Tom Graves:
Sophomore year: 5th in State CC
2 mile champion, 9:00 y
Junior year: State Champ, 14:08 CC
2 mile champion: 8:52 y
Mile runner-up: 4:08 y
90+ degree day
Senior year: State Champ, 13:56.6 XC
2 mile and mile champ - ran to win, not for time
I never ran for a team until my sophomore year of high school I had run 6:48 for the mile in gym class as a freshmen, but did not go out for Cross - played basketball. As a sophomore, decided to go out for the team when Coach John Kurtz asked me for a 2nd time in before gym class started. Next day ran 5:45 in gym class.
Practiced with the team on Thursday and Friday by running 2 miles each day, then raced at the Warren Invite on Saturay in NBA low tops - 3 miles, 19:05 for 30th place in the open race.
One week later, raced at the Du Page county meet in Glen Ellyn, 27th place 17:27, in the sophomore race. Three days later we raced are rival high school Lake Park (Lance Murphy, a former JSRC alum, is the coach there and has done a great job), ran 16:48 for 3 miles for 4th in the Varsity race. We lost by 1 point as a team.
Last race of the season, Conference meet, ran 15:41 for 3 miles for 3rd at the Varsity level.
In outdoor track, I ran 9:21.7yards, while as you can see, Tom was well ahead.
I was 2nd as a junior in Cross, 14:16 and 2nd as a senior, 14:00. Coach Kurtz put me in more 880's indoors, and I think I was ranked 9th in the country indoors for the 880. I ran 49.7 for 440y at the Conference meet, and came back 8 minutes later to run 4:13.9 for the mile, both PR's.
I think with the speed I showed, and fun it was to race at different distances, Coach K decided I would run the 880. Ran 1:50.26, fastest time in the country for a high school runner.
Next week, won the 2 mile in 9:11.7 at the Quad State meet (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio) and was the 2nd leg on the 4x880 winning team (John Sullivan, Maurice Street and Tracey Cahill were team members). It was a very hot day, and Brad Rowe from Indiana was in the race - thinking he ran sub 9 that year, went on to Princeton.
Next week at the International Prep Invitational, ran 4:06.2 mile (61-62-63-60) to win and PR.
Tom beat me in the NCAA cross-country meet in 1978, 13th place to my 15th place (Rudy Chapa was inbetween us, now his son Joquium runs for Oregon or recently graduated). As a sophomore, finally placed ahead of Tom at NCAA cross nationals - 21st to 23rd. I think Alan Scharsu was 25th, a stud from Ohio how went on to Penn State, same year as Tom and I.
The speed I developed in HS never left me, and really helped me to change gears in college and post college.
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