Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 16
1911—France’s Jean Bouin ran 30:58.8 for 10,000-meters in Colombes, France, to set the first World Record ratified by the IAAF. Bouin would win the silver medal in the 5000-meters at the 1912 Olympics. He was killed in action in 1914 during World War I.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_world_record_progression
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bouin
1912–Brown University’s Norman Taber won the first New England Intercollegiate (NEICAAA) x-country title at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, Mass. Taber had earlier won a bronze medal in the 1500 meters and a gold medal in the team 3000 meters at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Taber would later run 4:12 3/5 for the mile to break the amateur (4:14.4) and Walter George’s professional (4:12 ¾) records.
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Taber
1968—Bolstered by top-10 finishes from three international freshmen, including individual “winner” Maurice Benn, Nevada “won” the NCAA College Division X-Country title by 63 points over Eastern Illinois (56-119). Benn, representing Great Britain, had competed in the first round of the 1500 meters at the Mexico City Olympics.
However, the NCAA ruled a few months later that some of Nevada’s runners were academically ineligible, stripping the school of its title and retroactively giving Eastern Illinois its 2nd straight win. Benn was one of those runners and he also lost the individual title, with Portland State’s Dave Robbins moving up to 1st place.
https://sagehens.com/sports/2023/8/28/d3-cross-country-historians-report.aspx
https://www.eiurunning.com/pages/?page=10
1974—Mike Boit, already one of the best ½-milers in the world, finished 1st to lead Eastern New Mexico to its 2nd straight NAIA X-Country title as the team scored a record-low total of 28 points in Salina, Kansas. Boit, who was tripped in the 1973 race, would win his 2nd NAIA title in 1975.
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Boit
1996—Led by the 3rd straight individual win by Cari Rampersad, Simon Fraser (75) defeated 4-time defending champion Puget Sound (114) to win the Women’s team title at the NAIA X-Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Lubbock Christian won its 7th consecutive Men’s team title (they would win again in 1997). Life’s Silah Misoi was the individual winner.
1996—Winners at the NCAA Div.III X-Country Championships in Rock Island, Illinois, were (Men) Wisconsin-LaCrosse and North Central’s Matt Brill and (Women) Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Luther’s Turena Johnson.
Results: Women Men M-Teams
NCAA Div.III History: https://sagehens.com/sports/2023/8/28/d3-cross-country-historians-report.aspx
NAIA History:
Men: https://www.naia.org/sports/mxc/Records/MXC_Championship_Records.pdf
Women: https://www.naia.org/sports/wxc/Records/WXC_Championship_Records.pdf
Born On This Day*
Mario Sategna 53 (1972) Assistant Coach at Texas A&M
Formerly coached at Texas and Arkansas…coached 2-time decathlon World Champion Trey Hardee throughout
his career; Assistant U.S. Coach—2016 Olympics
1995 NCAA Champion—Decathlon (LSU/NCAA-1993-6th, 1994-5th)
Married to Dahlia Duhaney, a member of Jamaica’s winning 4×100 relay at the 1991 World Championships
PB:8107 (1997)
Texas A&M Bio:
https://12thman.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/coaches/mario-sategna/1681
http://kxan.com/2016/07/26/longhorns-mario-sategna-to-coach-for-team-usa-in-rio/
Mel Mueller 53 (1972) 2000 U.S. Olympian—Pole Vault (qual.round)
One of the early stars of the women’s PV
2003 Pan-American Games Champion
5th at the 1999 World Indoor Championships
Ranked among the top-5 U.S. women 7 years in a row (1997-2003/#2-1999)
PB: 15-1 (4.60/2002)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89153
https://www.facebook.com/neovault/videos/mel-mueller-clears-145/10150120032913203/
https://www.facebook.com/neovault/videos/mel-mueller-big-clearance/10150120027388203/
Reuben Reina 58 (1967) 1990 NCAA Indoor Champion—3000m(Arkansas)
1992 U.S. Olympian-5000m (1st round)
2-time U.S. X-Country Champion (1994,1996)
6th in the 3000m at the 1995 World Indoor Championships
1985 Foot Locker Champion—set the current Balboa Park Record of 14:36.8
Comes from a running family (all competed for Arkansas)—wife Joell, son Reuben, Jr, daughter Valerie, brothers
Randy and Roland, niece Janice.
PBs: 3:40.81 (1990), 4:02.38 (1992), 7:43.02 (1991), 13:24.78 (1991), 28:33.12 (1997)
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/reuben-reina-14249346
FL Record:
http://www.espn.com/blog/high-school/track-and-xc/post/_/id/570/for-26-years-reinas-record-has-held
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78937
Bert Cameron—Jamaica 66 (1959) 3-time NCAA Champion—400m (UTEP/’80,’81,’83—lost the 1982 title by .02s)
1983 World Champion.
Was one of the favorites heading into the 1984 Olympics. Made it through the first two rounds in L.A., but a cramp in
his left hamstring almost forced him to come to a complete stop in his semi-final race. As the rest of the field
started to pull away, he somehow recovered from the cramp and wound up qualifying for the final with his 4th-place
finish. Unfortunately, he was unable to go to the starting line in the final 2 days later.
