Top left, clockwise, 2018 Armory HOF Coaches: James Schlentz, Tim St. Lawrence, Marty Brown, Claude Toukene and Horrace Sutherland. Photos courtesy to The Armory.

NEW YORK, December 3, 2018 –The4^thAnnual Coaches Hall of Fame Invitationalto be held Saturday, December 15^thwill recognize five legendary high school track & field coaches at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Centerin Washington Heights.

Those coaches selected by The Armory Foundation are Marty Brown(Kellenberg Memorial High School); James Schlentz(Colts Neck High School in N.J.); Tim St. Lawrence(Warwick Valley High School and Hudson Valley Flying Circus Pole Vault Academy); Horace Sutherland(Paul Robeson Campus High School); and Claude Toukene(Western Branch High School in Virginia).

“The five coaches being inducted this year are not only some of the most successful coaches in U.S. track and field history but all are considered to be outstanding educators and leaders of our youth," said Tim Fulton, The Armory Foundation's Director of High School Track and Field.  “I have known gotten to know many of them personally over the years and they inspired not only the athletes they coached but also the coaches they coached against.  They truly are the best of the best in every aspect."

The Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational is one of The Armory’s largest and most action-packed high school events during the indoor season. More than 4,000 athletes representing 160 high school track & field teams will be on hand including many of the top track & field programs in the metropolitan area. 

The day’s signature moment takes place at 12:50 p.m. when likenesses of the five coaches will be unveiled on The Armory’s Hall of Fame wall. 

The Armory Foundation is proud to honor the high school coaches who have devoted their lives to developing student-athletes both on and off the track. The Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational celebrates these leaders who instill good values and a love for the sport of track & field in their athletes. Visit armorytrack.comto find reserved seating information for this meet and many others.

Following are the five Hall of Fame coaches and their outstanding achievements:

·     Marty Brown- Brown has coached cross country and track at Kellenberg Memorial High School in New York since 1998. He led his girls’ team to its first-ever CHSAA championship in 2004, and added 16 NSCHSGAA team titles on top of that. Brown has also survived cancer, and was twice named the Long Island Coach of the Year by Newsday.

·     James Schlentz- Schlentz has coached distance at Colts Neck High School in New Jersey since 1998. His teams have won eight state titles, and his athletes have won seven individual or relay national championships. Schlentz previously coached at Wagner College and LaSalle University, and also has experience coaching elite athletes, having guided six runners to the Olympic Trials.

·     Tim St. Lawrence- St. Lawrence served as the cross country and track coach at Warwick Valley High School in New York from 1974-2007, where he won 87 section championships and five state championships. He also co-founded the Hudson Valley Flying Circus Pole Vault Academy in 2006, where he continues to coach. St. Lawrence has mentored a total of 50 All-Americans, and was named the 1997 cross country coach of the year by the NHSFAA.

·     Horace Sutherland- Sutherland is the track & field coach at Paul Robeson Campus High School in Brooklyn. His athletes have won nearly 100 PSAL city championships, along with 16 state championships. Sutherland was mentored in his early years by Glenn Mills, known as the ‘King of Sprint’ in Jamaica for his work with athletes such as Usain Bolt.

·     Claude Toukene- Toukene coached cross country and track at Western Branch High School in Virginia from 2005-2018. His teams won 27 state championships, and athletes that he coached broke ten national records and 23 state records. Toukene is also a special education teacher, and has ventured into other fields such as counseling and physical therapy.