June 18, 2018

SEATTLE – Washington Track & Field is set to embark on a new era as UW Director of Athletics Jen Cohen announced today the hiring of Maurica Powell as the program's first Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. Powell will oversee all facets of the Husky track and cross country programs and will be joined on Montlake by her husband, Andy Powell, who will serve as the Head Coach of Track & Field and Cross Country focusing on daily operations.
 
The Powells come to Washington following thirteen years at the University of Oregon, where they were at the center of rebuilding Oregon into a powerhouse that produced nineteen NCAA team titles in track and cross country during their stint in Eugene. Focusing on the men's and women's distance runners, the Powells coached their athletes to forty individual NCAA Championships in track and cross country.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Maurica and Andy to the Washington family," Cohen said. "Their credentials certainly speak for themselves, and what really stood out during the search process was their deep alignment with our departmental values. Maurica and Andy carry a deep passion for developing student-athletes to be their best both in and outside of competition and I am extremely excited for them to lead our program."
 
Maurica (pronounced Mah-REESE-ah) Powell will coach the women's distance runners in addition to her oversight of the program, while Andy Powell will work with the men's distance crew along with day to day program operations. The process to complete the remainder of their coaching staff will begin immediately.
 
"We're overwhelmed with gratitude to both Jen Cohen and Erin O'Connell for the incredible opportunity to lead the Husky Track & Field and Cross Country Programs," said Maurica and Andy Powell. "As a world-renowned academic institution with a dynamic athletic department and outstanding facilities, the University of Washington is truly a premier destination for student-athletes across the U.S. and abroad, and we couldn't be more excited to execute a long-term vision for success at UW over the coming years."
 
The Powells were both standout runners at Stanford and headed to Eugene to start their coaching careers in 2005, working with their former Cardinal coach Vin Lananna. Maurica Powell began as a volunteer before becoming a full-time assistant coach, while Andy Powell was named Associate Head Coach for Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country in 2012.
 
"We are thankful to Vin Lananna and the University of Oregon staff for a great thirteen years in Eugene, and we are honored and humbled by the chance to build the next chapter of success on Montlake," said the Powells.
 
After leading the Oregon women to a second NCAA title in five years, Maurica Powell was named the 2016 Women's Cross Country National Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA, while Andy Powell is a four-time National Assistant Coach of the Year four from the same organization.
 
Maurica Powell came to Oregon in 2005 at a point where... Read Full story on gohuskies.com