2017 Honorary Referees

Michelle Carter

2016 Olympic Gold Medalist and current American record holder in the event with a distance of 20.63 m (67 ft 8 in) set at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Michelle won the 2016 gold medal at the Rio Olympics on the last of her six throws, edging two-time defending champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand. In doing so, Carter became the first United States women's athlete to win the event since the women's competition began at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London, England, and only the second American to win any medal (Earlene Brown, bronze medal, 1960).

She won the silver medal at the 2001 World Youth Championships, gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships and gold medal at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. She finished fifteenth at the 2008 Olympic Games and fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games.

In addition to winning the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials, she was the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 National Champion. While competing for the University of Texas, she won the Collegiate National Championship in 2006.

Michelle is a graduate of Red Oak High School. Her father, Michael Carter, is also an Olympian and former NFL star — the only athlete to win an Olympic medal and a Super Bowl ring in the same year. Michelle and her father once held the National High School Record in the shot put at the same time, the only such father-and-daughter situation. Michelle set her record in 2003 while winning the Texas state championship; her father's record has been unchallenged since 1979.

 

Coach Mark Brady

Coach Mark Brady has taught Science and Physical Education, while coaching football, track, and cross country for over 35 years at DeSoto, Mansfield, Fort Worth Country Day and Arlington Oakridge High School. During that time period, Brady coached over 100 athletes to go on to compete at the college level, including 25 Collegiate All-Americans, an NCAA National Champion in track, a Doak Walker winner, and 14 NFL players, including the 2016 Super Bowl MVP.

He has been invited to speak on his sprint training program at high school track clinics across the country, including being a keynote speaker at the both the New Mexico and Missouri Track and Field Coaches Association Clinics. Brady was also a part of Championship Production’s High School Blueprint for Success video series, where he produced a video on sprint training.

During his time at Mansfield High School, Brady led the boys’ team to its first District Championship in track in 25 years, while setting school records in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100 relay and Discus, as well as the National Prep 100m record with a time of 10.15.

In a little over two decades at DeSoto High School, Brady guided the boys track team to 20 District titles, four Regional Titles, two State Runner-up finishes, and a State Championship in 2012 – the first time in Texas history the boys and girls teams from the same school won state in the biggest classification (5A at the time – now 6A). In 2010, Brady’s 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams swept gold at the State Meet on the way to running the Nation’s fastest time in each event. In 2012, Brady’s relay teams again posted the fastest national times with a blistering 40.09 in the 4x1 and 1:24.04 in the 4x2.

At Ft. Worth Country Day and Oakridge, Brady has guided the boys and girls track teams to 15 school records and a third place finish in the girls 4x200m relay at Texas Relays.  In 2016 the girls medaled in the fastest 4x100 relay in the history of the SPC.   

Mark has been married to his wife Robbie for 36 years, and they have two grown children – Cory and Kelly, with two grandchildren on the way.