Fran Hoogestraat enters her 12th season as the coach for Commodore throwers. She relies on 15 years of competitive experience to help the athletes excel.

In the last four years, Hoogestraat has mentored a pair of Commodore school record holders, Vensherrie Campbell and Josie Hahn. Campbell set team marks in the indoor weight and hammer throw in 2003 while Hahn became the all-time leading javelin competitor during her 2004 All-American heptathlete campaign. Last year, Hoogestraat helped heptathlete Garnetta Holloway set personal bests in the shot put and javelin en route to the SEC individual title and a berth in the NCAA Championships.

Freshman Deanna Morelli also became one of the Commodores[apos] all-time leaders in the hammer and discus in 2006 under Hoogestraat[apos]s direction.

A native of South Dakota, Hoogestraat set numerous state high school records before moving on to South Dakota State where she reached national rankings in the discus and shot put.

Hoogestraat is both Level I and Level II certified from the USATF, and served as a clinician of the Junior Elite Throws Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in 1998. She came to Vanderbilt in 1989, where she earned both a masters and doctorate in higher education administration with special emphasis in intercollegiate athletics.

Hoogestraat guided the Commodore career of shot putter Leslie Vidmar, a four-time All-American who scored the Commodores[apos] first points in a field event at the NCAA Championships.

When not creating drills, studying videotape, or writing workouts, Hoogestraat enjoys writing poetry, swimming, running, or playing the piano.