1978 Big Ten Cross Country Results

Belltower in 3rd!

hey, I was born then.

30 yrs. later, and the team results will look about the same!

coachkritter wrote:

30 yrs. later, and the team results will look about the same!

Yes, except for Minnesota and Michigan (2nd/5th in 2007) Badgers still very tough!

do you have results for the few years later after that. i would love to see them.

Where is Craig Virgin?

What year did he start college?

coachkritter wrote:

30 yrs. later, and the team results will look about the same!

Not if Penn State had been in the Big 10.

RunBackintime wrote:

Where is Craig Virgin?

What year did he start college?

He graduated a year earlier.

Craig enrolled in the University of Illinois in the fall of 1973, after setting the 2-mile national high school record (8:40.9) just a couple months earlier. He won the 1976 NCAA cross-country title, competed in his first Olympic Games that year, and went on to become the World Cross-Country Champion in 1979 and 1980. He set several American road and track records (27:29 in the 10,000m), ran a 2:10 marathon at Boston behind Toshiko Seko, and competed with the best around the world for many years.

Anybody know what Gerard Donakowski is up to these days?

Year Team Champion Individual Champion Time

1940 Indiana Wayne Tolliver (IN) 22:25

1941 Purdue Fred Wilt (IN) 20:01

1942 Indiana Earl Mitchell (IN) 21:09

1943 Purdue Eddie Ericsson (P) 21:53

1944 Wisconsin Willian Lawson (W) 21:16

1945 Wisconsin Victor Twomey (IL) 21:28

1946 Wisco & Indiana Earl Mitchell (IN) 21:10

1947 Illinois Don Gehrmann (W) 20:26

1948 Wisconsin Don Gehrmann (W) 20:31

1949 Wisconsin Don McEwen (MI) 19:44

1950 Wisconsin Don McEwen (MI) 19:34

1951 Michigan State Walter Dieke (W) 21:12

1952 Michigan State Rich Ferguson (LA) 19:40

1953 Michigan State Rich Ferguson (LA) 19:43

1954 Michigan James Lambert (IN) 19:59

1955 Michigan State Henry Kennedy (MS) 19:06

1956 Michigan State Henry Kennedy (MS) 20:25

1957 Michigan State Leonard Edelen (MN) 21:09

1958 Michigan State Charles Jones (IA) 20:18

1959 Michigan State Crawford Kennedy (MS) 19:35

1960 Michigan State Gerald Young (MS) 19:35

1961 Iowa James Tucker (IA) 19:50

1962 Michigan State Allen Carius (IL) 19:45

1963 Michigan State Allen Carius (IL) 19:39

1964 Minnesota Lee Assenheimer (N) 20:11

1965 Northwestern Lee Assenheimer (N) 20:05

1966 Iowa Larry Wieczorek (IA) 19:02

1967 Indiana Larry Wieczorek (IA) 24:17

1968 Michigan State Doug Scorrar (OH) 24:49

1969 Minnesota Garry Bjorkland (MN) 25:52

1970 Michigan State Garry Bjorkland (MN) 24:33

1971 Michigan State Garry Bjorkland (MN) 29:20

1972 Indiana Glenn Herold (W) 29:46

1973 Indiana Craig Virgin (IL) 28:30

1974 Michigan Craig Virgin (IL) 29:11

1975 Michigan Craig Virgin (IL) 23:04

1976 Michigan Craig Virgin (IL) 23:16

1977 Wisconsin Bill Donakowski (MI) 24:14

Tinman wrote:

Craig enrolled in the University of Illinois in the fall of 1973, after setting the 2-mile national high school record (8:40.9) just a couple months earlier. He won the 1976 NCAA cross-country title, competed in his first Olympic Games that year, and went on to become the World Cross-Country Champion in 1979 and 1980. He set several American road and track records (27:29 in the 10,000m), ran a 2:10 marathon at Boston behind Toshiko Seko, and competed with the best around the world for many years.

I think Virgin was WC Champion in 80 and 81?

Yes, you are right! Craig won the World Cross Country titles in 1980 and 1981. I think John Treacy (sp?) won 1978 and 1979. Thanks for the help.

What was the distance through 1966, 4.0 miles? 7 kilometers?

4 miles.

where did you find all of these results?

My excuse is that I ran that race with one shoe after the first mile. Donakowski stepped on the back of my foot (adidas Spider, green suede) and it flipped about 10 feet in the air. It took me until Spring 1982 to pay him back.

In the spring of 1979 I was running in Madison, WI, and as I approached the campus from the west side along Lake Mendota, I crossed paths with a small group of runners and asked if I could joined in. A guy at the front gave me a look that said "whatever." Turns out it was Steve Lacy, who was the reining NCAA cross country champion. He and his teammates were doing a recovery run.

I learned something new today, John Glidewell went to Ohio State.