Eastern Washington University Athletics

NAIA District 1 Champions/4th at NCAA Division II National Championships/6th at NAIA National Championships - Head Coach Jerry Martin
 
Eastern placed fourth at the NCAA Division II Championships and sixth in the NAIA Championships, and the squad included national champions Brad Boland and Vic White. Eastern won the NAIA District 1 title for the sixth-straight year in 1980, having also won the previous five seasons from 1975-79. The Eagles scored 289 points to double the point total of runner-up Central Washington with 144.

White won six NAIA championships in the high jump and triple jump from 1978-80 for EWU, and in 1980 he was won the triple jump (52-8) and was second in the high jump (7-0). He went on to finish second in the high jump (7-0 3/4) and seventh in the triple jump (50-0) at the NCAA Division II Championships. His 52-8 mark in the triple jump in 1980 still stands as the school record.
 
In his lone season at Eastern after transferring from Everett Community College, Boland had six top six finishes at NAIA and NCAA Division II track and field championship meets and set four school records. He won the Division II title in the discus with a 177-0 throw, was second in the shot put (58-0) and third in the javelin (217-9). At the NAIA Championships, he was second in the javelin (227-7 1/2), third in the discus (193-4 1/2) and sixth in the shot put (56-10), and also competed in the hammer throw. His 193-4 1/2 discus mark at the NAIA meet still stands as a school record, and his 58-0 is currently third.
 
Teammate Chuck Cacek also scored a point at the NCAA Division II Championships, finishing sixth in the discus with a 169-5 throw. Steve Quigley finished seventh in the discus (167-4), and EWU was also represented at the meet by Kelshall Rivas (100, 200), Greg Rooney (110 Hurdles), Jeff Frederick (triple jump), Roy Martin (discus) and the 4x100 relay team (Randy Harris, Mike Balderson, Chuck Epps, Tom Hewett). Eastern scored 31 points in that competition, and a week earlier scored 33 at the NAIA Championships as White scored 18 points and Boland had the other 15.
 
One week earlier at the NAIA Championships, a large contingent of Eagles represented EWU. Besides Boland and White, they included Mark Pierce (javelin), Ron Thomas (triple jump), Cacek (discus, shot put), Frederick (triple jump), Martin (discus), Quigley (discus, shot put), Rivas (100, 200), Rooney (110 Hurdles), and the 4x100 relay team of Harris, Balderson, Epps and Hewett.
 
Eastern’s performance at the NAIA District I Championships was dominating, including 1-2-3-4 finishes in both the discus and shot put and district record times in winning both the 4x100 relay and the 4x400 relay. Eastern also finished 1-2-3 in the javelin, 1-2-4-5 in the 200, 1-3-4-5 in the 800 and 1-3-4-6 in the 100. Boland won titles in the discus and shot put with district records, and he was first in the javelin and third in the hammer. White swept titles in the high jump, triple jump and long jump, and set a district record in the high jump. Rivas swept the 100 and 200, Rooney won the 110 hurdles, Dave Hall triumphed in the 800 and Ed Brandstoettner set a district record with a winning time of 3:55.3 in the 1,500. A total of 27 Eastern competitors scored in the meet.
 
One week after the district meet and as the Eagles prepared for national competitions on back-to-back weeks, Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. The resulting ash that fell throughout the Eastern Washington region made training virtually impossible. Eventually, Eastern made its way to Abilene, Texas, for the NAIA Championships on May 22-24, and one week later, to Pomona, Calif., for the NCAA Division II Championships on May 29-31.
 
The team was coached by Jerry Martin, who spent 18 seasons as Eastern's head track and field coach during stints from 1972-86 and 1993-95. The national finishes for the 1980 team were the best in his tenure at Eastern, with Eastern placing in the top 10 a total of seven times at the NAIA or NCAA Championships under Martin. Including Boland and White, Martin’s track athletes won 12 NAIA titles, including four by distance runner Bob Maplestone. In all, Martin coached 12 NAIA All-Americans and 11 NCAA All-Americans. He was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001, and Maplestone was an inaugural inductee in 1996.  Martin also spent 13 years from 1976-85 and 1992-94 as the school's cross country coach, and from 1975-78 he was Eastern's athletic director. His crowning glory came in 1982 when Eastern won the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship with a team that featured three All-Americans. 



 
 












 
 









Front (laying down; left to right): Jay Terry, Scott Conley
 
Row 1: Steve Lazell, Darin Goff, Brian Golphenne, Niall Wachtman, Tom Richards, Ron Thomas, Steve Denesen, Ron Westman, Tom Hewett, Monty Jones, Chuck Epps, Kelshall Rivas.
 
