FRISCO, Texas (12/26/13) - The Arkansas State University outdoor track and field program featured a number of notable athletes on the Southland Conference's (SLC) All-Time Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Honor Roll as part of the league's 50th Anniversary commemoration.
The men's honor roll includes 119 outdoor track and field student-athletes dating back to the initial spring season of 1964 when the inaugural Southland meet was held in Abilene, Texas. The Southland Conference men's student-athletes have won 15 NCAA Division I Outdoor national championships and 20 of the league's former track and field standouts have made 29 appearances in the Summer Olympic Games.
Three Arkansas State athletes - Thomas Hill, Earl Bell, and Al Joyner were Olympic medalists. Hill won a bronze medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich (Germany) while Bell earned a silver medal in the pole vault at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (United States). Joyner claimed a gold medal in the triple jump at the 1984 Olympics.
Joining the three as A-State representatives on the conference's all-time men's outdoor track and field team are Jeff Lansdale, Jeff Pasco, Paul Pilla, Doug Shouse, Bruce Metcalf, and Ed Preston. Guy Kochel, a two-time (1976-77) Southland Conference Coach of the Year Award recipient, was one of six coaches to be honored.
Receiving All-America accolades duing their A-State careers were Thomas Hill ((1968-70, 72), Earl Bell (1975-77), Al Joyner (1983), Paul Pilla (1979-80), Doug Shouse (1983), and Ed Preston (1975-76). Bell was also a NCAA National Champion in the pole vault (1974-76) as were Pilla (1979) and Pasco (1986).
The women's honoree list includes 117 all-time standouts with three garnering NCAA Division I national champion titles. The conference conducted its first outdoor championship for women in 1986 at Arlington, Texas. Monika Klebe, who was twice (1986-87) a 400-meter hurdles champion and won the 100-meter hurdles event in 1987, was the lone Arkansas State women's athlete to receive honor roll accolades. Klebe holds the distinction of being the SLC all-time record holder in the 400-meter hurdles.
"Outdoor track and field has always been outstanding from the very early days of the Southland Conference all the way to today," said Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett. "With the number of Olympians and NCAA national champions, you could actually make the argument that it's been our most successful sport at the highest levels of competition."
