Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service ([email protected])
This Day in Track & Field—January 8
1928 lloyd hahn ran 1:53.8 in Brooklyn to set World Records at 800-meters and 880-yards. The 2-time U.S. Olympian was 6th in the
1500 at the 1924 Games, 5th in the 800 in 1928.
1971–Dr. Delano Meriwether had gained some attention in the track world in 1970 when this “unknown” started running some fast times for the 100-yard dash at some low-key meets on the East coast. Meriwether said to his wife after watching some of the sport’s top sprinters on TV earlier that summer, “Hey, I can beat those guys”, and that led to the beginning of an improbable career. (He had competed in some meets in the Midwest during the early stages of his medical career).
But now, at the CYO meet on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, his first major indoor meet, he was up against some of the same men that had inspired his entry into the sport–world-class sprinters like Charlie Greene, Mel Pender, Ivory Crockett, and Don Quarrie.
Greene was eliminated in the heats of the 60-yard dash, while Pender had equalled the World Record of 5.9 in his qualifying race.
Attired in what would become his trademark outfit of a hospital shirt, gold swim trunks, and suspenders(!), Meriwether proceeded to beat Pender in the final, with both being clocked in 6-flat, and a legend was born!
Meriwether would later win the 100y at the U.S. Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, but a knee injury suffered during the 1972 indoor season dashed any hopes he had of making the U.S. Olympic team. Check the links below for much more on this fascinating story.
Other notable winners at the meet included Lee Evans, who improved his World Record for 500-yards to 54.4, and Tom Von Ruden, who set an American Record of 1:48.5 in the 1/2-mile
SI Cover Photo:
2022—Winners (and notable finishers) at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in San Diego:
Senior Men(10k):1.Shadrack Kipchirchir 30:32, 2.Dillon Maggard 30:34, 3.Sam Chelanga 30:34, 4.Leonard Korir 30:37, 5.Benard
Keter 30:49…7.Ben Blankenship 31:37…9,Futsum Zienasellassie 32:03
Senior Women(10k):1.Alicia Monson 34:01, 2.Weini Kelati 34:18, 3.Emily Infeld 34:36, 4.Emily Durgin 34:50, 5.Stephanie Bruce
34:50, 6.Natosha Rogers 34:54…8.Molly Seidel
Junior/Under 20 Women: 1.Zariel Macchia (William Floyd H.S.,NY)
Junior/Under 20 Men: 1.Gabe Simonsen (Oklahoma State)
Born On This Day*
Quincy Wilson 18 (2008) 2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400! (ran 1st round)
16 at the time, he became the youngest male Olympic gold medalist in history (was already the youngest ever U.S.
male Olympian)
Made the U.S. team with his 6th place finish in the 400 at the U.S. Trials—ran 44.66 in the 1st round in Eugene to break the 42-
year old U.S. High School Record of 44.69 that was set by Darrell Robinson in 1982!—improved the record to 44.59 in his
semi-final race before running 44.94 in the final. He would then run a sensational 44.20 in Gainesville, Florida, on July 19
before heading to Paris for the Olympics (bettering his World Youth/Under-18 Record). Improved the H.S. and WY records to
44.10 in 2025. Eliminated in the qualifying round at the 2025 U.S. Championships
Ran a surprisingly “slow” 47.27 on the lead-off leg in the heats of the 4 x400, handing off in 7th place, but the U.S. still managed
to qualify for the final. All he would say after the race was “I wasn’t 100% myself”. (It was later revealed that he was dealing
with a sore hamstring)
4×400 Final (includes shot of Wilson cheering from the stands alongside his parents, Monique and Roy.
2023 New Balance Indoor Champion-400m (2nd Outdoors)…won Indoors (setting a U.S. High School Indoor
Record of 45.76) and Outdoors in 2024
Currently a senior at The Bullis School (MD)…will attend Maryland in the fall
Set U.S. High School freshmen Indoor Records in the 300 (34.11), 400 (46.67), 500 (1:02.63), and 600 (1:17.80) in 2023
Added sophomore records in 2024 in the 400 (45.76), 500 (1:01.27), and 600 (1:17.36), and got the junior records in the
400 (45.66) and 600 (1:16.20) in 2025
Has been competing since the age of 8… “As Wilson approached high school, his parents, Monique and Roy Wilson, sought a
school with a coaching staff that could get the most of his talent. The family relocated from Chesapeake, Va., to Gaithersburg,
Md., so Wilson could attend Bullis, in nearby Potomac, from which his cousin, Shaniya Hall, who now runs at Oregon, graduated
in 2020.” (From the Washington Post article linked below)
Member of the football team in his freshman year, but is now fully concentrating on track
Also excels in the classroom—maintains an A average. “Athletics isn’t guaranteed. I could walk out of this room right now and
something goes wrong. But the one thing that nobody can ever take away from me is my brains and my knowledge,” he said.
