Wetmore-Wednesday Top Races: 1996 Culpepper National Title & Women’s Big Eight Title
April 08, 2020 | Cross Country, Track and Field
BOULDER – Colorado track and field and cross country program has a special history, one that began to hit full-stride under head coach Mark Wetmore.
CU track and field will take a look back at every year under Wetmore and recap the best races and teams of every calendar year.
1996 was a special year and arguably one of the most successful for a CU first-year head coach. Wetmore took over as the head coach of the cross country and track and field program in November of 1995 and took over one of the strongest teams in CU history. The 1996 squad featured four future Olympians; Alan Culpepper, Shayne (Willie) Culpepper, Adam Goucher and Yvonne Scott.
ALAN CULPEPPER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 5,000 (VIDEO)
The feature race for the 1996 season came in the men's 5,000 as Alan Culpepper captured the first individual national championship for CU's running program under Mark Wetmore and ended a 13-year title-less drought. It was actually the first outdoor title in 30 years for the Buffaloes. This was the first major domino to fall in the lineage of Wetmore runners. Since Culpepper's historic race, Colorado has captured a national championship in 19 out of 26 calendar years under Wetmore (not included 2020).
Culpepper, a fifth-year senior at the time, was one of only three Americans to win a national title on the final day of the National Championships in Eugene. The future Olympian entered the race the favor and did all that he needed to. Culpepper ran the final mile of the race in 4 minutes, 10 seconds," said Wetmore after the title. "He took the lead with 1,000 meters to go and never let go of it. I love all the kids, but from the first day I got to CU four and a half years ago, I worked with him. It was his time to shine. He looked authorative and in control."
Wetmore also credited sophomore Adam Goucher who finished fourth. Goucher led the race for 4,000 meters before slipping behind in the final bit. "Goucher did all the work and everyone followed him," Wetmore said. "He still hung on and ran a 4:13 for his final mile. With Goucher and Smith, the future is bright for CU."
WOMEN'S BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
The rivalry between Colorado and Nebraska is huge for fans of both schools. 1996 was no exception, especially on the track at the final Big Eight Championships before the conference expanded.
The Huskers entered the championships with 16-straight outdoor titles and 33-staight combined titles between indoor and outdoors. That all ended when Wetmore took a talented squad of women to Lincoln in May of 1996.
"It was special to win it," said Wetmore to reporters after the title.
In true underdog fashion, the Buffaloes didn't steal the show until the final event of the championships. Colorado needed a first or second-place finish in the women's 4x400-meter relay to seal the win. Luckily for Wetmore and the rest of the CU team, there were a pair of seniors and the fastest quartet of women ever assembled in the black and gold on the track for the Buffs. Tasha Ward, Tamara Ards, Heather Sterlin and Leona Russell didn't just go out and win the race, they set a final Big Eight record (and current school record) of 3:34.47 in the race to beat the Huskers by a second.
195.2 points to 191. That's how close the battle came. Had Colorado placed second in the race they would've won the championship by two-tenths of a point. The odd margin of a point came when high jumper Melinda Mounsey tied with five others for eighth place with a jump of 5-foot, 3.5 inches.
The Buffs scored huge points in the championship by taking titles in six individual events to go with the 4x400; Natalie Raveling in the 5,000 (16:51.20) and 3,000 (9:40.68), Russell in the 400 hurdles (58.13), Sterlin in the heptathlon (5,391), Scott in the 100 hurdles (13.35) and Kelly Smith in the 1,500 (4:21.46).
"When I came to Colorado, I didn't know all the history except that Nebraska had a good program," Smith said. "To end their streak was incredible. We were really pumped."
"Winning the Big Eight title does a lot for this program," said Wetmore. "It tells us we can be a national-caliber program. Our reputation has been as a distance program. But less than half our points were scored in distance events. That tells sprinters, jumpers, and throwers that we're not just a distance school."
Colorado picked up huge points as in the 100 hurdles where the team swept the first three spots with Scott, Mandi Farquhar and Russell, respectively. The Buffs also placed someone in the top-two of every event above 800 meters. In all, 21 women scored at the championships.
Wetmore won his first conference Coach of the Year honor while CU swept the MVP honors with Raveling taking the women's title and James Davis taking the men's.
