BOULDER — Colorado long ago established itself as one of the nation’s premier collegiate distance running programs, but Buffs sprinters and throwers made major contributions Sunday en route to the team’s first men’s track and field conference title since 1947.
And to do it, they had to beat the top-ranked team in the country, Texas A&M.
With a key win Sunday in the discus by James Begley, a decisive triumph in the steeplechase by Billy Nelson, a gutsy second-place performance by Stephen Pifer in the 1,500 meters and an overpowering performance in the 5,000 led by Brent Vaughn, the CU men prevailed with 138 points. The Aggies were second with 121.
Texas A&M took the women’s title in overwhelming fashion, with CU in last place.
CU men took six of the first seven places in the 5,000 and the first five places in Friday’s 10,000 meters, but the distance runners had help. The Buffs even got a fourth-place finish in the long jump Saturday by tailback Hugh Charles, who spent one day practicing for the meet. Charles also ran the first leg of Sunday’s 400-meter relay, which set a school record.
An overflow crowd in excess of 3,000 made Boulder’s humble Potts Field look like a track and field hotbed.
“I’m afraid I’ve used up my luck for the rest of my life,” said CU head coach Mark Wetmore, whose cross country teams have won five NCAA championships. “Not only did the team do everything it possibly could, but everything turned out here so well. … It was really an electric, special time.”
Jeremy Dodson, a former George Washington High School star who transferred to CU from track power Arkansas, was second in the 200 with a school-record time (20.37 seconds), third in the 100 (10.27) and anchored the 400 relay.
“I didn’t care what my time was or anything, as long as I could rack up points,” Dodson said.
Pifer and Leo Manzano of Texas put on scintillating performances in the 1,500, with Manzano winning in 3 minutes, 41.8 seconds. Pifer finished in 3:43.65.
“Those times are huge,” Wetmore said. “Leo is the No. 1 runner in the world right now and Steve is No. 1 in the hearts of Coloradans.”
Manzano is sure to be in the mix for making the U.S. Olympic team, but he had nothing but respect for Pifer. Pifer led until Manzano took the lead with about 300 meters to go.
“He made an honest race,” Manzano said of Pifer. “He just carried me along. He did a fantastic job.”
Nobody was happier than Begley, a Grandview High School graduate who was in fourth place in the discus going into his last throw, a heave of 173 feet, 1 inch.
“Having the distance team that we do has just been terrific,” Begley said. “The sprinters decided they were going to score a lot of points. Then the throwers jumped on and said, ‘You know what, we’re going to score a lot of points.’ It’s just been a snowball of emotions.”
Begley couldn’t get over the atmosphere.
“I never thought in 50 years I’d come here and see 3,000 people at Potts Field,” Begley said. “This is just terrific.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
