Hall of Fame
The 1981 Trenton State College women’s cross country team made the most of the inaugural NCAA Division III Championships as the Lions ran their way to a second-place finish, making the program’s debut in the championships a memorable one.
The team, which was guided by first-year head coach Gordon Rackley, finished with 70 team points and trailed only Central (Iowa) College in the final standings of the event held at Carthage College in Wisconsin.
A key part of the team’s success at the NCAA Championships was due to the efforts of a pair of All-Americans. The top Lions finisher in the race was Colleen Casey as she placed 19th overall with a time of 19:59. She was followed closely by teammate Joann Potts in 22nd with a clocking of 20:02. Both runners earned All-American honors by placing in the top 25.
There was plenty of support for the Lions as Eileen Guinee was the team’s third runner to cross the finish line boasting a time of 20:27 with teammate Mickie Griffiths right behind her at 20:28. Missy Wenczel also finished in the top 50 of the race with a time of 20:51, while Donna Konesky (22:06) and Janice Chiavacci (23:34) added to team’s high finish.
Leading up to the NCAA Championships, the Lions had plenty of success claiming the Collegiate Track Conference Championship and then clinched a spot at the national event winning the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional. The team had previously taken top honors at the Albany Invitational.
In addition to the invitational titles, the Lions also had plenty of success in dual meets boasting an 8-1 mark and were crowned Division II and III state champions.
