1979 AIAW Outdoor Track and Field Championships

1979 AIAW Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Dates	May 23–26, 1979
Host city	East Lansing, Michigan Michigan State University
Venue	Ralph Young Field
← 1978 1980 →

The 1979 AIAW Outdoor Track And Field Championships were the 11th annual Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team national champions of women's collegiate outdoor track and field events in the United States. They were contested May 23−26, 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan by host Michigan State University. ^[1] There were not separate AIAW Division I, II, and III championships for outdoor track and field until 1981.

The meet was marked by very windy and rainy weather. Nonetheless, on the final day of competition Louise Ritter broke her own American record in the high jump by clearing 6 ft 31⁄2 in (1.91 m). The Cal State Northridge Matadors won the team competition, separating themselves from the other teams about three fourths of the way through the competition. ^{[2] [3]}

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. ^[4]

Rank	Team	Points
	Cal State Northridge Matadors	67
	Arizona State Sun Devils	58
	Tennessee Volunteers	32
4th	Texas Woman's Pioneers	26
5th	Morgan State Lady Bears	23
6th	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	22
7th	Texas Longhorns	21
8th	Oregon Ducks	19
9th	New Mexico Lobos	18
	NC State Wolfpack

Results

• Only results of finals are shown ^{[1] [5] [2]}

100 m (+1.6 m/s) Pl. Name Team Mark Leleith Hodges Texas Woman's Pioneers 11.81 Brenda Calhoun Arizona State Sun Devils 11.93 Dollie Fleetwood Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles Lisa Thompson UNLV Rebels 5th Cheryl Gilliam Michigan State Spartans 12.07 6th Jodi Anderson Cal State Northridge Matadors 12.14 7th Melanie Batiste Oregon Ducks 12.15 8th Stephanie Hightower Ohio State Buckeyes 12.31 9th Gail Douglas USC Trojans 12.80

200 m (+1.16 m/s) Pl. Name Team Mark Valerie Brisco Cal State Northridge Matadors 23.61 Freida Cobbs Arizona State Sun Devils 23.73 Yolanda Rich Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles 23.81 4th Wanda Hooker Memphis Tigers 23.84 5th Liz Young District of Columbia Firebirds 23.86 6th Kelia Bolton California Golden Bears 23.94 7th Cheryl Gilliam Michigan State Spartans 24.19 8th Melanie Batiste Oregon Ducks 24.37 Gail Douglas USC Trojans DNS

400 m Pl. Name Team Mark Yolanda Rich Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles 52.6 Liz Young District of Columbia Firebirds 53.8 Robbin Coleman Texas Longhorns 53.9 4th Paulette Clagon Morgan State Lady Bears 54.2 5th Elizabeth Crowder UIC Flames 54.3 6th Paula Clagon Morgan State Lady Bears 54.4 7th Lorna Forde LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds 54.4 8th Diann Ousley Arkansas Razorbacks 54.6 9th Gwen Murray Pitt Panthers 55.5

800 m Pl. Name Team Mark Susan Vigil New Mexico Lobos 2:04.1 Christine Mullen Georgetown Hoyas 2:04.2 Dana Glidden Missouri Tigers 2:05.1 4th Marcia Romesser Cal State Northridge Matadors 2:05.6 5th Doriane Lambelet Villanova Wildcats 2:05.9 6th Karel Jones Hunter Hawks 2:08.0 7th Robin Campbell Florida Gators 2:10.0 8th Carolyn Brinkley District of Columbia Firebirds 2:10.0 9th Siri Bjelland Oklahoma Sooners 2:13.7

1500 m Pl. Name Team Mark Brenda Webb Tennessee Volunteers 4:17.6 Brigid Leddy Villanova Wildcats 4:18.5 Margaret Groos Virginia Cavaliers 4:22.3 4th Suzie Houston Wisconsin Badgers 4:23.2 5th Janet Ensrud St. Olaf Oles 4:23.3 6th Debbie Vetter Iowa State Cyclones 4:25.5 7th Maggie Keyes Cal Poly Mustangs 4:26.2 8th Ellen Schmidt Oregon Ducks 4:27.0 9th Patty Murnane Penn State Nittany Lions 4:27.7 10th Joan Corbin Seattle Pacific Falcons 4:30.5 11th Jodi Rittenhouse Arkansas Razorbacks 4:34.1 12th Diane Vetter Iowa State Cyclones 4:39.0

