1978 AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships

1978 AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships
Dates	March 17–18, 1978
Host city	Columbia, Missouri
Venue	Hearnes Multipurpose Building[1]
1979 →

The 1978 Missouri National Invitational Women's Indoor Track and Field Meet was the first unofficial collegiate championship event for women's indoor track and field to be sanctioned by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in the United States. It was a forerunner of the first official AIAW Indoor Track and Field Championships. Held for the first two years as an invitational, the meet gained official national championship status in 1980, when a qualification process was employed.^[1][2]

The meet was contested March 17−18, 1978 in Columbia, Missouri at the Hearnes Multipurpose Building and won by the Wisconsin Badgers track and field team.^[3] Unlike other AIAW-sponsored sports, there were not separate large and small college division championships for indoor track and field. At the championships, Sheila Calmese broke the American indoor record in the 300 yards, splitting 35.26 seconds.^[4]

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
	Wisconsin Badgers	59
	Kansas Jayhawks	47
	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	28
4th	Nebraska Cornhuskers	27
5th	Oklahoma Sooners	24
	Kansas State Wildcats
7th	Colorado Buffaloes	20
	Maryland Terrapins
9th	Temple Owls	16
	Colorado State Rams

Results

• Only results of finals are shown^[2][5][3]

60 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Deb Carter Truman Bulldogs 6.82 Sheila Calmese Kansas Jayhawks 6.86 Athlen Bowles Eastern Michigan Eagles 6.90 4th Hazel Lucas Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7.09 5th Karen Wilson Murray State Racers 7.10 6th Yvette Hyman Wisconsin Badgers 7.10

300 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Sheila Calmese Kansas Jayhawks 35.26 NR Cindy Tatum Nebraska Cornhuskers 35.59 Yvette Hyman Wisconsin Badgers 36.33 4th Linn Crieb Illinois Fighting Illini 36.59 5th Jane Dwyer Wisconsin Badgers 37.2 6th Tammy Richard Indiana State Sycamores 37.3

440 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Lorna Forde LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds 54.48 Jackie Daniels Temple Owls 55.64 Jill Lancaster Oklahoma Sooners 56.7 4th Freda Hancock Kansas State Wildcats 57.06 5th Charmaine Kuhlman Kansas Jayhawks 57.24 6th Julie Seaton Nebraska Cornhuskers 57.4

600 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Lee Ballenger Colorado Buffaloes 1:22.12 Brenda Howard Wisconsin Badgers 1:24.29 Karen McDougall Eastern Michigan Eagles 1:24.78 4th Sue Tallard Wisconsin Badgers 1:27.29

880 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Siri Bjelland Oklahoma Sooners 2:11.88 Cindy Worcester Kansas State Wildcats 2:12.72 Cynthia Wuss Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2:15.77 4th Sally Rand Colorado State Rams 2:15.46 5th Connie Prince Kansas State Wildcats 2:16.3 6th Cynthia Cox Minnesota Golden Gophers 2:17.2

1000 yards Pl. Name Team Mark Donna Fox Nebraska Cornhuskers 2:33.58 Ellen Brewster Wisconsin Badgers 2:33.86 Suzie Houston Wisconsin Badgers 2:34.81 4th Cathy McMillin Kansas Jayhawks 2:38.34 5th Lisa Thomas Arkansas Razorbacks 2:40.2

Mile run Pl. Name Team Mark Cathie Twomey Minnesota Golden Gophers 4:52.4 Suzie Houston Wisconsin Badgers 4:53.46 Susan North Illinois–Springfield Prairie Stars 4:55.5 4th Lynn Morin Wisconsin Badgers 4:56.05 5th Cindy Dixon Nebraska Cornhuskers 4:56.9 6th Michelle Brown Kansas State Wildcats NT

