Dr. Doug Sharp is in his eighth year as an assistant coach with the Cardinal track and field program and will coordinate the conditioning for the U of L pole vaulters. Two years ago, Sharp earned national acclaim as he pushed the United States' four-man bobsled team to a bronze medal finish at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, a feat many had deemed impossible. Sharp spent four years as a member of the U.S. National Bobsled team. His four-man crew won the 1999 U.S. National Championships and gained a third-place finish in the 2000 individual "Push" championships. A 1993 graduate of Purdue University and a doctor of chiropractic, Sharp is a former Big Ten Champion and NCAA qualifier in the pole vault. Holding a personal-best height of 18-5, Sharp was ranked 35th in the World in 1996 and came just short of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials when a broken foot curtailed his training in that same year. Ironically, that injury is what led him to bobsledding, as his rehab program was led by a member of the U.S. Bobsled team. As a coach, Sharp initiated and organized the return of the vault event to the Louisville program and has had unparalleled success. His vault group has been arguably the best in Conference USA and represents one of the strongest areas of the Cardinal program. The Alpena, Mich., native is responsible for building the U of L men's pole vaulting team in 1997 and introducing the first Cardinal women to the vault in 2000. He saw immediate success as then-freshman Randalene Sergent gained a runner-up finish at the women's C-USA Outdoor Championships. The 2001 season culminated with a men's conference champion, a women's conference indoor runner-up, three school records, four outdoor conference scorers and a freshman school-best, plus two women vaulters over 12 feet. Prior to coming to U of L, Sharp spent three years as an assistant at Augustana (Ill.) College, where he developed three national qualifiers (NCAA III) in the vault. He also initiated and developed nationally-ranked female vaulter Kim Wallace-Becker, who cleared over 12-feet within six months of training with Coach Sharp. |
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