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Tuesday, May 23, 2000

Loud unsure
of track job

The former Wahine
star is still considering
her options

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

The University of Hawaii expects Gwen Loud Johnson to accept the position of women's track and field coach tomorrow.

But Loud Johnson, who won the 1984 NCAA long jump title as a member of the Wahine team, said this morning she is still uncertain about what she will do.

"We are going to talk," she said. Loud Johnson said she didn't get the official offer of the job until she and Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano finally made contact on Monday. "There are a lot of things to consider," she said. "Today I was checking into daycare."

Loud Johnson, who lives in Cerritos, Calif., has a two-year-old son, Manoah, and her husband works as a mortgage broker.

Asked what the likelihood was of her accepting the job, she said, "At this point, I am not ready to make any comments at all."

Loud Johnson, has not been officially announced as the school's choice for the job. Senior women's administrator Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, while not mentioning Loud Johnson's name, said, "We will have an acceptance on Wednesday."

The coaching selection committee picked Loud Johnson's name from a final field of four candidates on Friday.

Loud told the Star-Bulletin she did not return calls from Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano the first day, partly because she'd lost her home number. She did make an attempt to call Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano on Saurday but did not reach her.

Loud, who has been an assistant coach at UC Irvine, Long Beach State, and Fresno City College, beat out three finalists with strong credentials.

The unusuccessful candidates were 25-year University of Idaho head coach Mike Keller, who coached Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O'Brien; renowned exercise physiologist, coach and author Jack Daniels, who coached Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit; and former Canadian national team head coach Carmyn James.

All three of the unsuccessful candidates said they had line up talented athletes who are ready to commit to Hawaii.

James's recruiting areas include not only Canada and the U.S., but also the Caribbean and Australia, where she has lectured. She said that Sarah McDermott, Canada's top collegiate high jumper, would join her in Hawaii if she got the job.

Keller said he has five athletes ready to come in immediately and Daniels, formerly a professor at Hawaii, said he also has a handful of outstanding prospects.

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UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii