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Bevan, Cavanaugh to be Inducted into TTFCA Hall of Fame
10/1/2024 2:43:00 PM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
HOUSTON – Two Rice women's track and field legends are set to be inducted into the 16th annual Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame, as Dr. Regina Cavanaugh and Jim Bevan have been announced as part of the Class of 2025.
Cavanaugh is regarded by many as Rice's greatest female athlete. She was a nine-time All-American, earning three consecutive NCAA indoor shot put titles from 1984-86 and three straight NCAA outdoor crowns from 1985-87.
In 1987, she received the Honda Broderick Award as the nation's top female student-athlete in track and field. Cavanaugh was also an eight-time SWC indoor/outdoor shot put champion and a four-time SWC outdoor discus champion. In 1992, she was named to the Southwest Conference Women's 10th Anniversary All-Decade Team.
Cavanaugh was a three-time Joyce Pounds Hardy award winner, and has been inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992, the inaugural CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2014. Most recently, she was part of the third-ever class inducted into the USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame this past June in Eugene, Ore.
Long-time Rice cross country/track and field coach Jim Bevan has continued a standard of excellence with the women's program, capturing 13 conference titles in his 20 years as head coach. Since joining the staff in 1986, initially as an assistant coach, Bevan has been part of 23 conference titles for Rice cross country and track & field, including the only Southwest Conference title in Rice women's athletics history (1994 – cross country).
Bevan's athletes have amassed 53 All-American honors and have won seven Joyce Pounds Hardy awards as head coach. As an assistant, Bevan coached Claudia Haywood, who was an NCAA champion in the triple jump in 1993. He also coached Funmi Jimoh, who represented Team USA in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During his time, six of his Rice athletes have gone on to compete at the Olympics, with Erna Gunnarsdottir (Team Iceland – shot put) being the most recent at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Most recently, his Owls finished the 2024 season ranked 21st in the nation, with a national runner-up (Tara Simpson-Sullivan – hammer throw) and third-place finisher (Mckyla Van der Westhuizen – javelin) at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Rice has had six teams finish in the top 31 in the nation in cross country under Bevan, with the highest being 16th in 2007 (also won the south central regional in 2007).
The 2021 season saw the Owls in a tie for 21st, with three Owls earning First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, Michelle Fokam (third - triple jump), Tara Simpson-Sullivan (fourth - hammer throw) and Grace Forbes (seventh - 10,000m).
A 2017 inductee into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame, Bevan's coaching honors also include 14 conference Coach of the Year awards and two NCAA South Central XC Coach of the Year awards.
Both head coaches in Rice women's cross country/track and field history have now been inducted into the TTFCA Hall of Fame, with Victor Lopez being inducted in the Class of 2022. Bevan was mentored by Lopez while he served as an assistant coach on Lopez's staff from 1986 until the 2004-05 season.
The induction ceremony will take place at the Waco Convention Center on Jan. 3, in Waco, Texas.
Cavanaugh is regarded by many as Rice's greatest female athlete. She was a nine-time All-American, earning three consecutive NCAA indoor shot put titles from 1984-86 and three straight NCAA outdoor crowns from 1985-87.
In 1987, she received the Honda Broderick Award as the nation's top female student-athlete in track and field. Cavanaugh was also an eight-time SWC indoor/outdoor shot put champion and a four-time SWC outdoor discus champion. In 1992, she was named to the Southwest Conference Women's 10th Anniversary All-Decade Team.
Cavanaugh was a three-time Joyce Pounds Hardy award winner, and has been inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992, the inaugural CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2014. Most recently, she was part of the third-ever class inducted into the USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame this past June in Eugene, Ore.
Long-time Rice cross country/track and field coach Jim Bevan has continued a standard of excellence with the women's program, capturing 13 conference titles in his 20 years as head coach. Since joining the staff in 1986, initially as an assistant coach, Bevan has been part of 23 conference titles for Rice cross country and track & field, including the only Southwest Conference title in Rice women's athletics history (1994 – cross country).
Bevan's athletes have amassed 53 All-American honors and have won seven Joyce Pounds Hardy awards as head coach. As an assistant, Bevan coached Claudia Haywood, who was an NCAA champion in the triple jump in 1993. He also coached Funmi Jimoh, who represented Team USA in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During his time, six of his Rice athletes have gone on to compete at the Olympics, with Erna Gunnarsdottir (Team Iceland – shot put) being the most recent at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Most recently, his Owls finished the 2024 season ranked 21st in the nation, with a national runner-up (Tara Simpson-Sullivan – hammer throw) and third-place finisher (Mckyla Van der Westhuizen – javelin) at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Rice has had six teams finish in the top 31 in the nation in cross country under Bevan, with the highest being 16th in 2007 (also won the south central regional in 2007).
The 2021 season saw the Owls in a tie for 21st, with three Owls earning First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, Michelle Fokam (third - triple jump), Tara Simpson-Sullivan (fourth - hammer throw) and Grace Forbes (seventh - 10,000m).
A 2017 inductee into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame, Bevan's coaching honors also include 14 conference Coach of the Year awards and two NCAA South Central XC Coach of the Year awards.
Both head coaches in Rice women's cross country/track and field history have now been inducted into the TTFCA Hall of Fame, with Victor Lopez being inducted in the Class of 2022. Bevan was mentored by Lopez while he served as an assistant coach on Lopez's staff from 1986 until the 2004-05 season.
The induction ceremony will take place at the Waco Convention Center on Jan. 3, in Waco, Texas.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Javelin
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