3000 m Pl. Name Team Mark Brenda Webb Tennessee Volunteers 9:15.8 Julie Shea NC State Wolfpack 9:20.0 Joan Benoit Bowdoin Polar Bears 9:21.4 4th Catherine Mountain Oregon Ducks 9:32.8 5th Judi St. Hilaire Vermont Catamounts 9:33.5 6th Kelly Spatz Michigan State Spartans 9:33.7 7th Carrie Craven Ohio State Buckeyes 9:34.6 8th Joan Corbin Seattle Pacific Falcons 9:34.6 9th Renee Urish Kansas State Wildcats 9:36.4 10th Kathleen Mulrooney Wisconsin Badgers 9:38.6 11th Joy Hansen Arizona Wildcats 9:38.6 12th Lisa Berry Michigan State Spartans 9:43.6 13th Lauri Adams Montana State Bobcats 9:45.3 14th Mary Seybold Iowa State Cyclones 9:52.3 15th Lynn Jennings Princeton Tigers 9:53.0 16th Linda Broderick UCLA Bruins 9:53.6 17th Sarah Sweeney UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 9:57.5 18th Karin Vonberg Middlebury Panthers 10:22.0

5000 m Pl. Name Team Mark Julie Shea NC State Wolfpack 16:05.9 Kathy Mintie Arizona State Sun Devils 16:16.8 Jody Parker Oregon Ducks 16:34.3 4th Anna McCarthy Morehead State Eagles 16:57.7 5th Karin Vonberg Middlebury Panthers 16:59.1 6th Suzanne Richter California Golden Bears 16:59.8 7th Elizabeth Hartwich St. Olaf Oles 17:01.9 8th Martha Stinson Missouri Tigers 17:03.1 9th Marybeth Spencer Wisconsin Badgers 17:06.8 10th Martha Sartain Texas A&M Aggies 17:19.0 11th Norene Harrison Ohio State Buckeyes 17:21.0 12th Donna Cathje Minnesota State Mavericks 17:23.0 13th Deborah Ulian Yale Bulldogs 17:23.6 14th Kimberly Sharpe NC State Wolfpack 17:25.8 15th Rochelle Racette Minnesota Golden Gophers 17:33.8 16th Cheryl Kunkel Wisconsin Badgers 17:35.7 17th Brenda Cardin Oregon State Beavers 17:36.6 18th Pippa Holman Rutgers Scarlet Knights 17:39.3 19th Susan Arfmann Oregon State Beavers 17:47.1 20th Maureen Finhole Kansas Jayhawks 17:58.6 21st Cindy Sturm Alabama Crimson Tide 18:13.2 22nd Pamela Cox California Golden Bears 18:34.3 Lynne Hjelte California Golden Bears DNF

10,000 m Pl. Name Team Mark Joan Benoit Bowdoin Polar Bears 33:40.7 Karen Bridges Oklahoma Sooners 34:23.9 Amy Lafoon Colorado State Rams 34:24.0 4th Karen Fitz Kansas Jayhawks 34:27.3 5th Janice Oehm California Golden Bears 34:27.8 6th Molly Morton Oregon Ducks 34:28.5 7th Anne Sullivan Brown Bears 34:43.3 8th Judy McCreery Northern Colorado Bears 35:06.7 9th Nancy Seeger Rutgers Scarlet Knights 35:25.9 10th Liz Berry Penn State Nittany Lions 35:36.5 11th Mary Walsh Maryland Terrapins 35:51.5 12th Laurie Hagopian Cal Lutheran Regals 35:59.4 13th Nathalie Hughes Michigan State Spartans 36:14.1 14th Cynthia Wadsworth Michigan State Spartans 36:19.3 15th Janet Norem Penn State Nittany Lions 36:21.5 AC Marjorie Kaput Arizona Wildcats NT Kathy Adams Washington Huskies Lori Alzner Oregon Ducks Elizabeth Shack Loyola Ramblers Patti Kaufmann New Mexico Lobos Marty McElwee Wisconsin Badgers Judy Tillapaugh Purdue Boilermakers Beverly Roland Western Illinois Leathernecks Cathy Bremser Wisconsin Badgers Beth Sheridan Ohio State Buckeyes Michelle Aubuchon Cal State East Bay Pioneers Mary Witt Kentucky Wildcats Deborah Snaggs Richmond Spiders Wendy Walker Cal State Northridge Matadors Peggy Cleary Penn State Nittany Lions

