1976 AIAW Outdoor Track and Field Championships

1976 AIAW Outdoor Track and Field Championships
1976 AIAW Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Dates	May 13–15, 1976
Host city	Manhattan, Kansas; Kansas State University
	← 1975 1977 →

The 1976 AIAW Outdoor Track And Field Championships were the 8th annual Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team national champions of women's collegiate track and field events in the United States. They were contested May 13−15, 1976 in Manhattan, Kansas by host Kansas State University.^[1] There were not separate AIAW Division I, II, and III championships for outdoor track and field until 1981.

Prairie View A&M University won the team title despite rainy weather. On the first day of competition, Peg Neppel set a world record in the 3-mile run with a 15:41.69 time.^[2]

Team standings

Scoring: 10 points for a 1st-place finish, 8 points for 2nd, 6 points for 3rd, 4 points for 4th, 2 points for 5th, and 1 point for 6th. Top 10 teams shown.^[3]

Rank	Team	Points
	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	60
	Seattle Pacific Falcons	51
	Iowa State Cyclones	50
4th	Colorado State Rams	38
5th	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	37
6th	Kansas State Wildcats	28
7th	Texas Woman's Pioneers	21
8th	UCLA Bruins	19
9th	Florida Gators	18
10th	Penn State Nittany Lions	16

Results

Only results of finals are shown^[1]^[4]^[2]

100 m
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Rosalyn Bryant	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	11.53
	Evelyn Ashford	UCLA Bruins	11.60
	Rose Allwood	Florida Gators	11.61
4th	Sandra Howard	Cal State Northridge Matadors	11.62
5th	Carol Cummings	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	11.63
6th	Mary LeBlanc	Texas Woman's Pioneers	11.70
7th	Pam Riggs^[5]	Central Washington Wildcats	11.78
8th	Pat Blackburn^[6]	Kentucky Wildcats	11.87

200 m
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Rosalyn Bryant	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	23.70
	Pam Greene	Colorado State Rams	23.75
	Carol Cummings	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	23.89
4th	Michele McMillan	Brooklyn Bulldogs	24.15
5th	Jane Oas	Minnesota Golden Gophers	24.30
6th	Beverly Day	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	24.39

400 m
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Shirley Williams	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	53.21
	Yolanda Rich	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	54.32
	Arthurene Gainer	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	54.89
4th	Jane Oas	Minnesota Golden Gophers	54.90
5th	Beverly Day	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	54.99
6th	Michele McMillan	Brooklyn Bulldogs	55.78
7th	Sharon Canda^[7]	Willamette Bearcats	56.19

800 m
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Wendy Knudson	Colorado State Rams	2:01.54
	Marilyn Carlson	Central Missouri Jennies	2:06.49
	Liane Swegle	Seattle Redhawks	2:07.52
4th	Susan Vigil	New Mexico Lobos	2:08.99
5th	Sue Griffith	Seattle Pacific Falcons	2:09.96
6th	Swee Lee Chee	Redlands Bulldogs	2:10.07

1500 m
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Wendy Knudson	Colorado State Rams	4:24.09
	Kris Bankes	Penn State Nittany Lions	4:30.47
	Brenda Webb	Wright State Raiders	4:30.87
4th	Sue Kinsey	Cal State Northridge Matadors	4:31.17
5th	Joyce Urish	Kansas State Wildcats	4:32.25
6th	Cathie Twomey	Minnesota Golden Gophers	4:37.27

2 miles
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Peg Neppel	Iowa State Cyclones	10:22.53
	Teri Anderson	Kansas State Wildcats	10:32.05
	Kris Bankes	Penn State Nittany Lions	10:32.70
4th	Tena Anex	UC Davis Aggies	10:37.13
5th	Karen Cramond	New Mexico Lobos	10:38.15
6th	Carol Cook	Iowa State Cyclones	10:44.55

3 miles
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Peg Neppel	Iowa State Cyclones	15:41.69 WR
	Brenda Webb	Wright State Raiders	15:49.84
	Karen Cramond	New Mexico Lobos	16:16.7
4th	Carol Cook	Iowa State Cyclones	16:30.5
5th	Liz Berry	Penn State Nittany Lions	16:46.7
6th	Laurel Miller	Seattle Pacific Falcons	16:56.2

100 m hurdles
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Carol Thomas	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens	13.88
	Janet Benford	Cal Poly Mustangs	14.00
	Mary Ayers	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	14.06
4th	Lorraine Tummings	Brooklyn Bulldogs	14.32
5th	Mary Officer	Oregon Ducks	14.54
6th	Debbie Esser	Iowa State Cyclones	14.65

400 m hurdles
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Debbie Esser	Iowa State Cyclones	59.29
	Denise Anderson	Seattle Pacific Falcons	1:01.99
	Mary Ayers	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	1:02.93
4th	Debbie Romsek	Bowling Green Falcons	1:03.19
5th	Georgia Evans	Texas Woman's Pioneers	1:04.49
6th	Michele Hopper	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	1:04.85

4 × 110 yards relay
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Shirley Williams	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	46.09
	Mary Ayers
	Beverly Day
	Carol Cummings
		Texas Woman's Pioneers	47.47



