1979 AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships

1979 AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships
Dates	March 2–3, 1979
Host city	Columbia, Missouri
Venue	Hearnes Multipurpose Building
← 1978 1980 →

The 1979 Missouri National Invitational Women's Indoor Track and Field Meet was the second unofficial collegiate championship event for women's indoor track and field to be sanctioned by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in the United States. It was a forerunner of the first official AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships. Held for the first two years as an invitational, the meet gained official national championship status in 1980, ^{[1] [2]} when a qualification process was employed. It was called a "de facto" championship until then. ^{[1] [3]}

The meet was contested March 2−3, 1979 in Columbia, Missouri at the Hearnes Multipurpose Building and won by the Iowa State Cyclones track and field team. ^[4] Unlike other AIAW-sponsored sports, there were not separate large and small college division championships for indoor track and field. At the championships, Themis Zambrzycki was noted for winning all but one of the events in the new indoor pentathlon event. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

Team standings

• Scoring: 10 points for a 1st-place finish, 8 points for 2nd, 6 points for 3rd, 4 points for 4th, 2 points for 5th, and 1 point for 6th. Top 10 teams shown. ^[9]

Rank	Team	Points
	Iowa State Cyclones	51
	UTEP Miners	47
	Kansas Jayhawks	34
4th	Kansas State Wildcats	26
5th	Arkansas Razorbacks	24
6th	Colorado Buffaloes	22
7th	Villanova Wildcats	19
8th	BYU Cougars	18
	Rutgers Scarlet Knights
10th	District of Columbia Firebirds	17

Results

• Only results of finals are shown ^{[1] [10] [11]}

60 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Sheila Calmese Kansas Jayhawks 6.90 Lori Green Kansas Jayhawks 7.04 Elizabeth Young District of Columbia Firebirds 7.05 4th Sandra Milliner Chicago State Cougars 7.08 5th Hazel Lucas Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7.16 6th Wanda Hooker Memphis Tigers 7.18

300 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Elizabeth Young District of Columbia Firebirds 34.50 NR Jeanine Brown UTEP Miners 34.92 Sheila Calmese Kansas Jayhawks 34.93 4th Nancy Miller Utah State Aggies 35.12 5th Lori Green Kansas Jayhawks 35.57 6th Edna Brown Temple Owls 35.74

600 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Diann Ousley Arkansas Razorbacks 1:21.22 Dorianne Lambelet Villanova Wildcats 1:21.6 Dana Gildden Missouri Tigers 1:21.9 4th Wanda Trent Kansas State Wildcats 1:23.0 5th Laura Ferguson Wyoming Cowgirls 1:23.0 6th Carolyn Brinkley District of Columbia Firebirds 1:25.2 Lee Ballenger Colorado Buffaloes DNF

1000 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Debbie Vetter Iowa State Cyclones 2:29.81 Brigid Leddy Villanova Wildcats 2:32.6 Diane Vetter Iowa State Cyclones 2:34.2 4th Janel LeValley Kansas State Wildcats 2:35.5 5th Siri Bjelland Oklahoma Sooners 2:39.3 6th Deb Hertzog Kansas Jayhawks 2:39.8

Mile run Pl. Name Team Mark Debbie Mitchell UTEP Miners 4:47.35 Jody Rittenhouse Arkansas Razorbacks 4:50.9 Renee Urish Kansas State Wildcats 4:51.6 4th Wendy Van Mierlo Illinois State Redbirds 4:53.9 5th Brigid Leddy Villanova Wildcats 4:54.6 6th Michelle Brown Kansas Jayhawks 4:58.7

3 miles Pl. Name Team Mark Dana Slater Colorado Buffaloes 16:05.45 Karen Bridges Oklahoma State Cowgirls 16:10.2 Mary Seybold Iowa State Cyclones 16:22.9 4th Alanna McCarthy [12] Morehead State Eagles 16:27.9 5th Matha Stinson Missouri Tigers 16:41.0 6th Cindy Bradley Montana State Bobcats 16:55.9 7th Pippa Holman Rutgers Scarlet Knights 16:59.3 [13]

60 yards hurdles Pl. Name Team Mark Debra Deutsch Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7.80 Gayle Watkins Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 7.82 Julie Smithers Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7.84 4th Linda Bourn BYU Cougars 7.98 5th Debbie Kilhoffer Illinois State Redbirds 8.06 6th Pam Page Missouri Tigers 8.11 7th Lori Lowrey Kansas Jayhawks 8.19

4 × 220 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Amy Whicker [14] Temple Owls 1:40.69 NR Ellen Howard [14] Venita McDavid [14] Laura Carroll [15] Ellie Mahall [16] Iowa State Cyclones 1:41.5 Loreen Spearman [16] Sumetia Wells [16] Laurie Eder [16] UTEP Miners 1:41.7 4th Auburn Tigers 1:42.8 5th Debra Spencer [17] Memphis Tigers 1:44.8 Wanda Hooker [17] Jill Ford [17] Mary Walker [17] 6th Villanova Wildcats 1:44.8

