Aug. 30, 2002
Jessica Sommerfeld has been added to the TCU track & field coaching staff and Brad Bowman has been promoted to associate head coach, head coach Monte Stratton announced today.
"The addition of Jessica completes our staff and we're happy to have her on board," said Stratton. "She brings a coaching element that we haven't had - a strong background in the throwing events. Her addition will allow our women's team to become more diversified in the field events."
Sommerfeld, 23, competed collegiately in the throws at both Rice University and at the University of Arkansas. The Lisbon, North Dakota native completed her studies at Rice, then transferred to Arkansas for the 2002 campaign, her final year of eligibility, while working towards a master's degree in kinesiology.
A multiple WAC shot put champion, Sommerfeld was honored by Rice for her achievements both on and off the field of play when she was awarded the school's 2001 Joyce Pounds Hardy Award as the school's top athlete. On her way to the prestigious honor, Sommerfeld swept the WAC indoor and outdoor shot put titles in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons. She also scored in the discus and javelin at the outdoor conference meet. Indoors, she recorded a personal best 50-2.75, blowing away the field by nearly six feet.
A multi-sport athlete at Lisbon (N.D.) Public High School, Sommerfeld excelled in basketball, volleyball and track, and played softball in the summer. As a member of the track team, she swept the indoor and outdoor state shot put titles both as a junior and as a senior, setting the state record at 48-2.5, and captured the javelin crown as a junior. She also competed in the discus for the Broncos. During her prep career she was named the MVP of her high school four straight years and was named the team's hardest worker in 1997.
Bowman came to TCU last October after serving for four years as the head track & field coach at South Alabama. Under his direction, the Jaguars combined to set a total of 18 new school records and they earned a total of 31 all-conference awards in 2001. He became the school's first full-time women's head coach prior to the 1998 season before taking over both the men's and women's programs the following year. He coached the 2000 men's national champion in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs and in 1999 he guided the Jaguars to the school's first ever Sun Belt Conference Track Championship as the women's squad won both the indoor and outdoor titles. During Bowman's tenure, the Jaguars accounted for 29 individual conference championships, 104 all-conference awards and established 50 school records.
