The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB's Stanfield, Townsend Receive New Four-Year Contracts
9/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Sept. 7, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB head track and field/cross country coach Ray Stanfield, along with head softball coach Marla Townsend, have been given four-year contracts, according to Blazers' interim director of athletic Richard Margison.
The length of the contracts will run though June 30, 2010.
Stanfield, now entering his fifth year at UAB, has guided the Blazers to improvements in both track and field, and cross country over the past several years. UAB placed fifth at the 2006 Conference USA Outdoor Track Championships, the program's best finish since 1998. The Blazers were third at the 2005 C-USA Indoor Championships as Stanfield was named the league's Women's Coach-of-the-Year.
In cross country, the Blazers have moved up a spot in the conference standings each of the past three years and finished as runners-up in 2005. Elizabeth Ambrus was the `05 cross country individual champion.
Townsend, now in her eighth year as head softball coach, led the Blazers to a second-place finish in Conference USA last spring. UAB finished 31-22 overall and 15-9 in league play. Townsend was named as the C-USA Coach-of-the-Year, the second time in the past four years she has picked up that honor.
"Coach Townsend and Coach Stanfield have successfully lead their programs into the top echelon of our conference," Margison said. "Their student-athletes have excelled in their sport and in the classroom. These contracts demonstrate our commitment to them and desire to see them remain at UAB for years to come."
