McDowell Track and Field
McDowell Cross Country
established 1962
established 1957
1980
The team placed 2nd in both the Metro and Section 1 to Cathedral Prep. Mike Brown was named the Outstanding Cross Country Runner of 1980. Dan Kuligowski was the team captain.
1981
Mike Brown earned the Outstanding Runner of 1981 by being the runner-up in District 10, and by finishing 17th at the state meet, which was good enough for All-State honors. Sophomore Jeff Deitch was awarded a trophy and a varsity letter as the most improved runner. Freshman Jim Samuels set a freshman record for his time on the home course. Freshman Tim Henning was the Section 1 junior varsity champ. The team tied arch-rival Cathedral Prep in the Section 1 Championship, but won the tie-breaker as McDowell's 6th man finished 20th place, which was 10 spots ahead of Cathedral Prep's 6th man.
1982
Joe Straub led the team with a 5th place finish at districts as well as a 183rd place at the state meet. Dave Nuber was the most improved runner. A loss to Cathedral Prep gave them the Metro title. The team finished behind Tech Memorial as well at Sectionals to finish 3rd.
1983
Junior Thom Ludwig was a state qualifier after finishing 7th in the District 10 Championship. He went on to finish 49th at the state meet. Three McDowell athletes earned All-Metro honors: Thom Ludwig, Dave Nuber, and Jeff Froess.
1984
1968
The 1968 cross country team had 19 new runners, but still managed a successful season with 9 wins and only 2 losses. The team won the Central Catholic Invitational, took 2nd at Section 1, lost districts to Strong Vincent, and placed 6th at the state meet. The team was led by All-State runner, and captain, Jon Bannister, and captain Jay Pratt, who finished 10th at districts. Bannister finished 12th at the state meet to tie the highest finish ever by a McDowell runner.
1969
In Jay Pratt's 1st year as head coach, the team won the Section 1 Championship over arch-rival Cathedral Prep. Thom Ludwig took 3rd in that race. Jim Samuels qualified for the state meet at the District 10 Championship.
1985
Dave Clark received the Runner of the Year award as the only runner to advance to states. Team captains were Thom Ludwig and John Meyer.
1986
Earning the trip to the state meet, the Trojan boys finished 18th. It was the first trip to states for coach Pratt, and the first for the team in 10 years. The MVP award was shared by Dave Clark and Greg Varich, the Rookie-of-the-Year was Chris Spurlin and Rob Miles was the Sportsman of the year. Clark finished 60th at the state meet.
1987
Chris Spurlin was the only member of the team to go on to the state meet. He took 201st place.
1988
The McDowell team rebounded from a dual meet loss to Cathedral Prep that prevented them from winning the Metro title, to winning both the Section 1 and District 10 Championships. This was McDowell's first District 10 crown since 1967. The team was led by Chris Spurlin, who was the District 10 runner-up. He went on to finish 85th at the state meet.
1989
For the first time since 1973, the boys went undefeated (8-0), recording 4 shutouts along the way. The highlight of the season was ending the Rambler's 59 consecutive winning streak with a 24-31 victory, to give them their first Metro title since that 1973 season. Chris Spurlin won the District 10 title over the defending champ, Tony Knapp of Corry. He also went on to finish 61st at the state meet. The team won their second straight District 10 title to qualify for states. Team captains were Spurlin and Jason Chiocco.
