Patterson Medal Winners
Couch, Sharon
Sharon Couch
- Induction:
- 1991
- Class:
- 1991
1991— Sharon Couch: Women's Track and Field (Rice, Va.)
Became the first Black female student-athlete to win the Patterson Medal. In her four seasons of indoor and outdoor competition as a Tar Heel, she won eight individual ACC titles and led UNC to seven consecutive league championships.
Couch was selected as the outstanding performer at three ACC championship meets and qualified for eight indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. A five-time collegiate All-America and four-time team captain, Couch became the first UNC female athlete to earn an Olympic track and field berth when she competed in the 1992 games in Barcelona in her specialty, the long jump, and finished sixth. Couch competed in the 2000 Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles and made it to the semifinals.
She left UNC holding school records in the indoor and outdoor long jump, the 55-meter hurdles, the outdoor long jump, the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay, and was second in the 55-meter and 100-meter dashes. She set the 100-meter record at 13.38 seconds in 1991 at the Penn Relays. Couch was also a member of five U.S. teams at World Championships in 11 years competing as a professional long jumper and sprint hurdler. She was the U.S. champion in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2000.
Couch is the first Black female to earn her Ph.D. degree in sports psychology at the University of Tennessee.
Became the first Black female student-athlete to win the Patterson Medal. In her four seasons of indoor and outdoor competition as a Tar Heel, she won eight individual ACC titles and led UNC to seven consecutive league championships.
Couch was selected as the outstanding performer at three ACC championship meets and qualified for eight indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. A five-time collegiate All-America and four-time team captain, Couch became the first UNC female athlete to earn an Olympic track and field berth when she competed in the 1992 games in Barcelona in her specialty, the long jump, and finished sixth. Couch competed in the 2000 Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles and made it to the semifinals.
She left UNC holding school records in the indoor and outdoor long jump, the 55-meter hurdles, the outdoor long jump, the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay, and was second in the 55-meter and 100-meter dashes. She set the 100-meter record at 13.38 seconds in 1991 at the Penn Relays. Couch was also a member of five U.S. teams at World Championships in 11 years competing as a professional long jumper and sprint hurdler. She was the U.S. champion in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2000.
Couch is the first Black female to earn her Ph.D. degree in sports psychology at the University of Tennessee.
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