2 miles Pl. Name Team Mark Dana Slater Colorado Buffaloes 10:20.0 Karen Diane Bridges Oklahoma State Cowgirls 10:24.92 Mary Kunkel Missouri Tigers 10:35.22 4th Lynn Morin Wisconsin Badgers 10:41.74 5th Anita Moyer Illinois Fighting Illini 10:43.6 6th Cathie Twomey Minnesota Golden Gophers 10:45.6 7th Linda Brown[6] Missouri Tigers 10:49.6 8th Diane Long[7] Morehead State Eagles 10:50.7 9th Kim Dunlap[5] Maryland Terrapins 10:55.8

60 yards hurdles Pl. Name Team Mark Debra Deutsch Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7.99 Julie Smithers Rutgers Scarlet Knights 8.04 Lori Lowrey Kansas Jayhawks 8.10 4th Carol Thompson Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 8.26 5th Gayle Harris Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 8.30 6th Nancy Kindig Nebraska Cornhuskers 8.31

4 × 440 yards relay Pl. Name Team Mark Melissa Hill Maryland Terrapins 3:47.80 Marshell Davis Debbie Jackson Linda Miller Temple Owls 3:52.72 Kansas State Wildcats 3:53.82 4th Nebraska Cornhuskers 3:54.84 5th Yvette Hyman[8] Wisconsin Badgers 3:55.8 Ellen Brewster[8] Brenda Howard[8] Sue Tallard[8] 6th Omaha Mavericks 3:58.6

High jump Pl. Name Team Mark Jalene Chase Maryland Terrapins 5 ft 10 in (1.77 m) Shawn Corwin Kansas Jayhawks 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Mary Grinaker Wisconsin Badgers 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 4th Beverly Washington Illinois Fighting Illini 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) 5th Cindy Farrand Murray State Racers 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Mary Harrington Colorado State Rams Diane Villeneuve Morehead State Eagles Susan Simpkins Bates Bobcats Janelle Smalley Texas Tech Red Raiders

Long jump Pl. Name Team Mark Mary Harrington Colorado State Rams 19 ft 21⁄4 in (5.84 m) Charmaine Kuhlman Kansas Jayhawks 18 ft 51⁄4 in (5.61 m) Patricia Miller Yale Bulldogs 18 ft 41⁄4 in (5.59 m) 4th Angie Bradley Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 17 ft 113⁄4 in (5.48 m) 5th Brenda Wilson Colorado State Rams 17 ft 71⁄4 in (5.36 m) 6th Georgi Morris Missouri Tigers 17 ft 61⁄2 in (5.34 m)

Shot put Pl. Name Team Mark Jennifer Smit UTEP Miners 48 ft 8 in (14.83 m) Cecil Hansen Oklahoma Sooners 47 ft 1 in (14.35 m) Ann Turbyne Maine Black Bears 46 ft 43⁄4 in (14.14 m) 4th Branwen Smith Illinois–Springfield Prairie Stars 46 ft 11⁄4 in (14.05 m) 5th Ria Stalman UTEP Miners 46 ft 01⁄2 in (14.03 m) 6th Linda Long Kansas State Wildcats 45 ft 03⁄4 in (13.73 m)

See also

• Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships § Indoor track and field
• 1978 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships

References

1. "Missouri to sponsor women's track meet". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 16, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved May 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com™. Approximately 300 individuals and some 35 schools will compete in this first meet ever.
2. "eTrack eTN1978_05" (PDF). Track and Field News. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
3. "College track Missouri National Invitational Women's Indoor Championships". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 19, 1978. p. 30. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
4. "Wisconsin Wins Women's Track". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 19, 1978. p. 92. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
5. "College track MISSOURI INVITATIONAL Trials and semifinals". Columbia Daily Tribune. March 18, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
6. "1978 Track & Field Roster". Mizzou Tigers.
7. "track KWIC meet At Western Kentucky University". The Courier-Journal. April 23, 1978. p. 50. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
8. "Wisconsin women win national track crown". Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). March 19, 1978. p. 32. Retrieved August 22, 2025.