100 m hurdles (−1.8 m/s) Pl. Name Team Mark Stephanie Hightower Ohio State Buckeyes 13.2 Deby LaPlante San Diego State Aztecs 13.2 Cecelia Branch UNLV Rebels 13.7 4th Brenda Calhoun Arizona State Sun Devils 13.7 5th Jodi Anderson Cal State Northridge Matadors 13.7 6th Linda Bourn BYU Cougars 14.0 7th Linda Waltman Texas A&M Aggies 14.0 8th Debi Kilhoffer Illinois State Redbirds 14.1 9th Pamela Page Missouri Tigers 14.3

400 m hurdles Pl. Name Team Mark Deb Esser Iowa State Cyclones 56.53 Edna Brown Temple Owls 58.71 Peach Payne Purdue Boilermakers 59.57 4th Joan Elumelu Boston University Terriers 59.88 5th Michelle Hawthorne California Golden Bears 1:00.03 6th Anita Jones Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 1:00.52 7th Fiona Macauley Oklahoma Sooners 1:00.66 8th Tammy Etienne Texas Longhorns 1:00.91 9th Ellis Mahal Iowa State Cyclones 1:00.96

4 × 110 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Kathey Crawford [3] [6] Arizona State Sun Devils 45.21 Freida Cobbs Brenda Calhoun Val Boyer [3] Young Cal State Northridge Matadors 45.54 Sandra Howard [3] Valerie Brisco Alice Brown [3] Leleith Hodges Texas Woman's Pioneers 45.83 Stephanie Brown Karen Holmes Ruth Simpson 4th USC Trojans 45.97 5th UTEP Miners 46.23 6th Michelle Hawthorne [7] California Golden Bears 46.48 Elaine Parker [7] Kelia Bolton [7] Cindy Banks [7] 7th Auburn Tigers 46.61 8th Alabama State Lady Hornets 47.42 UCLA Bruins DQ [a]

4 × 440 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Paula Clagon Morgan State Lady Bears 3:37.37 Yvette Coleman Roberta Belle Paulette Clagon Melanie Batiste Oregon Ducks 3:41.76 Deborah Adams Rhonda Massey [8] Dawna Rose Grace Kennedy [9] Temple Owls 3:41.88 Gladys Boone [9] Ellen Howard [9] Edna Brown 4th Texas Longhorns 3:42.32 5th Michigan State Spartans 3:45.37 6th San Diego State Aztecs 3:46.41 7th Cal State Northridge Matadors 3:48.70 8th Penn State Nittany Lions 3:52.95 Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles DQ [b]

4 × 880 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Kathy Costello [10] Oregon State Beavers 8:42.9 Kris Trom Robin Blaine Kathy Weston Margaret Metcalf New Mexico Lobos 8:43.52 Lynn Brasher [11] Regina Dramiga [11] Susie Vigil Jennifer Whitfield [12] Villanova Wildcats 8:43.63 Sue Shea [12] Brigid Leddy Doriane Lambelet 4th Cal State Northridge Matadors 8:44.39 5th UCLA Bruins 8:46.14 6th Iowa State Cyclones 8:46.31 7th Penn State Nittany Lions 8:47.48 8th Western Illinois Leathernecks 9:01.72 9th Wisconsin Badgers 9:15.1

Sprint medley relay [c] Pl. Name Team Mark Alice Brown Cal State Northridge Matadors 1:40.12 Sandra Howard Jodi Anderson Valerie Brisco Maria Parsons [14] Morgan State Lady Bears 1:41.16 Rhonda Yancey [14] Roberta Belle Paulette Clagon Kathey Crawford Arizona State Sun Devils 1:42.05 Brenda Calhoun Freida Cobbs Sharon Acker 4th Missouri Tigers 1:42.52 5th Maggie Porter [9] Temple Owls 1:42.56 Grace Kennedy [9] Gladys Boone [9] Edna Brown [9] 6th Michigan State Spartans 1:42.68 7th UCLA Bruins 1:43.16 8th Pittsburgh Panthers 1:43.70 9th Kansas Jayhawks 1:44.7

