Adrian Blincoe returns as one of the favorites in the mile run (Villanova.com) |
From 1968 to 1981, six Wildcat runners won sixteen NCAA championships in the mile/1500m. One miler took home Olympic gold and one still holds three NCAA records. Not to mention that two went on to break 3:50 in the mile.
Much credit for those glory years is due to coach Jumbo Elliot, who led the ‘Cats until his death in 1981. Since then, however, there has not been a 1500m or mile champion for the school.
But a new legacy may be starting at the Main Line with coach Marcus O’Sullivan and his crop of young milers.
In 2002, the ‘Cats put two runners – Adrian Blincoe and Ryan Hayden – in the top six of the NCAA 1500m finals. Both are returning this year.
Blincoe, a New Zealand native, said that the school’s history played a big part in his decision to come to the America.
“When I turned 20 I decided that if I was to really improve my running then I’d have to get out of New Zealand.” Blincoe told run-insight.com. “I spoke with a few schools and got in contact with Marcus. With the great history Villanova has and Marcus O’Sullivan as coach, I decided that this was the place I needed to be.”
Villanova’s legacy began with Ron Delany, who in 1956 won Olympic gold in the 1500m. He also grabbed three NCAA titles in ’56, ’57, and ’58.
Then, in a six-year period beginning in 1966, Villanova captured five NCAA titles in the 1500m/mile. The first two went to Dave Patrick. The next three went to Marty Liquori, who went on to be ranked the number-one miler in the world two times.
In 1975, Eamonn Coghlan continued the legacy. In addition to his back-to-back NCAA outdoor and indoor titles, he won the Wanamaker mile a record seven times – giving him the nickname “Chairman of the Boards.” Coghlan held the world indoor record in the mile for nearly fourteen years, and still holds the Irish national record with a 3:49.78 indoors.
But it didn’t stop there.
Don Paige won a title in ‘79 and Sydney Maree grabbed two in ’80 and ‘81. Maree not only became the fastest Villanova miler to date, but also the fastest collegiate miler to date. He holds NCAA records in the 1500m (3:35.2), mile (3:52.44), and indoor 1500m (3:38). Maree also holds the American record in the 1500m with a 3:29.77.
And those are just the NCAA champions. There’s also Dick Buerkle who logged a 3:54.93 mile in 1978. Even coach O’Sullivan was once a great Nova miler.
Although he never won an NCAA title, O’Sullivan went on to win 5 Wanamaker miles and run 101 sub-four miles, making him the third most prolific miler in history.
So it was no surprise when his coaching career brought him back to the Main Line.
But it took O’Sullivan a few years before he was able to land some big talent. Blincoe is the top prospect for this year’s 1500m, and Hayden is close behind. Last year, the two took 5th and 6th respectively in the NCAA Championships.
Help is on the way, too. In December, Villanova signed Bobby Curtis to a National Letter of Intent. Curtis, one of the nation’s top high school milers, has a personal best of 4:07.61 in the mile.
“The team is very excited about Bobby Curtis coming to Villanova,” said O'Sullivan. “He is the first early signing since I started coaching here and I am looking forward to working with Bobby.”
The Wildcats’ program may be starting a new history, but according to Blincoe the old legacy is still on a pedestal.
“I’d love to get all the old boys from Villanova back for a run,”
Blincoe said. “It would be a very humbling experience.”