April 19, 2005

The University of Dayton has announced that Kandice Erwin has been named its new women's track and field coach. Erwin, 28, is currently the head coach in track and cross country at Texas Lutheran University, has guided TLU to three second-place finishes at the American Southwest Conference Championships in three seasons as head track coach. She was also a four-time track All-American at Angelo State University.

"We are very pleased that Kandice is coming to Dayton to be our women's track coach," UD Associate Vice-President for Athletics Tim Wabler said. "She has established herself as one of the best young coaches at the college level while building the program at Texas Lutheran. She is ready to make the transition to Division I."

"She brings a high level of energy to her job, and that, combined with her expertise as a coach, will serve her well. Her teams at Texas Lutheran mirrored her own athletic career--successful in competition, successful in the classroom, and great representatives of their school. She is the type of person who will serve as a strong role model for all of our student-athletes."

Named the women's track and cross country coach at Texas Lutheran in 2001, Erwin made an immediate impact. She led TLU to a third-place finish at the conference cross country meet in her first season, and then won three straight ASC championships. In three seasons as head track coach (the current season is her fourth), she has guided her team to improved performances while finishing second in the conference every year.

Last year, her team scored a school-record number of points at the ASC meet, with seven conference champions and one national qualifier. Texas Lutheran is considered one of the favorites for this weekend's American Southwest Conference championship, and has five event performances among Division III's top ten this season. TLU's 4x100m relay team is ranked second in the nation.

As a student-athlete at Angelo State, Erwin lettered four years and was a four-time qualifier to the NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championships. She earned All-American honors as a member of Angelo State's 400m and 1600m relays. She was a two-time Academic All-Lone Star Conference selection.

Erwin earned a bachelor of science in kinesiology from Angelo State in 1999. She completed her master of science in kinesiology (also at Angelo State) with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and finished her master's degree in just one year. A native of Zephyr, Texas, she was Zephyr High's valedictorian and class president. She won three Texas High School Track and Field Championships in 1995 (400m, 200m and high jump).

Erwin succeeds D'Andre Hill, who resigned in December to take a position with Texas Christian. Head women's cross country coach Ann Alyanak has served as acting head coach since December. Erwin was actually selected to take over the UD program in January, but on the condition that she be able to complete the 2004-05 track season with Texas Lutheran. This season is the senior season for the group who were freshmen when she began as a head coach at TLU.