Friday, August 1, 2003

FIU hires Steve Rubin as its track and field head coach

IU athletic director Rick Mello announced today the hiring of head track and field coach Steve Rubin. Rubin comes from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was the head coach.

"Steve is an outstanding young coach who has taken every opportunity to prepare himself for this chance," Mello said. "There is no doubt that many successes are on the horizon for FIU track and field and we are very fortunate to have someone of Steve's enthusiasm, knowledge, work ethic and integrity to represent our university."

In just two years at Washington University, Rubin produced eight All-Americans and 22 qualifying athletes for the NCAA Championships. The womens indoor and outdoor teams recorded top-25 finishes at the NCAA's this past season.

The women also posted the first-ever University Athletic Association conference triple crown in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. The men won the conference in the outdoors, improving on a fourth place finish before he was hired.

"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to return to the South Florida community, said Rubin. "I am excited abut joining a track and field program with enormous potential as well as one of the fastest growing universities in the nation."

Rubin has South Florida ties, as he was the assistant track and field coach at the University of Miami for nine years. At Miami, he was the recruiting coordinator and built strong relationships around the state of Florida and the Caribbean.

Rubin worked primarily in field events with the Hurricanes, coaching six All-Americans and eight Big East Champions. The team also broke 36 school field records under his watch.

Rubin graduated from Emory University, where he was a standout performer in the sprints and the horizontal jumping event. He is replacing Jessica Carter, who left during the summer.