High jump Pl. Name Team Mark Louise Ritter Texas Woman's Pioneers 6 ft 31⁄2 in (1.91 m) NR Pam Spencer Cal State Northridge Matadors 6 ft 21⁄2 in (1.89 m) Jalene Chase Maryland Terrapins 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) 4th Maria Betioli BYU Cougars 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) 5th Kimberly Harrell East Tennessee State Buccaneers 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 6th Carolyn Ford Lamar Lady Cardinals 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 7th Themis Zambrzycki BYU Cougars 5 ft 93⁄4 in (1.77 m) 8th Shawn Corwin Kansas Jayhawks 5 ft 93⁄4 in (1.77 m) 9th Sharon Burrill Nebraska Cornhuskers 5 ft 93⁄4 in (1.77 m) 10th Fern Simon Long Beach State Beach 5 ft 93⁄4 in (1.77 m) 11th Paula Girven Maryland Terrapins 5 ft 73⁄4 in (1.72 m) 12th Chris Remmling UCLA Bruins 5 ft 73⁄4 in (1.72 m) 13th Lilie Giles Houston Cougars 5 ft 73⁄4 in (1.72 m) 14th Annette Tannander Colorado Buffaloes NH

Long jump Pl. Name Team Mark Jodi Anderson Cal State Northridge Matadors 21 ft 0 in (6.4 m) w Pat Johnson Wisconsin Badgers 20 ft 101⁄2 in (6.36 m) w Esther Otieno UTEP Miners 20 ft 81⁄2 in (6.31 m) w 4th Themis Zambrzycki BYU Cougars 20 ft 71⁄4 in (6.28 m) w 5th Sandra Crabtree USC Trojans 19 ft 113⁄4 in (6.08 m) w 6th Sherron Walker Long Beach State Beach 19 ft 111⁄2 in (6.08 m) w 7th LaNessa Jones UNLV Rebels 19 ft 101⁄4 in (6.05 m) w 8th Amy Davis Houston Cougars 19 ft 9 in (6.01 m) w 9th Laura Carroll Temple Owls 18 ft 103⁄4 in (5.75 m) 10th Lisa Gourdine UCLA Bruins 18 ft 91⁄4 in (5.72 m) w 11th Lilie Giles Houston Cougars 17 ft 11 in (5.46 m) w 12th Jill Lancaster Oklahoma Sooners 17 ft 7 in (5.35 m) w

Shot put Pl. Name Team Mark Kathy Devine Texas Longhorns 52 ft 73⁄4 in (16.04 m) Rosemarie Hauch Tennessee Volunteers 51 ft 10 in (15.79 m) Cecil Hansen Oklahoma Sooners 51 ft 41⁄4 in (15.65 m) 4th Jill Stenwall Nebraska–Kearney Lopers 50 ft 91⁄4 in (15.47 m) 5th Sande Burke Northeastern Huskies 49 ft 9 in (15.16 m) 6th Jennifer Smit UTEP Miners 49 ft 8 in (15.13 m) 7th Emily Dole Long Beach State Beach 49 ft 21⁄4 in (14.99 m) 8th Marcia Mecklenberg Seattle Pacific Falcons 49 ft 1 in (14.96 m) 9th Susan Thornton Tennessee Volunteers 48 ft 71⁄2 in (14.82 m) 10th Melody Rose Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles 48 ft 73⁄4 in (14.82 m) 11th Gail Koziara Dartmouth Big Green 47 ft 81⁄4 in (14.53 m) 12th Ella Abercrombie Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 45 ft 6 in (13.86 m)

Discus throw Pl. Name Team Mark Ria Van Pedro Arizona State Sun Devils 184 ft 11 in (56.36 m) Betty Bogers UTEP Miners 175 ft 10 in (53.59 m) Julie Hansen Seattle Pacific Falcons 173 ft 7 in (52.9 m) 4th Jane Haist Tennessee Volunteers 169 ft 1 in (51.53 m) 5th Julie Cart Arizona State Sun Devils 160 ft 11 in (49.04 m) 6th Carol Finerud Texas Longhorns 158 ft 4 in (48.26 m) 7th Caryl Van Pelt Washington Huskies 156 ft 6 in (47.7 m) 8th Brenda Denny Colorado Buffaloes 156 ft 4 in (47.65 m) 9th Margaret Fox Colorado State Rams 152 ft 11 in (46.6 m) 10th Francine Lynn Kaylor Colorado State Rams 151 ft 9 in (46.25 m) 11th Vickilee Cobern Texas A&M Aggies 149 ft 7 in (45.59 m) 12th Katherine Picknell Oregon Ducks 149 ft 7 in (45.59 m)