Row 2: Don Rouse, Tim Nickson, Steve Pybus, Mitch Mentor, ?????, David Torkko, Rick Vance, ????, ????, Mark Pierce, Brad Boland.
 
Middle 5: Jeff Frederick, Randy Gehrts, Randy Harris, ????, ?????.
 
Back Row: Dan Butler, David Hall, Greg Rooney, Chuck Cacek, Eric ?????, Jay Manning, Stan Stuckey, ????, ????, Vic White, Steve Quigley, Ed Brandstoettner, Barry Orth, , ?????, Mike Balderson.
 
 
Others on Roster . . .
Mike Crossett
Ron Castilleja
Tim Coyle
Bruce Dixon
Brad Duffy
Brian Faire
Scott Fisk
Randy Harris
Tom Higgins
Joe Kostecka
Tim Logan
Don Magers
Mark Malland
Roy Martin
Brian McKinns
Mike Osborne
Kyle Patrick
Dave Schmick
Randy Spacek
Herb Spiering
Bob Spurch
John VanVessen
John Webster
 
Not Pictured:
Head Coach Jerry Martin
 

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Champions . . .
 
Brad Boland
1st - Discus - 177-0 (District Record)
1st - Shot Put - 56-4 1/4 (Dist. Record)
1st - Javelin - 199-3
3rd - Hammer - 164-8
 
Ed Brandstoettner
1st - 1500 Meters - 3:55.3 (D. Record)
 
Dave Hall
1st - 800 Meters - 1:53.9
 
Kelshall Rivas
1st - 100 Meters - 11.1
1st - 200 Meters - 21.9
 
Greg Rooney
1st - 110-Meter Hurdles - 15.0
5th - 400-Meter Hurdles - 54.6
 
Vic White
1st - High Jump - 6-10 (Tied D. Rec.)
1st - Triple Jump - 50-1 3/4
1st - Long Jump - 23-9 1/2
 
1600 Relay - 1st EWU 3:16.9 (District Record)
 
400 Relay - 1st 41.8 (District Record)
 
 
Other Scorers . . .
 
Mike Balderson
3rd - 110-Meter Hurdles - 15.9
4th - 100 Meters - 11.5
5th - 200 Meters - 23.1
 
Dan Butler
4th - 800 Meters - 1:54.8
 
Chuck Cacek
2nd - Discus - 165-6
3rd - Shot Put - 52-9 1/2
 
Steve Denesen
4th - 1500 Meters - 3:57.2
 
Chuck Epps
2nd - 400 Meters - 49.2
4th - 200 Meters - 23.0
 
Jeff Frederick
3rd - Triple Jump - 47-7 1/4
5th - Long Jump - 21-8 1/2
 
Randy Gehrts
3rd - 800 Meters - 1:54.6
 
Randy Harris
2nd - 200 Meters - 22.3
3rd - 100 Meters - 11.2
 
Tom Hewett
6th - 100 Meters - 11.9
 
Monty Jones
2nd - 400-Meter Hurdles - 53.3
 
Roy Martin
4th - Shot Put - 49-9 1/2
4th- Discus - 162-7
 
Brian McKinns
6th - Long Jump - 21-8 1/4
 
Mitch Mentor
5th - 400 Meters - 50.5
 
Barry Orth
3rd - 400 Meters - 49.5
 
Mark Pierce
2nd - Javelin - 197-2.5
 
Steve Pybus
3rd - 5,000 Meters - 14:54.0
4th - 3,000 Steeplechase - 9:34.4
 
Steve Quigley
2nd - Shot Put - 54-0
3rd - Discus - 164-6
 
Don Rouse
5th - 800 Meters - 1:55.2
 
Stan Stuckey
3rd - Javelin - 186-11
6th - Hammer - 147-8
 
Jay Terry
3rd - 3,000 Steeplechase - 9:26.9
 
Ron Thomas
4th - Triple Jump - 45-10 3/4
 
Top Finishes/Sweeps . . .
1-2-3-4 in Discus and Shot Put
1-2-3 in Javelin
1-2-4-5 in 200
1-3-4-5 in 800
1-3-4-6 in 100
 
 
One week after this meet and as the Eagles prepared for national competitions on back-to-back weeks, Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. The resulting ash that fell throughout the Eastern Washington region made training virtually impossible. Eventually, Eastern made its way to Abilene, Texas, for the NAIA Championships on May 22-24, and one week later, to Pomona, Calif., for the NCAA Division II Championships on May 29-31.