Tennessee selected J.J. Clark to head a combined men’s and women’s track and field/cross country program. Clark led the Lady Vols to two NCAA championships and six conference titles in the last seven seasons.  It is the first Tennessee sport to combine and the ninth SEC school to combine track and field programs. Before coming to Tennessee in 2003, Clark spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Florida.

Other transactions

Coaches

Baseball assistants: Tennessee hired Jason Beverlin to coach pitchers. Beverlin was an assistant with Georgia Southern for the past two seasons. Before that, he played professionally for 13 years.

Men’s basketball assistants: Jamie Kachmarik and Jason Capel will join the Appalachian State staff. Kachmarik spent the last six seasons at Coastal Carolina. This is Capel’s first coaching job.

Men’s and women’s golf: William Smith basketball coach Lindsay Drury also will coach the golf team in 2009-10. She replaces George Dornberger, who resigned after two seasons.

Men’s and women’s track and field assistants: Colorado State-Pueblo hired former Western Carolina grad assistant Jennifer Spivey as an assistant with the women’s program. Spivey specialized in sprints, hurdles and relays with the Catamounts.

Conferences: The Missouri Valley Conference announced officers for the 2009-10 year: Presidents Council Chair Samuel Goldman, chancellor at Southern Illinois; President Harold Bardo, faculty athletics representative from Southern Illinois; Vice President Bruce Rasmussen, athletics director at Creighton; and Vice President Sarah Solinsky, senior woman administrator at Evansville.