Track and Field Hall of Fame

Front Row: (from left) Annette Pisano, Mary Saathoff, Maria Pasquel, Laura Conniff, Joan Murphy, Amy VanAuken, Anne Vallin, Karol Held, Julie Higgins, Diana Joseph and Marcie Unes.

Second Row: (from left) Mary Ann Matheny, Julie Szidon, Mary Anne Driscoll, Stephanie Giamette, Beth Yandrasits, Cathy Koos, Mary Hlavach, Debbie Niekamp, Peggy Roth, Patty Pinter, Amy Converse and Kim Ruppman.

Third Row: (from left) Chris Hopkins, Paula Alle, Carrie Eggerichs, Jeanne Smith, Bridget Johnson, Sarah Nath, Lisa Borho, Arleen Knaub, Kim Doyle, Patti Olson and Barb Beyers.

Fourth Row: (from left) Sue Sutkowski, Susan Murphy, Cheryl Geier, Karen Happ, Julie Johnson, Sandy Geier, Susie Johnson, Sue Peters, Heidi Mueller, Claudia McGrath, Danette Lenkaitis, and Coach Luis Rubio.

Bergan's High School's Girls’ Track Team went from obscurity to becoming the state’s 1981 state Class A champion in just three seasons.

The Trojans were tutored by first-year coach Luis Rubio, a soccer coach from Spain who admitted his knowledge of track and field was not great.

But Bergan qualified four relay teams for the state finals and two of them won. That, combined with a stellar four-event performance by junior Sandy Geier, gave Bergan 42 points and the title. Providence was second with 36 points.

Geier was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 17-9, fourth in the 200 meter dash in 26.1 seconds, third in the 200 meter low hurdles in 29.6 and ran a third leg on Bergan’s winning 400 meter relay team.

Carrie Eggerichs was also vital to the Trojans, finishing third in the 400 in 57.3 and anchoring the 1600 meter relay team.

In the 400 relay, Julie Szidon, Cheryl Geier, Sandy Geier and Diana Joseph won in 49.9 seconds, a Bergan record.

Then, in the key 1600 relay, with Bergan needing at least a second-place finish to win the state, Karol Heid, Barb Beyers, Maria Pasquel and Eggerichs won in 4:03.9.

"I always thought we had a chance," said Rubio. "We had the depth to win."