“They announced the Coach of the Year award just after they named those who had earned All-District and the Athletes of the Year,” Bravin said. “It was quite a surprise.”

Bravin, who has coached at George Mason for eight years, has already had her share of successes as coach of the boys’ and girls’ cross-country and track and field teams. She has coached too many All-District, All-Region, and All-State honorees to mention in this space. Last year, the girls’ cross-country team placed second in the state, as did the boys’ team in 2003. Last spring, the boys’ track team earned itself some hardware by placing third at the state meet. The boys’ track team has also had two individual state champions and a state champion relay team, both within the last two seasons.