2011-12 men’s Cross Country / Track & Field John Fiore
1965 – Hammer Throw (NCAA Champion) 1966 – Hammer Throw (NCAA Champion) John Fiore was one of the highest scoring athletes in the storied history of Boston College Track and Field. As an Eagle, he racked up points in the discus, hammer throw, shot put and weight throw events. In 1965, he returned the NCAA Hammer Throw Championship to Chestnut Hill, Mass. where it would remain for two years. During Fiore’s final indoor campaign, he recorded a mark of 18.90m (62-6.5 ft.) in the 35-lb. weight throw to set a school standard that went unmatched for over 20 years. His days wearing Maroon and Gold in the circle were capped with a repeat as NCAA Hammer Throw Champion in 1966. Fiore’s distance of 62.27m (201-3.5 ft.) surpassed former teammate George Desnoyer’s school record and upheld until the 1985 season.
all-american
Jim Kavanaugh
1967 – 35-lb. Weight Throw 1968 – Hammer Throw (NCAA Champion) Multi-sport athlete Jim Kavanaugh competed for the Eagles from 1964-68 as a member of the track and field and football teams. In his final campaign at Boston College, Kavanaugh collected AllAmerican honors at the 1967 indoor 35-lb. weight throw competition and went on the claim the 1968 NCAA Hammer Throw Championship. The outstanding competitor had racked up BC records in the decathlon (6,802 points), discus 52.42m (172-7.0 ft.) and shot put when he left the Heights. His distance of 16.76m (55-11 ft.) in the shot put broke the 32-year old record set by Dimitri Zaitz in 1936. As of the 2011-12 season, all of Kavanaugh’s marks still rank in the top four on the Boston College charts. Keith Francis
1975 – 880-yd. dash (800m) 1975 – 1,000m (NCAA Champion) As the No. 2 ranked half-miler in the nation during the 1975 season, Keith Francis collected All-American honors. As an extremely talented runner, he handled a variety of middle distance events with great success. Francis left his mark on Boston College with records in the eight different events: the outdoor 800m (1:46.18), mile (4:00.8), 4x800m relay (7:39.2) and the sprint medley relay (3:19.5), as well as the indoor 800m (1:50.2), 1,000m (2:22.4) and the mile (4:05.0), 4x400m relay (3:18.0) and 4x800m relay (7:30.3). Following graduation, he represented the United States in international meets against the Soviet Union and China and competed in the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials. At the time of his death in August of 2011, Francis’ performances in the outdoor 800m, mile, 4x800m and sprint medley relay and the indoor 800m and 1,000m remained as the standards for Boston College Track and Field.
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Bill Martin
1976 – 880-yd. dash (800m) The bicentennial was an excellent year for Bill Martin on the track. He earned his AllAmerican status in the 880-yd. competition and ran his way into three Boston College record book categories. Martin’s time of 1:47.7 in the half mile still ranks as the second fastest in school history, while the 4:06.4 mile stands at fifth and 4x440-yd. relay (3:16.4) is sixth. John Clopeck
1984 – Cross Country 1986 – 5,000m (Outdoors) In 1984, John Clopeck became the first Boston College student-athlete to earn All-America status in cross country. His ’84 campaign was instrumental in guiding the Eagles to their first and only appearance in the national meet, where they finished in 11th place. On the track that year, he set school records in the 10,000m (30:44) and five-mile (24:06) competitions to lead BC to Greater and New England Championships. The following XC season, Clopeck went on to become the first BC student-athlete to win the BIG EAST individual title, en route to collecting All-BIG EAST, All-New England and All-East Region honors. The indoor season brought continued success for the BC standout, setting marks in five events: 1,500m (3:47), 3,000m (8:05), twomile (8:46.3) and 5,000m (14:11.3) and as a member of the 4xMile Relay team (17:15). In 1986, he established yet another record in the 5,000m (13:53.7) at the prestigious Penn Relays. As of the 2011-12 season, both of Clopeck’s 5,000m records remain intact. Jim Kenny
1985 – 35-lb. Weight Throw 1986 – 35-lb. Weight Throw Jim Kenny broke onto the national stage with his first All-American performance in the 35-lb. weight throw. In 1986, he continued his success by breaking a 20-year old Boston College record in the event with a heave of 20.42m (67-7.0 ft.) to win the New England Championship. Later that season, Kenny would go on to earn recognition as an All-American for the second time in his career.