Ferry Honored by USATF

December 17, 2018

Virginia Union University Track and Field Head Coach Melissa Ferry was duly honored with the 2018 Terry Crawford/Distinguished Female in Coaching Award, as well as selected for the IAAF/USATF Level 3 – Elite Coach Academy this past week. 

The award is bestowed annually on a female coach who shows an exceptional level of accomplishment, and initiative and was recognized last week at the USA Track and Field Annual Meeting. The IAAF Academy is a selective course for 30 coaches throughout the US with consistent national levelperformances to study under Olympic staff for a week at IMG Academy in Florida.

Since entering collegiate coaching just 2 years ago, Coach Ferry has led the VUU men’s track team to 8 individual CIAA Championship titles, 40 All-Conference honors, 16 All-Region honors, 22 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, and 15 school records. Additionally, Panthers have represented the school at the USA Indoor National Championship, NCAA Championships, and earned both Atlantic Region and CIAA Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year awards. 

Prior to her tenure at VUU, while at Mount Vernon High School Lady Majors won two USATF Youth Indoor national indoor titles, and three AAU national indoor titles, while posting 20 national qualifying marks, 11 All-State, 34 All-Region, and 152 All-Conference honors.

A supporter of coach education, Coach Ferry currently is an instructor for Level 1 Coach Education for USATF, the Vice President of the CIAA Track Coaches Association, and serves as a mentor in the Female Mentor Coaches Program as part of USTFCCCA. She has been a member of the Virginia High School League Coach Education committee for over 5 years, and has presented at multiple conferences on women in coaching and athletic leadership.