July 9, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Maryland track and field Head Coach Andrew Valmon has been selected to coach the relay teams for the U.S. National Teams at the NACAC Championships July13-15 in San Salvador, El Salvador. The event will mark the first ever Championship for the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC).

Valmon's relay teams will compete in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays on Sunday July 15. The women's final in the 4x100m is set for 6:40 p.m., and will be followed by the men's final in that event, and the women's and men's finals for the 4x400m.

Relay coaches are appointed by Brooks Johnson, the former USA Track and Field High Performance Chair. Valmon has experienced success in international relay competition as a player. He earned gold medals as a member of the United States 4x400m relay teams in 1988 and 1992.

The American relay teams have had great success in recent years. The men's 4x400m team captured gold in the 2005 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Championships in 2005, and won gold in the 4x100m race in the IAAF Championships in 2003. The women's team won gold in the 4x100m in 2005 and the 4x400m in 2003 at the IAAF Championships.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the women's team earned the gold medal in the 4x400m relay. The men's team captured the silver medal in the 4x100m and the gold in the 4x400m relay.