		Nebraska–Kearney Lopers	47.84



4th		Oregon Ducks	48.24



5th	Pat Blackburn^[6]	Kentucky Wildcats	48.46
	Vicki Noger^[6]
	Tina Hill^[6]
	Ruth Stewart^[6]
6th	Bo Williams^[8]	Wisconsin Badgers	48.65
	Sue Tallard^[8]
	Gilda Hudson^[8]
	Randee Burke^[8]
7th		Brooklyn Bulldogs	49.10

4 × 440 yards relay
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Arthurene Gainer	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	3:50.77
	Beverly Day
	Mary Ayers
	Shirley Williams
		Morgan State Bears	3:52.88



		Iowa State Cyclones	3:57.57



4th	Wendy Knudson^[9]	Colorado State Rams	4:00.15
	Pam Greene^[9]
	Patricia Koehler^[9]
	Rosie McLennon^[9]
5th		Nebraska–Kearney Lopers	4:02.35



6th		Brooklyn Bulldogs	4:04.62

4 × 880 yards relay
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Jane Wittmeyer	Kansas State Wildcats	9:17.85
	Teri Anderson
	Renee Urish
	Joyce Urish
		Texas Longhorns	9:23.14



	Wendy Knudson^[9]	Colorado State Rams	9:23.76
	Diane Westover^[9]
	Patricia Koehler^[9]
	Rosie McLennon^[9]
4th	Jane Kearsley^[10]	Washington Huskies	9:26.32
	Alice Kelly^[10]
	Kathy Kuyk^[10]
	Jenny Reed^[10]
5th		Iowa State Cyclones	9:27.64



6th	Barb Bronson^[11]	Michigan State Spartans	9:33.58
	Diane Culp^[11]
	Kay Richards^[11]
	Lil Warnes^[11]
7th		Houston Cougars	9:41.8

High jump
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Audrey Reid	Texas Woman's Pioneers	5 ft 10 in (1.77 m)
	Pam Spencer	Seattle Pacific Falcons	5 ft 10 in (1.77 m)
	Marilyn Wiese	Nebraska–Kearney Lopers	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
4th	Marie Ribik	Pittsburgh Panthers	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
5th	Maureen Fitzpatrick	West Chester Golden Rams	5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)
6th	Fern Simon	Long Beach State Beach	5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)
7th	Cindy Gilbert^[12]	UCLA Bruins	5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)

Long jump
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Sharon Walker	Seattle Pacific Falcons	19 ft 101⁄2 in (6.05 m)
	Vicki Betts	Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles	19 ft 10 in (6.04 m)
	Celesia Johnson	Iowa State Cyclones	19 ft 93⁄4 in (6.03 m)
4th	Willye White	Chicago State Cougars	19 ft 63⁄4 in (5.96 m)
5th	Lorraine Ray	Miami Dade Sharks	19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
6th	Mary Ayers	Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers	19 ft 51⁄4 in (5.92 m)
7th	Diane Kummer^[13]	UCLA Bruins	19 ft 13⁄4 in (5.83 m)
8th	Gwen Bilslend^[14]	Nebraska–Kearney Lopers	19 ft 01⁄4 in (5.79 m)

Shot put
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Kathy Devine	Emporia State Hornets	53 ft 1 in (16.17 m)
	Marcia Mecklenburg	Seattle Pacific Falcons	51 ft 5 in (15.67 m)
	Evelyn Okeke	Western Oregon Wolves	46 ft 9 in (14.24 m)
4th	Suzie Snider	Baylor Bears	45 ft 111⁄2 in (14 m)
5th	Karen Marshall	Oregon Ducks	45 ft 1 in (13.74 m)
6th	Pam Porter	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	44 ft 111⁄2 in (13.7 m)

Discus throw
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Lorna Griffin	Flathead Valley Mountainettes	154 ft 73⁄4 in (47.13 m)
	Marcia Mecklenburg	Seattle Pacific Falcons	154 ft 7 in (47.11 m)
	Linda Montgomery	Texas State Bobcats	152 ft 91⁄4 in (46.56 m)
4th	Debbie Stephens^[15]	McPherson Bulldogs	145 ft 7 in (44.37 m)
5th	Jackie Gordon^[16]	Florida State Seminoles	141 ft 31⁄2 in (43.06 m)
6th	Lisa Vogelsang^[17]	UCLA Bruins	140 ft 9 in (42.9 m)

Javelin throw
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Karin Smith	UCLA Bruins	161 ft 6 in (49.22 m)
	Marsha Poppe	Kansas State Wildcats	139 ft 1 in (42.39 m)
	Sonja Bennett	Seattle Pacific Falcons	135 ft 91⁄2 in (41.38 m)
4th	Marsha Melvin	Western Oregon Wolves	135 ft 7 in (41.32 m)
5th	Monica Stoltenburg	Portland State Vikings	132 ft 2 in (40.28 m)
6th	Merri Anne Furlong	Montana Lady Griz	129 ft 11 in (39.59 m)

