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Named the 2004 Conference USA men's cross country Coach of the Year, Theresa Fuqua is in her 12th season at the University of Houston. Fuqua guided the Cougars to their first conference championship since 1959 when Houston won its the C-USA title last fall. The Cougars had three All-Conference USA performers, including C-USA Athletet of the Year Sesar Figueroa. The other two All-C-USA runners were Tyler Stanfield and Derek Yorek. In 2003, Fuqua tutored All-Conference USA cross country runners Cole Dailey and Figueroa. In her first season as men's coach, Mike Olague qualified for the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships under her direction. In to coaching Houston's men's cross country and distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track and field season, of Houston, Fuqua is in her 12th season coaching the Lady Cougar distance corps. During the last 11 years, she has coached three C-USA track and field champions in the women's division and a pair of All-Conference USA cross country runners. She tutored 1998 Conference USA indoor and outdoor 800-meter champion Vernetta Rolle and 2000 indoor mile champion Dawn Charlier. In addition, Houston won the distance medley relay at the 1998 C-USA Indoor Championships. Fuqua also coached 1997 and 1999 Conference USA Indoor 800-meter runner-up Cilla Pettersson and 1998 All-Conference USA cross country runner Jackie Rzepecki. Charlier finished fifth in the mile and 3000 meters at the 1999 C-USA Indoor Championships before finishing third in the 1500 meters and sixth in the 3000 meters at the C-USA Outdoor meet. At the 2000 C-USA Outdoor Championships, Charlier finished second in the 800 meters and mile run, while Jackie Rzepecki was third in the 5000-meter run and Stacy Poole was third in the 10,000 meters. In 2001, Rzepecki finished second in the steeplechase and fifth in the 5000 meters at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Last spring, Jessica Oakes finished third in the steeplechase at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Fuqua guided the women's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the 2002 C-USA Cross Country Championships and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships. Fuqua came to UH in 1995 after serving six years as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Episcopal High School. She was named Episcopal's Teacher-of-the-Year in 1993-94 and directed Episcopal's girl's track team to two straight SPC state track and field championships in 1992 and 1993. A record-setting distance runner at Houston, Fuqua was a four-time All-American, two-time cross country MVP and two-time track and field MVP. She holds the current UH records in the indoor mile, and the outdoor 800 and 1500 meters. In 1988, Fuqua qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 800 and 1500-meter events. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and foods from UH in 1989 and is currently pursuing a master's degree in sports administration. Fuqua and her husband, Jerry, are co-owners of RunSport, Inc., a running specialty store, and they have a son, Miles. |
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