Javelin throw Pl. Name Team Mark Cathy Sulinski Cal State East Bay Pioneers 183 ft 3 in (55.85 m) Jeanne Eggert Washington State Cougars 165 ft 7 in (50.46 m) Keri Camarigg Long Beach State Beach 164 ft 3 in (50.06 m) 4th Celeste Wilkinson Arizona State Sun Devils 162 ft 11 in (49.65 m) 5th Tonja Reigle Oregon State Beavers 162 ft 10 in (49.63 m) 6th Teresa Cooper Oregon State Beavers 162 ft 0 in (49.37 m) 7th Renee Lambrecht Western Oregon Wolves 158 ft 3 in (48.23 m) 8th Terry Tepper Army Black Knights 157 ft 10 in (48.1 m) 9th Debbie Williams Michigan Wolverines 157 ft 8 in (48.05 m) 10th Monica Stultenburg San Diego State Aztecs 157 ft 8 in (48.05 m) 11th Debbie Smallwood Oklahoma State Cowgirls 150 ft 10 in (45.97 m) 12th Linn Dunton San Diego State Aztecs 148 ft 10 in (45.36 m)

Pentathlon Pl. Name Team Mark Jodi Anderson Cal State Northridge Matadors 4475 pts Themis Zambrzycki BYU Cougars 4422 pts Linda Waltman Texas A&M Aggies 4085 pts 4th Karen Page Utah State Aggies 4039 pts 5th Brenda Wilson Adams State Grizzlies 3977 pts 6th Mary Harrington Colorado State Rams 3950 pts 7th Nancy Malloy Colorado State Rams 3870 pts 8th Nora De Araujo Auburn Tigers 3845 pts 9th Theresa Smith Seattle Pacific Falcons 3830 pts 10th Susan Brownell Virginia Cavaliers 3826 pts 11th Terry Seippel Eastern Kentucky Colonels 3818 pts 12th Lynn Adams Illinois State Redbirds 3645 pts 13th Jenny Stary Pomona–Pitzer Sagehens 3578 pts 14th Karen Frazee Nebraska Cornhuskers 3560 pts 15th Janelle Smalley Texas Woman's Pioneers 3545 pts 16th Patsy Walker UCLA Bruins 3481 pts 17th Sandy Lambert Texas Longhorns 2668 pts

See also

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

Notes

1. Dropped baton
2. Originally 3:44.79 for 5th ^[2]
3. Held at a total distance of 880 yards, with the first two legs running 110 yards, the third leg running 220 yards, and the anchor leg running 440 yards. ^[13]

References

1. Hubbard, Mike; Pfeifer, Jack. "The early years of Women's collegiate track" (PDF). Track and Field News . Retrieved January 26, 2025.
2. Reel, Vince. "AIAW CHAMPIONSHIPS" (PDF). Women's Track & Field World. p. 14. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
3. "Texan shatters own American record Best comes last in AIAW nationals". Lansing State Journal. May 27, 1979. p. 35. Retrieved February 13, 2025. "Benoit does just fine on her own". Lansing State Journal. May 26, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
4. "NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD - OUTDOOR". nolefan.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
5. "eTrack eTN1979_09" (PDF). Track and Field News . p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
6. "NC State, Northridge in title chase". The Arizona Republic. May 24, 1980. p. 3. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
7. "Hawthorne tops Bears". The Berkeley Gazette. May 28, 1979. p. 8. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
8. "Morton, Batiste detonate 'dynamite' Ducks for track crown". The Sunday Oregonian. May 13, 1979. p. 105. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
9. "Owls' Brown Top-Seed". Philadelphia Daily News. May 26, 1979. p. 29. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
10. "Olympian decides to compete at OSU". Corvallis Gazette-Times. October 25, 1978. p. 15. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
11. "Lobos' Vigil Grabs AIAW Crown in Last Race". Albuquerque Journal. May 27, 1979. p. 59. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
12. "...Brigid Leddy, Doriane Lambelet, Jennifer Whitfield and Sue Sea from Villanova are entered..." Philadelphia Daily News. May 25, 1979. p. 85. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
13. "AIAW National Championship, Track and Field". digitalcollections.eku.edu. 1978–1979. p. 4. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
14. "Morgan to send 13 women to track meet at Princeton". The Baltimore Sun. March 7, 1979. p. 41. Retrieved February 13, 2025.