BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University Track & Field assistant coach
Eric Dudley has been honored as the Division II West Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Dudley, in his third season at Western Washington, was recognized for his work with the Vikings sprinters and hurdlers. He mentored junior
Cordell Cummings to GNAC championships in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, which included a meet-record time of 51.77 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. He also mentored 17-year-old freshman
Karlington Anunagba, who clocked a season-best time of 10.33 seconds in the 100 meters, qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
In all, Dudley's athletes contributed 59 points to the total of the 173 points Western Washington used to win the GNAC championship, the seventh outdoor title in program history.
"Eric is a tireless worker and has a passion for working with our student-athletes to bring out the best in them, in competition, practice, in the weight room and in life," said WWU Track & Field head coach
Pee Wee Halsell. "All of our assistant coaches work as a team to make the program what it is. They all work incredibly hard and care immensely about our student-athletes."
Dudley came to WWU after coaching stops at Sacramento State and High Point University. The Bellingham native and graduate of Sehome High School was an All-American hurdler at Washington State University. He placed 10
th at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400m hurdles.
"Coach Dudley has been a great help giving me technical and race pointers in the hurdles, which was his specialty," said
Cordell Cummings, who will race this weekend at the NCAA Championships in the 400m Hurdles. "He has a very caring personality and is always working hard to bring out the best in all of us on the team. This is a very deserving award for a great coach."
Halsell was also nominated for the West Region Men's Head Coach of the Year and assistant coach
Ben Stensland was nominated for the Women's Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Stensland was named the USTFCCCA Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2019 indoor season.
WWU swept the titles for both the indoor and outdoor GNAC Championships in 2019, and will have seven competitors (4 women, 3 men) at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will held Thursday-Saturday (May 23-25) in Kingsville, Texas.