Was the flag-bearer for Jamaica at the 1984 Olympics
1988 Olympic silver medalist—4×400 (6th-400); PB: 44.50 (1988)
Inducted into the Collegiate T&F Hall of Fame in 2025
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/72262
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Cameron
1984 OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=739obUjfV9I
Mark Nenow 68 (1957) Ran 27:20.56 for 10,000-meters in Brussels in 1986 to break Alberto Salazar’s
American Record of 27:25.61…Mark lasted for 15 years until Meb Keflezighi ran 27:13.98 in 2001.
Silver medalist (team) at the 1981 World X-Country Championships
All-American at Kentucky-NCAA: 10,000 (7th-1980); XC (17th-1979)
Son Jacob is currently a member of the Princeton track team (’28)
PBs: 7:43.01 (1989), 13:18.54 (1984), 27:20.56 (1986), 2:14:21 (1988)
A Look Back (2011): http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/25-laps-25-years-later
T&F News Interview: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mark-nenow.pdf
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=411546
Herb Washington 75 (1950) 2-time NCAA Indoor Champion—60y (Michigan State/1970,1972)
“Played” baseball for the Oakland A’s (signed by Charlie Finley)…was used exclusively as a pinch-
runner. He played 104 games without batting, pitching, or fielding. He stole 30 bases & scored
33 runs.
Chairman of the committee in Youngstown, Ohio, that helped create a statue commemorating “The Handshake of the
Century”—Making his debut as the only Black player in an otherwise all-White League, Jackie Robinson hit his first
home run for the Montreal Royals, the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Shaking his hand as he crossed home
plate was the next batter, George Shuba (a native of Youngstown). Check out the links below for the full story.
http://www.msuspartans.com/genrel/021907aac.html
(2009): http://www.mlive.com/living/flint/index.ssf/2009/02/former_pro_athlete_herb_washin.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jackie-robinson-george-shuba-and-the-handshake-of-the-century/
Deceased
Mel “Pell Mell” Patton 89 (1924-May 9, 2014) 1948 Olympic gold medalist—200m, 4×100 (finished a disappointing 5th in
the 100); 6’-0”, 148
OG 4×100-Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, Harrison Dillard, Mel Patton
5-time NCAA Champion—100 (USC/1947y,1948m,1949y); 200/220 (1948, 1949y)
Ran 9.3 for 100-yards at the 1948 West Coast Relays to break the World Record of 9.4 that he had shared with,
among others, Jesse Owens. Broke another Owens record (20.3) when he ran 20.2 for 200 meters on the straight
in 1948.
Anchored USC to two World Records in the 880y-relay in 1949 (1:24.4, 1:24.0)
Overcame a serious leg injury as a youngster
Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1985
Frank Litsky’s NY Times Obituary:
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78882
OG 4×100 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geJSt3geSw
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mel-patton
Time Magazine Cover: http://olympics.time.com/2012/07/02/time-covers-the-olympics/slide/track-star-mel-patton/
Don Gehrmann 94 (1927-July 23, 2022) 1948 Olympic finalist—1500m(8th)
4-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games
3-time NCAA Champion (Wisconsin)—1500 (1948)/mile (1949,1950)
All-American in x-country—2nd in 1948 and 1949
2-time U.S. Indoor Champion—1000y (1952-set a World Record of 2:08.2, 1953)
A Look Back (2012): http://tinyurl.com/DonGehrmannLooksBack12
And Again in 2017: https://uwbadgers.com/news/2017/6/20/general-camp-randall-100-don-gehrmann.aspx
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78443
Wisconsin Hall of Fame: https://uwbadgers.com/hof.aspx?hof=71
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be5CsqXDIRo
1951 NYAC Games: https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-6267026-circa-1950s—don-gehrmann-jim-fuchs
Chick Hislop 86 (1936-Feb.22, 2023) Was the head coach at Weber State for 38 years
Assistant U.S. coach—1996 Olympics
Member of the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Assn.) Hall of Fame
Author of “Drills, Techniques & Training For Championship Steeplechase” (coached Farley Gerber to the 1984 NCAA
title in the Steeplechase)
Tributes: Weber State USTFCCCA
Podcast (2020): https://soundcloud.com/wsuwildcats/chick-hislop-051320
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/chick-hislop-ustfccca-class-of-2010
Don Lippincott 68 (1893-Jan.9, 1962) 2-time medalist at the 1912 Olympics—100(bronze), 200(silver)
Set the 1st IAAF-ratified World Record in the 100-Meters when he ran 10.6 in his heat at the Olympics
1913 IC4A Champion-220y/straight (Penn)…equaled the World Record of 21.2
1915 Penn Relays Champion-Mile Relay—team set a World Record of 3:18.0 (WR at the time in the 4×400 was
3:16.6)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78705
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Lippincott
https://pennathletics.com/sports/2016/7/6/_131485204760460180.aspx
Emil Breitkreutz 88 (1883-May 3, 1972) 1904 Olympic bronze medalist—800m
The first of many USC Trojans to compete (and win a medal) at the Olympics
Also USC’s first basketball coach
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78145
USC Pioneer:
https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2020/07/04/emil-breitkreutz-a-usc-pioneer-in-more-ways-than-one/