"I inherited this team at a quarter to midnight," said Wetmore. "(Jerry) Quiller assembled this team, and the staff, we just carried the baton on the anchor leg. It's been the greatest year ever for CU track."
Long Jump: Heather Sterlin, 2nd place (20-03.00)
Shot Put: Janet Visosky, 7th place (45-09.00)
Hammer Throw: Janet Visosky, 7th place (157-09)
Javelin: Tanya Roach, 4th place (133-04)
High Jump: Sarah Goodwin, 4th place (5-07.25), Melinda Mounsey, tied 8th place (5-03.25)
Heptathlon: Heather Sterlin, 1st place (5391), Jodi Pilcher, 7th place (4473)
100-meter dash: Yvonne Scott, 6th place (12.11)
400-meter dash: Tamara Ards, 3rd place (54.59, Tasha Ward, 4th place (54.82)
800-meter run: Kelly Smith, 2nd place (2:09.67), Carrie Messner, 7th place (2:17.16)
1,500-meter run: Kelly Smith, 1st place (4:21.46), Shayne Willie, 2nd place (4:21.58), Carrie Messner, 4th place (4:25.18)
3,000-meter run: Natalie Raveling, 1st place (9:40.68), Shayne Willie, 2nd place (9:46.41), Heather Burroughs, 4th place (9:51.52), Kristina Dahlberg, 6th place (9:54.32)
5,000-meter run: Natalie Raveling, 1st place (16:51.29), Heather Burroughs, 3rd place (17:02.79), Amy McNitt, 4th place (17:07.13), Kristin Dahlberg, 6th place (17:17.42), Heidi Scarlett, 8th place (17:27.10)
10,000-meter run: Amy McNitt, 2nd place (35:35.12), Colleen Glyde, 4th place (36:17.17)
100-meter hurdles: Yvonne Scott, 1st place (13.35), Amanda Farquhar, 2nd place (13.46), Leona Russell, 3rd place (13.92)
400-meter hurdles: Leona Russell, 1st place (58.13), Amanda Farquhar, 5th place (1:00.97), Jenny Cathey, 8th place (1:03.60)
4x400-meter relay: Ward, Sterlin, Ards, Russell, 1st place (3:34.47)
CU track and field will take a look back at every year under Wetmore and recap the best races and teams of every calendar year.
1996 was a special year and arguably one of the most successful for a CU first-year head coach. Wetmore took over as the head coach of the cross country and track and field program in November of 1995 and took over one of the strongest teams in CU history. The 1996 squad featured four future Olympians; Alan Culpepper, Shayne (Willie) Culpepper, Adam Goucher and Yvonne Scott.
ALAN CULPEPPER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 5,000 (VIDEO)
The feature race for the 1996 season came in the men's 5,000 as Alan Culpepper captured the first individual national championship for CU's running program under Mark Wetmore and ended a 13-year title-less drought. It was actually the first outdoor title in 30 years for the Buffaloes. This was the first major domino to fall in the lineage of Wetmore runners. Since Culpepper's historic race, Colorado has captured a national championship in 19 out of 26 calendar years under Wetmore (not included 2020).
Culpepper, a fifth-year senior at the time, was one of only three Americans to win a national title on the final day of the National Championships in Eugene. The future Olympian entered the race the favor and did all that he needed to. Culpepper ran the final mile of the race in 4 minutes, 10 seconds," said Wetmore after the title. "He took the lead with 1,000 meters to go and never let go of it. I love all the kids, but from the first day I got to CU four and a half years ago, I worked with him. It was his time to shine. He looked authorative and in control."
Wetmore also credited sophomore Adam Goucher who finished fourth. Goucher led the race for 4,000 meters before slipping behind in the final bit. "Goucher did all the work and everyone followed him," Wetmore said. "He still hung on and ran a 4:13 for his final mile. With Goucher and Smith, the future is bright for CU."
WOMEN'S BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
The rivalry between Colorado and Nebraska is huge for fans of both schools. 1996 was no exception, especially on the track at the final Big Eight Championships before the conference expanded.
The Huskers entered the championships with 16-straight outdoor titles and 33-staight combined titles between indoor and outdoors. That all ended when Wetmore took a talented squad of women to Lincoln in May of 1996.
