Sept. 19, 2007

Chapel Hill, N.C. - The University of North Carolina track and field head coach Dennis Craddock has announced the hiring of two new members to his coaching staff. Anthony Parker along with 1999 alum Nadine Faustin-Parker will join the UNC coaching staff after serving in various roles at University of Texas a year ago.

Parker comes to Chapel Hill after working in Austin at the University of Texas with the women's track and field program for over two years. He was a part of the Outdoor 2005 and Indoor 2006 National Championship Titles for the women's program. Coach Anthony Parker will be the horizontal jumps coach at UNC. Parker is a graduate of St. Augustine's College located in Raleigh, N.C. Shortly after graduating he began his coaching career. Parker has coached at the high school level, collegiate level, and professional level.

"I've known Coach Parker for several years. I got to know him as a high school coach here in the state of North Carolina," said head coach Dennis Craddock. "He did a tremendous job then and has done a great job at the University of Texas, helping their women's program. He will help me in the long jump, triple jump, and recruiting. We are happy to have Coach Parker with us, a coach and teacher of young men and women."

It is not by coincidence that the two newcomers share the same last name as Nadine Faustin-Parker is Coach Parker's wife of 2 years. She has been appointed as the Director of Operations/Administration for the track and field program after having worked with the football athletic academic department at the University of Texas, in Austin. Faustin-Parker is not a stranger to the University of North Carolina as she was a student-athlete who graduated from Carolina in 1999 with All-America honors in the sport. She has been representing the Republic of Haiti in the 100m hurdles for the last nine years. She is a two-time Olympian, having participated in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. She was a semi-finalist in Athens 2004. She is the national record holder in 5 different events for her country. In 2006, she set a new national record in the 60m hurdles under the direction of her husband and coach, Anthony Parker.

"I'm really glad to be back here in North Carolina, this is home to me. I really hope the student-athletes will use me as a resource because I want to see them realize their dreams," Nadine Faustin-Parker said.

"Nadine was inducted into our UNC Track and Field Hall of Honor in 2007. She is a great lady, a great athlete, and has done a great job in athletic academics at the University of Texas. We are happy she has returned to be with us in 'Blue Heaven',"added Craddock.