When CU cross country coach Mark Wetmore opened the van door with newly crowned champion听Kara听Grgas-Wheeler Goucher听(Psych鈥�01) to tell his team they had just won the 2000 NCAA Women鈥檚 Cross Country Championships, they told him, in no uncertain terms, 鈥淪hut the door!鈥� They were in Ames, Iowa, and it was minus 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
This was just one of the many stories recounted at the Cross Country and Track & Field Reunion Oct. 22-24 in 麻豆影院 to honor both the 2000 women鈥檚 cross country team and the 1985 men鈥檚 cross country team that finished third nationally.
Sprinter听Wayne Hardy听(CivEngr鈥�54) recalls taking his first ever airplane ride to a meet in Kansas. And听Cliff Branch听(A&S鈥�72) 鈥� after winning three Super Bowl rings with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 鈥� tells of the bitter disappointment he felt losing the Big 8 Indoor Track & Field Championship team title by only a few points.
As the night progressed, some stories may have been embellished, but there could be no denying the genuine friendships that were forged as CU student-athletes.
鈥淎s a student-athlete the experiences you have on a team are irreplaceable,鈥� says听Sara Gorton Slattery听(Bus, Econ鈥�03, MEdu鈥�05), who placed eighth in 2000 and is an Alumni C Club assistant. 鈥淵ou work together for the same goal each season and see your teammates go through the same sacrifices and struggles you do each day. 听Often, you鈥檙e away from home and your teammates become your family. You can鈥檛 re-create those friendships with anyone.鈥�
Clint Wells听(Psych鈥�98) had a successful postcollegiate distance running career, but his time at CU was invaluable.
鈥淟ook at this,鈥� he says, his arm sweeping over the crowd of former athletes. 鈥淭his is what it鈥檚 all about; it was always about being part of a team.鈥�
Dan Reese听(Psych鈥�85), pictured above and an inductee into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame and member of the 1985 men鈥檚 cross country team, says his team came together when听Mick Bannister鈥檚听(Geog, Math鈥�85) father died before regionals. Mick flew back to England for the funeral and missed the meet. He told the team that if they qualified for nationals he would 鈥渞un out of his mind.鈥� He did.
Jerry Quiller, coach of the 1985 team, sums up the weekend best when he says, 鈥淎s you get older your priorities transcend past winning and losing to health, family and friends.鈥�
Photo by CU Athletics听
