Memphis University School - Owl Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

Page 19 text:

As he eyes his spot in the sand, Mike Holt crosses his fingers and hopes that he sails that far. THE 1976 VARSITY TRACK TEAM: (front row) Ronnie Kirkpatrick, Bill Dunavant, Albert Ray, John Pitts, Mark Porter, Rene Bourgoyne, John Hammons; (second row) Conrad McCrary, Kyle Fisher, Bill Mathieu, Ted Powell, Brad Adams, Trent Riggins, David Dunavant, Stuart Westland, Tiff Miller, Gib Wilson, John Stevens; (third row) Stan Graves, Chris Schmeisser, Chuck Chambers, John Murrah, William Howard, Tommy Christenbury, Billy Fisher, Joey Schaeffer, Mack Oliver, John Wrenn, Bill Jauchler, Jeff Peters, Joe Morrison. ■MS WmmSBKm VARSITY TRACK 1976 (3-0) Briarcrest Collierville Auburndale Harding 1st Big Ten Championship 2nd Harding Invitational 2nd Southwestern Invitational 2nd East Memphis Classic 3rd District 12 Meet TRACK TRACK 15

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Varsity Runners Are Big Ten Champions Eight School Records Are Smashed By Four Relay Teams And Four Individuals The 1976 track team started its season with a decisive victory over Briarcrest, and a win in the MUS, Collierville, and Auburndale triangular meet. Neither meet gave the Owls much competition. Later, they confronted some tougher competitors and brought home second-place trophies from the Harding Invitational, Southwestern Invitational, and the East Memphis Classic. Tired of finishing second, they took first place in the Big Ten Championship. From there it was on to the District 12 meet, where, with phenomenal individual performances, they placed a strong third. Tommy Christenbury, Mark Porter, and Kyle Fisher went on to the state, coming home with a third, sixth, and twelfth, respectively, in their events. During the season many school records were broken. In the relays, Bill Mathieu, Ronnie Kirkpatrick, John Hammons, and Tiff Miller broke the 440-relay record with a time of :44.6. The 880-relay record was broken, with a time of 1:34.1, by Albert Ray, Conrad McCrary, Gib Wilson, and Hammons. A new mile-relay record of 3:26.0 was set by the team of Wilson, Mathieu, John Pitts, and Miller. And finally, the old 2-mile relay record was overturned by the quartet of John Wrenn, Pitts, Rene Bourgoyne, and Christenbury with a time of 8:06.1. There were also individual records set. Bill Mathieu now holds the school record in the 220 with a :22.5, and Mark Porter broke the mile run and 3-mile cross-country run with times of 4:26.2 and 15:37.0. Finally, there came the incredible achievement of Tommy Christenbury, who, with only a few weeks of practice, came home with 3rd in the state decathlon and broke the school record with 7,862 total points. The 1976 Varsity Track team fared well as a team as a result of record-breaking individual efforts and remarkable depth of talent throughout the entire roster. Coming out o his spin, Joey Schaeffer lunges forward with a burst of power to put the shot into flight. The 1976 track team was led by Gib Wilson, Kyle Fisher, Mark Porter, John Pitts, Bill Mathieu, and Tiff Miller. 14 SPORTS

Page 20 text:

In the District 12 meet at the Fairgrounds, Tiff Miller stands ready for the start of the mile-relay, slumps exhausted after his leg, and walks imperturbably off the track after his final high- school race. Displaying the Fosbury Flop form, Kyle Fisher barely clears the bar at a height of 5 ' 10 . Nearing the pit, Tommy Christenbury struggles for extra distance as Mr. Edwards waits to measure. 16 SPORTS