Thelma Wright, Cheryl Spowage-Howard, Lee Eisler, Ann Covell, Penny May, Debbie Brill, Joan Corcoran, Patti Loverock, Wendy Porteous, Joan Pavelich, Brenda Steffanson, Gail Turney, Cathy Landers, Janice Evans, Stephanie Toll, Pat McNulty, Lionel Pugh (coach), Muriel Neale (manager).
The 1970s saw UBC men and women experience unprecedented success in track and field and cross country. It was a time when an inordinate number of National team members and Olympians in these sports were on campus with a special concentration taking place during the early 1970s.
The women were especially dominant although the men's teams were very strong as well but during 1971/72 and 72/73 the UBC women on both the track and the field under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Lionel Pugh, were beyond compare. It is also noteworthy that UBC could be considered unique in that the men and women considered themselves as one team under one coach, Pugh. In fact Pugh used some of the money destined for the men on the team to help the women.
In 1971/72 the women's cross-country team won the Western Canadian and Pacific Northwest university championships. They were led by Thelma Wright and Cheryl Spowage, coached by Pugh and managed by field star Penny May.
That same year UBC's women's track and field team also won the Western Canadian championship. At these championships, four of UBC's athletes won gold; Patti Loverock in the 40 yards, Brenda Eisler in the long jump, Penny May in the pentathlon and Debbie Brill in the high jump. Three of the four would be Olympians and two, Loverock and Brill would be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, Brill this season, came within 1 1/8" of the world record jumping for UBC while May would be awarded UBC's 71/72 Marilyn Pomfret award for her outstanding performances both at home and on the international stage.
The following year, 1972/73, saw the degree of success accelerate with many of the same cast. The cross-country team won the newly introduced Canada West title and was led by Olympian Thelma Wright who won top individual honours, teammate Joan Corcoran who finished third and Cheryl Spowage who placed sixth. Wright, a UBC and B.C. Hall of Famer, would go on to win the Marilyn Pomfret award in '74.
It was the 1972/73 women's track and field team however, that exhibited exceptional domination. At the Canada West championships UBC crushed the four other universities by winning gold medals in eight of the nine events. These eight victories in these championships - almost 90% domination - has never been matched by women or men. Thelma Wright won the 800 and 1500 meters, Penny May the long jump and 50 meter hurdles, Patti Loverock the 50 meters, Wendy Porteous the high jump, Joan Pavelich the shot put and UBC took the 4 x 100 meter relay. In addition Penny May won silver in the shot put, Brenda Steffanson silver in the high jump and Gail Turney silver in the 50 meters. Joan Cororan finished third in two events, Patti Loverock, Cathy Landers and Penny May third in one each. UBC had compiled 107 points compared with 46 achieved by second place Alberta.
From these two years these women's teams with whom several athletes were common to both cross-country and track, saw five of their athletes represent Canada at the Olympics, several at the Pan Ams, two win the Marilyn Pomfret award, four hold UBC records that still stand after over 40 years and three inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Also over these two years, these teams were virtually unbeatable.
Thelma Wright states that the girls were "a very confident group" and speculates that they were as good as they were in part because they did team with the men. Some of the outstanding UBC men included Bill Smart, John Beers, Rick Cuttel, John Hawkins and Ken Elmer, the latter three inductees in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. And coach Pugh, according to Thelma, "loved to win - loved the girls' success."
One could say the early ‘70s was UBC's "Golden Age" of Track and Field with the '71-'73 years perhaps the epicenter of this age.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, Historian UBC Athletics