4 × 440 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Laurie Eder [16] Iowa State Cyclones 3:47.06 NR Debbie Esser [16] Ellie Mahall [16] Sumetia Wells [16] Leesa Wallace [18] Kansas State Wildcats 3:50.8 Freda Hancock [18] Lorraine Davidson [18] Wanda Trent [18] Arkansas Razorbacks 3:52.2 4th Colorado Buffaloes 3:52.5 5th Auburn Tigers 3:52.6 6th UTEP Miners 3:53.5

Distance medley relay Pl. Name Team Mark Evelyn McMeekin [16] Iowa State Cyclones 11:39.39 NR Debbie Esser [16] Debbie Vetter [16] Diane Vetter [16] Colorado Buffaloes 12:05.7

High jump Pl. Name Team Mark Sharon Burrill Nebraska Cornhuskers 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Tammie Thomas Oklahoma State Cowgirls 5 ft 10 in (1.77 m) Shawn Corwin Kansas Jayhawks 5 ft 10 in (1.77 m) 4th Lucia Chudy Utah State Aggies 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 5th Kay Barstow Western Michigan Broncos 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 6th Mary Cragoe Missouri Tigers 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m)

Long jump Pl. Name Team Mark Esther Otieno UTEP Miners 19 ft 01⁄2 in (5.8 m) Gayle Watkins Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 18 ft 93⁄4 in (5.73 m) Ann Meacham Eastern Michigan Eagles 18 ft 61⁄2 in (5.65 m) 4th Annette Sittenauer Kansas State Wildcats 18 ft 51⁄2 in (5.62 m) 5th Cheryl Williams Eastern Michigan Eagles 18 ft 4 in (5.58 m) 6th Carla Heintz Montana State Bobcats 18 ft 31⁄2 in (5.57 m) 7th Sharon Burrill Nebraska Cornhuskers 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) 8th Karesa Robbins Kansas State Wildcats

Shot put Pl. Name Team Mark Cecil Hansen Oklahoma Sooners 51 ft 5 in (15.67 m) Jennifer Smit UTEP Miners 49 ft 41⁄2 in (15.04 m) Deanna Patrick Kansas Jayhawks 47 ft 0 in (14.32 m) 4th Betty Bogers UTEP Miners 46 ft 1 in (14.04 m) 5th Jan Hallier Illinois State Redbirds 45 ft 1 in (13.74 m) 6th Joan Fagerness Minnesota State Mavericks 44 ft 93⁄4 in (13.65 m)

Pentathlon Pl. Name Team Mark Themis Zambrzycki BYU Cougars 4358 pts Karen Page Utah State Aggies 4003 pts Mary Anne Harrington Colorado State Rams 3804 pts 4th Vivian Estes Eschavarria BYU Cougars 3725 pts 5th Allison Manley Murray State Racers 3572 pts 6th Dona Lane Iowa State Cyclones 3504 pts

See also

• Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships § Indoor track and field
• 1979 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships

References

1. "eTrack eTN1979_02" (PDF). Track and Field News . p. 9. Retrieved January 11, 2025. note: this was not a true "national championships"; that begins next year
2. "Missouri to sponsor women's track meet". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 16, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved May 25, 2025– via Newspapers.com™. Approximately 300 individuals and some 35 schools will compete in this first meet ever.
3. "Lady Miners Take Second In Indoor". El Paso Times. March 5, 1979. p. 27. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
4. "Brown to key Miner women". El Paso Herald-Post. March 2, 1979. p. 19. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
5. "Women Stars in MU Meet". The Kansas City Times. March 1, 1979. p. 78. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
6. "MSU Women Trail In Meet". The Commercial Appeal. March 4, 1979. p. 46. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
7. "BYU Coed Sets Mark". The Daily Herald. March 4, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
8. "Vetters wreak considerable havoc as they monopolize track meet". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 4, 1979. p. 13. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
9. "COLLEGE WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATIONAL Yesterday's Finals". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 4, 1979. p. 14. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
10. "Zambryzcki easy leader in pentathlon". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 3, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
11. "COLLEGE WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATIONAL". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 3, 1979. p. 10. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
12. "WOMEN'S TRACK At Morehead St". Lexington Herald-Leader. March 25, 1979. p. 40. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
13. "Deutch sets national mark in 60 hurdles". The Central New Jersey Home News. March 4, 1979. p. 15. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
14. "OwlSports.com 2018-19 Top Indoor Marks and Times" (PDF).
15. "10,000 record Joan Benoit's". Press and Sun-Bulletin. May 13, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
16. "Vetter, ISU women set 2 U.S. records". The Des Moines Register. March 5, 1979. p. 24. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
17. "Track UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI NATIONAL INDOOR MEET". The Commercial Appeal. March 3, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
18. "KSU women fourth at National Indoor". The Manhattan Mercury . March 4, 1979. p. 9. Retrieved October 7, 2025.