“Track isn’t going to be there forever. Regardless of how successful your career goes, you need to have some type of
education and degree so that you can excel in this world.” (From the NBC News link below)
One of (if not THE) the youngest athletes to sign an NIL deal (New Balance).
Coached by Joe Lee, who has turned Bullis into one of the top prep programs in the U.S.
FloTrack Podcast (2024):
https://www.flotrack.org/collections/6752165-the-flotrack-podcast-clips/video?playing=11854575
PBs: 21.02i (2024), 32.94i (Dec.’25), 45.66i (2025), 44.10 (2025/HSR), 1:01.27i (2024/#2 All-Time), 1:16.20i (2025/#2
A-T); 2026 SBs: 21.73i, 1:02.05i
Jessica Beard—37 (1989) 2011 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion-400m, 4×400 (Texas A&M);
2011 Bowerman Award winner;
2nd at the 2018 U.S. Championships—ran a personal best of 50.08. Had run 50.52 in May to better her previous
personal best of 50.56 which had been set 9 years earlier (2009)!
4-time World Champion—4×400 (2009-1st round, 2011/2013/2019-1st round/ 2015-silver [1st round]);
2-time World Junior Champion—4×400 (2006/400-5th, 2008/400-2nd)
PBs: 50.79i (2011), 50.08 (2018);
Currently coaching at Archbishop Spalding H.S. in Maryland
Mark Croghan 58 (1968) 2-time NCAA Champion-Steeplechase (Ohio State/1990,1991)
Finalist at the 1996 Olympics (5th) and the 1993 (5th) and 1997 (6th) World Championships…also competed at the
1992 (semi-finalist) and 2000 (1st round) Olympics.
5-time U.S. Champion (1991,1994-1997)
Ranked among the top-10 Americans 13 years in a row (‘90-‘02/#1/5x, #2/5x; World-Ranked #4 in ’93 and ‘94
Former coach at Kent State and Ohio State…
PBs: 3:39.05 (1994), 8:09.76 (1993/#7 All-Time U.S.)
Hollis Conway—59 (1967) 1991 World Indoor Champion—High Jump,
2-tme Olympic medalist-silver (1988), bronze (1992)
Set the current American Indoor Record of 7-10 ½ (2.40) in 1991—Outdoor best is 7-10 (#2-AT U.S.)
1989 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion (Louisiana-Lafayette);
Still holds the Collegiate Indoor (7-9 ¼[2.37]/1989) & Outdoor (7-9 ¾[2.38]/1989) Records
Calvin Smith—65 (1961) 2-time World Champion-200m (1983,1987); Also 1983 World Champion-4×100
1984 Olympic gold medalist (4×100); 1988 Olympic Bronze medalist-100m;
1983 World Championships silver medalist-100m; Former World Record holder-100m,
All-American at Alabama: NCAA-100 (1980-4th, 1981-6th, 1982-DQ/FS, 1983-2nd); 200 (1982-2nd), 1983-2nd);
1982 U.S. Champion-200m; PBs:9.93 (1983), 19.99 (1983)
Son Calvin,Jr, was a 3-time gold medalist in the 4×400 at the World Indoor Championships (2012-2014-2016) and
had a 400 PB of 44.81
Jos Hermens-Netherlands 76 (1950) One of the sport’s leading agents/managers…among the athletes his company,
Global Sports Communication, has represented (or still does): Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge.
Former World Record holder in the 1-hour run (2x), 10-miles, and 20,000-meters (2x)
In The Beginning:
Deceased
Bill McChesney, Jr.—33 (1959-Oct.29, 1992) 1980 Olympian—5000m (boycott year);
All-American at Oregon: NCAA (1980-5k/3rd, 3-miles/6th); Member of the Ducks’ 1977 NCAA Championship
X-Country team (28th/4th scorer)
PBs: 3:56.38 (1981), 7:40.19 (1982), 13:14.80 (1982), 27:47.25 (1981)
Died in a car accident in 1992
Was a member of Eugene’s #1 running family. Dad Bill, Sr, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 91, competed in
road races well into his 80s, and he and his wife Marcia were officials at Hayward Field meets for decades. Their
other 3 sons, Tom, Ken, and Steve, all had successful running careers. (Tom also died at an early age)