Pentathlon
Pl.	Name	Team	Mark
	Heidi Hertz	Florida Gators	3805 pts
	Laura Blank^[18]	Milwaukee Panthers	3763 pts
	Lori West	Colorado Buffaloes	3744 pts
4th	Linda Cornelius	UNLV Rebels	3644 pts
5th	Norma Pyle	Western Oregon Wolves	3588 pts
6th	Janet Lynch	Vermont Catamounts	3565 pts

References

1 2 Hubbard, Mike; Pfeifer, Jack. "The early years of Women's collegiate track" (PDF). Track and Field News. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
1 2 "Neppel sets record at AIAW". The Mercury. May 16, 1976. p. 13. Retrieved February 6, 2025. "Prairie View wins; KSU takes relay". The Mercury. May 16, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved February 6, 2025. "At AIAW meet Emporia State's Devine sets shot mark". The Salina Journal. May 16, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved February 7, 2025. "Women's National Track". The Kansas City Star. May 16, 1976. p. 172. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
↑ "NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD - OUTDOOR". nolefan.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
↑ "eTrack eTN1976_10" (PDF). Track and Field News. p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
↑ "1975 US LIST" (PDF). Women's Track and Field World.
1 2 3 4 5 "UK Relay Team Fifth In AIAW". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 17, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "Local women gain in track tourney". The Capital Journal. May 15, 1976. p. 37. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
1 2 3 4 "Eight champions". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). May 14, 1976. p. 13. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wendy wins 2 events; CSU women get fourth". Fort Collins Coloradoan. May 17, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
1 2 3 4 "Washington Huskies Media Guide" (PDF). University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
1 2 3 4 "Women runners falter in national track meet" (PDF). msu.edu. May 18, 1976. p. 8. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
↑ "Brown Run Highlights AAUs". The Desert Sun. May 24, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "Top finishers in AIAW at Manhattan to Olympic trials". The Salina Journal. May 12, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "KSC Grils Ready For AIAW Action". The Grand Island Independent. May 14, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "Fleming Wins Two After Paring Weight". Omaha World-Herald. May 2, 1976. p. 57. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "King Freedom Games Schedule". The Atlanta Constitution. May 22, 1976. p. 25. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "A.I.A.W. Track IN MANHATTAN, KAN". The Kansas City Times. May 15, 1976. p. 62. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "Track AIAW track and field championships". The Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas). May 16, 1976. p. 42. Retrieved August 22, 2025.

[early-1] 1 2 Hubbard, Mike; Pfeifer, Jack. "The early years of Women's collegiate track" (PDF). Track and Field News. Retrieved January 26, 2025.

[results-2] 1 2 "Neppel sets record at AIAW". The Mercury. May 16, 1976. p. 13. Retrieved February 6, 2025. "Prairie View wins; KSU takes relay". The Mercury. May 16, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved February 6, 2025. "At AIAW meet Emporia State's Devine sets shot mark". The Salina Journal. May 16, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved February 7, 2025. "Women's National Track". The Kansas City Star. May 16, 1976. p. 172. Retrieved February 7, 2025.

[3] "NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD - OUTDOOR". nolefan.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[etrack-4] "eTrack eTN1976_10" (PDF). Track and Field News. p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

[75list-5] "1975 US LIST" (PDF). Women's Track and Field World.

[uk-6] 1 2 3 4 5 "UK Relay Team Fifth In AIAW". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 17, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[7] "Local women gain in track tourney". The Capital Journal. May 15, 1976. p. 37. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[wis-8] 1 2 3 4 "Eight champions". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). May 14, 1976. p. 13. Retrieved August 22, 2025.

[csu-9] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wendy wins 2 events; CSU women get fourth". Fort Collins Coloradoan. May 17, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved March 1, 2026.

[uw-10] 1 2 3 4 "Washington Huskies Media Guide" (PDF). University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved December 27, 2024.

[msu4x8-11] 1 2 3 4 "Women runners falter in national track meet" (PDF). msu.edu. May 18, 1976. p. 8. Retrieved March 2, 2025.

[12] "Brown Run Highlights AAUs". The Desert Sun. May 24, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[13] "Top finishers in AIAW at Manhattan to Olympic trials". The Salina Journal. May 12, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[14] "KSC Grils Ready For AIAW Action". The Grand Island Independent. May 14, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[15] "Fleming Wins Two After Paring Weight". Omaha World-Herald. May 2, 1976. p. 57. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[16] "King Freedom Games Schedule". The Atlanta Constitution. May 22, 1976. p. 25. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[17] "A.I.A.W. Track IN MANHATTAN, KAN". The Kansas City Times. May 15, 1976. p. 62. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[18] "Track AIAW track and field championships". The Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas). May 16, 1976. p. 42. Retrieved August 22, 2025.

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AIAW Division I Track and Field Championships
Outdoor	1969 (DGWS) 1970 (DGWS) 1971 (DGWS) 1972 (DGWS) 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Indoor	1978 (MNI) 1979 (MNI) 1980 1981 1982
MNI = Missouri National Invitational, DGWS = Division for Girls' and Women's Sport. Separate divisional meets were only held for the 1981-1982 outdoor championships.

Team standings

Results

See also

References