truly the result of the relentless efforts of all those involved in our program,” said Keith. “I know that this honor would not have been possible without the hard work of my associate head coach, Rhonda Riley. She’s done a tremendous job this year with all aspects of the program.”
Under the direction of Keith and Riley, the Vanderbilt program has soared to new heights in recent years. The Commodores will make their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships this week, traveling to Louisville, Ky., on Friday. Prior to the current five-year run, the team had never previously earned a berth at the national meet.
Keith, who is in his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater, said he is excited about how far the program has come, and said he is even more excited about what’s ahead.
“It’s not something that happens over night,” he said. “We’ve proud of the progress we have made, and we know this program is capable of even bigger things in the years to come.”
