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Entering her fifth season as a member of the Cardinal coaching staff is Dena Evans, who has helped guide the Stanford women's distance running program into one of the best in the nation. Evans was promoted to Head Women's Cross Country Coach in July of 2003. Evans will coach the women's middle distances and distances in track and field. In her first year as Head Women's Cross Country Coach, Evans led Stanford to the 2003 NCAA Women's Cross Country title, the 2003 NCAA West Regional title, and the 2003 Pac-10 Championship title. At the NCAA Championships, the Cardinal placed two runners in the top six, four runners in the top 24 and had four All-Americans. Evans guided junior Sara Bei to a third place finish at the NCAA Championships and a second consecutive Pac-10 Cross Country individual title. In addition, Evans coached Alicia Craig to her second consecutive NCAA West Regional individual crown. Evans was named the 2003 NCAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. During Evans' four previous years as an assistant coach, Stanford won four consecutive Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional Championships and finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships every year. Evans has helped lead the Cardinal middle distance and distance runners to ten All-America honors in cross country and 31 in track and field. Among the athletes she helped coach are five-time NCAA champion Lauren Fleshman, 2003 NCAA 10,000 meter champion Alicia Craig, 1500 meter school record holder Malindi Elmore, and eleven-time All-American Sally Glynn. Since 1999, four Stanford athletes have won the individual title at the Pac-10 Cross Country Championships, and two Cardinal runners have captured the NCAA West Region crown. During that same period, Cardinal women have won six individual titles in the middle distance and distance events at the Pac-10 Track & Field Championships. Evans was named NCAA Western Regional Co-Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2002. Evans serves as the Western Region representative of the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association. Evans is a 1996 graduate of Stanford, where she earned three All-America honors as a middle distance and distance runner. In addition to her three All-America awards, Evans and her teammates broke school records in the 4 x 1500 meter relay, and indoor and outdoor distance medley relays. Also, she was an All Pac-10 selection in track and field from 1992-96 and a 1996 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 1500 meters. Evans was elected team captain of the Cardinal in her final two seasons and was the team's MVP her junior and senior years. Evans was also a standout player on Stanford's nationally-ranked soccer team where she still ranks among the top-10 in career points, goals, assists and single season assists. She won the Stanford Block "S" Award for Best Female Sophomore Athlete and the Pam Strathairn Award for competitive attitude as a senior. As a student-athlete for the Cardinal, the former Dena Dey enjoyed tremendous success both in and out of the classroom. An honor student each of her four years on The Farm, Evans received a prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1996. The following year, Evans received her Masters degree in secondary education and a teaching credential through the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). Evans made the transition to the track and field staff after serving as the administrative associate for student-athlete services at Stanford. She has also taught at Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City and worked with USA Track and Field since her graduation from Stanford. Evans is married to former Cardinal football standout Marlon Evans and gave birth to the couple's first child, Adrienne Catherine Evans, in June of 2002. | |||||||||||
