Nov. 16, 2007

HOUSTON -- Rice head coach Jim Bevan was honored once again by his peers this year, earning NCAA South Central Regional Coach of the Year honors, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Friday.

Under Bevan's guidance, Rice upset Arkansas at the South Central Regional, 54-70, and is ranked 11th nationally heading into the NCAA Championships. The regional title was Rice's first. The Owls also won the Conference USA title with a record score of 26 points.

Bevan was named the C-USA cross country coach of the year and last spring he received conference coach of the year honors for both indoor and outdoor track & field. In September, he was selected as the Conference USA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Coaches Choice Award winner for 2006-07. The SAAC Coaches Choice Award recognizes a coach that is committed to fostering student-athlete development and welfare through a positive athletic and academic atmosphere.

The Owls run at the 2007 NCAA National Championships on Monday at approximately 11:55 am (CST). The meet will be broadcast live on CSTV.