Sept. 4, 2006
Auburn, Ala. - Auburn head women's basketball coach Nell Fortner will participate in the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), NCAA and International Olympic Committee's (IOC) fifth annual "Women in Coaching" program September 7-10 at the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs.
On Thursday evening, Fortner will join Karen Dennis and April Heinrichs on a panel that will share their Olympic Games experiences. Fortner served as head coach of the 2000 U.S. Women's Basketball team that captured the gold medal in Sydney, Australia. She begins her third season as head coach of the Auburn University women's basketball team this year.
Dennis was the head women's track and field coach in 2000 and under her leadership, Team USA earned four gold and three bronze medals. She is currently the head coach at Ohio State. Heinrichs was the Olympic coach for the women's soccer team in 2000 and 2004 and her 2004 team won the gold medal in Athens. She currently coaches at the University of California-Irvine.
"This program is designed to provide networking and educational opportunities for female coaches," Cathy Sellers of the USOC Coaching and Performance Services said. "We have a need to have more women involved in coaching in this country. The positive female coaching role model is an important model for our young women."
The focus of this conference is on leadership and coaching and it is designed around the issues that face female coaches. It will feature a weekend of learning, camaraderie and developing networks of coaches. Approximately 70 coaches from a variety of winter and summer sports are expected to participate.
For more information, please contact Danielle Appelman in the USOC Media & Public Relations Division at (719) 866-2221.