Virginia Tech Adds Lawrence Johnson To The Track Staff

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech announces the hiring of Lawrence Johnson to the track and field coaching staff. Johnson will coach Tech\'s men and women sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. He replaces Terry Winston who is now an assistant coach at Arizona State.

\"Our program is extremely fortunate to have landed a coach of Lawrence\'s caliber,\" stated head coach Dave Cianelli. \"He is an outstanding recruiter and developer of talent. He has competed at the highest collegiate level, and now coaches with the same passion and intensity. I consider Coach Johnson to be one of the top young sprint/hurdle coaches in the country.\"

Johnson has spent the last two seasons at Southern Illinois University coaching the Lady Saluki sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. In the fall of 2004, he added the men\'s sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers to his responsibilities.

Johnson\'s athletes under his tutelage rewrote nine school indoor and outdoor records and three Missouri Valley Conference meet records.

Also during his time at SIU, Johnson directed nine MVC indoor champions, four MVC runner-ups, two MVC outdoor champions, seven MVC outdoor runner-ups, 24 All-MVC selections, three MVC scholar selections, eight NCAA regional qualifiers, two All-Mid-East region selections, two NCAA national meet qualifiers and one NCAA All-American.

Prior to SIU, Johnson served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arkansas for the Lady Razorbacks. He primarily assisted Associate Head Coach Rolando Green and the Arkansas sprints crew. Johnson had been Green\'s top assistant throughout the Lady Razorbacks\' amazing run to back-to-back SEC Triple Crown Championships.

While earning his degree, Johnson was a 400 meter runner on the track team, where he helped Arkansas to four SEC championships, and two NCAA national team championships in 1998 (indoor and outdoor).

Johnson also ran for Long Beach City College, where he was team captain and MVP. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in physical education and recreation from Long Beach City College in 1996.

Johnson, who is currently in the process of finishing his master\'s degree in physical adaptation/education from Arkansas, hails from Prairie View, Texas.

Johnson and the Hokie sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers will compete in the North Carolina Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Chapel Hill.