Beene Named NJCAA Coach of the Year

South Plains College head track and field coach Chris Beene has been named the 2008 NJCAA Division I Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year.

Beene's South Plains College men's team won their second-straight National Championship May 17 at the NJCAA National Outdoor Meet held in Levelland where he was named Men's Coach of the Meet.

Chris Beene just completed his fourth year as head cross country/track and field coach at South Plains College.

Beene came to SPC from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview. He was named Women's NAIA Region 5 and 6 Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004 and Men's Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He went to Wayland from Texas Tech, where he spent four seasons as assistant coach. During his time at Tech, he was in charge of coaching the multi-events, pole vault and javelin.

Beene also had previous assistant coaching experience at Abilene Christian and Texas A&M - Kingsville. Two of Beene's decathletes won NCAA Division II national titles during his time at ACU.

In all, Beene has coached 47 individual national champions, five regional championship teams, one NAIA conference championship team and five NJCAA national championship teams. He has also coached over 140 All-Americans. Two athletes that Beene coached, Sally Kipyego in the 1500 meter run and 5000 meter run, and Daryl Burgess in the 110 meter hurdles, currently hold NJCAA national records.

A former All-American decathlete, Beene received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in kinesiology from Angelo State.

Beene and his wife Corye have one daughter, Faith.