"It was special to win it," said Wetmore to reporters after the title.
In true underdog fashion, the Buffaloes didn't steal the show until the final event of the championships. Colorado needed a first or second-place finish in the women's 4x400-meter relay to seal the win. Luckily for Wetmore and the rest of the CU team, there were a pair of seniors and the fastest quartet of women ever assembled in the black and gold on the track for the Buffs. Tasha Ward, Tamara Ards, Heather Sterlin and Leona Russell didn't just go out and win the race, they set a final Big Eight record (and current school record) of 3:34.47 in the race to beat the Huskers by a second.
195.2 points to 191. That's how close the battle came. Had Colorado placed second in the race they would've won the championship by two-tenths of a point. The odd margin of a point came when high jumper Melinda Mounsey tied with five others for eighth place with a jump of 5-foot, 3.5 inches.
The Buffs scored huge points in the championship by taking titles in six individual events to go with the 4x400; Natalie Raveling in the 5,000 (16:51.20) and 3,000 (9:40.68), Russell in the 400 hurdles (58.13), Sterlin in the heptathlon (5,391), Scott in the 100 hurdles (13.35) and Kelly Smith in the 1,500 (4:21.46).
"When I came to Colorado, I didn't know all the history except that Nebraska had a good program," Smith said. "To end their streak was incredible. We were really pumped."
"Winning the Big Eight title does a lot for this program," said Wetmore. "It tells us we can be a national-caliber program. Our reputation has been as a distance program. But less than half our points were scored in distance events. That tells sprinters, jumpers, and throwers that we're not just a distance school."
Colorado picked up huge points as in the 100 hurdles where the team swept the first three spots with Scott, Mandi Farquhar and Russell, respectively. The Buffs also placed someone in the top-two of every event above 800 meters. In all, 21 women scored at the championships.
Wetmore won his first conference Coach of the Year honor while CU swept the MVP honors with Raveling taking the women's title and James Davis taking the men's.
"I inherited this team at a quarter to midnight," said Wetmore. "(Jerry) Quiller assembled this team, and the staff, we just carried the baton on the anchor leg. It's been the greatest year ever for CU track."
Long Jump: Heather Sterlin, 2nd place (20-03.00)
Shot Put: Janet Visosky, 7th place (45-09.00)
Hammer Throw: Janet Visosky, 7th place (157-09)
Javelin: Tanya Roach, 4th place (133-04)
High Jump: Sarah Goodwin, 4th place (5-07.25), Melinda Mounsey, tied 8th place (5-03.25)
Heptathlon: Heather Sterlin, 1st place (5391), Jodi Pilcher, 7th place (4473)
100-meter dash: Yvonne Scott, 6th place (12.11)
400-meter dash: Tamara Ards, 3rd place (54.59, Tasha Ward, 4th place (54.82)
800-meter run: Kelly Smith, 2nd place (2:09.67), Carrie Messner, 7th place (2:17.16)
1,500-meter run: Kelly Smith, 1st place (4:21.46), Shayne Willie, 2nd place (4:21.58), Carrie Messner, 4th place (4:25.18)
3,000-meter run: Natalie Raveling, 1st place (9:40.68), Shayne Willie, 2nd place (9:46.41), Heather Burroughs, 4th place (9:51.52), Kristina Dahlberg, 6th place (9:54.32)
5,000-meter run: Natalie Raveling, 1st place (16:51.29), Heather Burroughs, 3rd place (17:02.79), Amy McNitt, 4th place (17:07.13), Kristin Dahlberg, 6th place (17:17.42), Heidi Scarlett, 8th place (17:27.10)
10,000-meter run: Amy McNitt, 2nd place (35:35.12), Colleen Glyde, 4th place (36:17.17)
100-meter hurdles: Yvonne Scott, 1st place (13.35), Amanda Farquhar, 2nd place (13.46), Leona Russell, 3rd place (13.92)
400-meter hurdles: Leona Russell, 1st place (58.13), Amanda Farquhar, 5th place (1:00.97), Jenny Cathey, 8th place (1:03.60)
4x400-meter relay: Ward, Sterlin, Ards, Russell, 1st place (3:34.47)
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