NEW YORK, N.Y. — Fans of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore track & field team already know head coach Ernest Barrett as a steady force in Princess Anne since 1999. During that span of time, he has coached championship teams and Olympic caliber athletes.

In recognition of the hard work Coach Barrett has put in at UMES, the organizers of the Armory Track Invitational in New York City honored him as the 2015 recipient of the Irv Mondschein Award, given to a track & field coach with an exemplary record. Past honorees include Fred Dwyer of Manhattan, Russ Rogers of Ohio State, Norm & Jan Ogilvie of Duke, as well as the award’s namesake, Irv Mondschein. The winner is selected out of all the Division I coaches who have participated in the Armory Track Invitational.

Coach Barrett arrived in Princess Anne after coming from Coppin State. Over 15 years, his teams have won five conference championships, most recently this past fall in men’s cross country. Star athletes Barrett has coached ranged from world class runners like Allodin Fothergill and Lenora Guion-Furmin to high tossing field stars like Dillon Simon.

Barrett honed his craft at George Mason in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and excelled in the half time during his time as a Patriot.

Irv Mondschein is a former PSAL champion in Boys High School and NCAA Champion who competed in the 1948 Olympic Decathlon before going on to become a lifelong coach in the Eastern United States.