During the first half of the '80s while at UBC Hoogewert was Canada's dominant middle distance runner. He led UBC to four Canada West track championships and won seven CIAU gold medals. Holder of five UBC track records, represented Canada at the '84 and '88 Olympics. Selected to the All-Canadian track team, set several Canadian records.
The UBC track team was the subject of a good deal of optimism in 1981/82 as its freshman middle distance runner, Simon Hoogewerf, was quickly gaining recognition as one of the finest young runners in the country. At a Canada West meet this year, he was a member of the UBC 4x400 and 4x800 meter relay teams that established two new conference records. At the Idaho Invitational, the freshman ran the 1000 yards in a meet record time of 2:07.6.
Hoogewerf, a science student, had graduated from British Columbia's Abbotsford High School where he had excelled at soccer, basketball and track. It did not take long before he was recognized as the "star" of UBC's track team, setting a UBC record in the 1000 meters with a 2.26.3 and anchoring UBC's outstanding 4x800 relay team to a new CIAU record. This same foursome, led by Hoogewerf, proceeded to shatter the Canadian record by 11 seconds, competing at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York. At this event, featuring North America's finest athletes, this accomplishment by the UBC quartet was described by US media as "a remarkable performance for a Canadian College team."
In March 1983, Hoogewerf led UBC to the Canada West championship with victories in the 600 and 1000 meters (at which he set a meet record), as well as anchoring the 400-meter relay team to victory. At the CIAU championships, Hoogewerf ran for gold with the 4x800-meter relay team in a new CIAU record time.
Quietly confident, Hoogewerf, once on the track, became very intense and focused. "He was a regular student unaffected by his success," offers fellow athlete Carmyn James "... but on the track he was smooth, powerful and determined - great to watch - and successful!"
Hoogewerf completed the 1983 season competing at the World Track and Field Championships. Former UBC sports information director Steve Campbell recalls, "Hoogewerf was becoming so dominant, victory came to be expected".
These expectations continued to be met as in January 1984 Hoogewerf ran the fastest indoor 1000 meters in Canadian history at a meet at the University of Alberta. At the 1984 Canada West Championships, Hoogewerf led UBC to the title by winning both the 600 and 800-meter races. His skill level this season earned him a spot on Canada's track and field team competing at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Another town, another record, as for the third consecutive week Hoogewerf set a Canadian indoor track record. With the 1984 Olympics approaching, Hoogewerf had broken the 18-year-old Canadian record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:48.9. At the same meet he set a new record in the 1000 meters, breaking his own record he had set the previous year.
At the Millrose Games in 1985, Simon was part of the four man UBC team that established a new Canadian indoor 4x800 meter record of 7:32.1. The next weekend, "Hoogewerf Shines at Sherbrooke" announced the Ubyssey, as the UBC runner broke his own 1000 meter record at a dual US/Canada meet with a time of 2:21.5.
Crowned Canada West champions in 1985, UBC led by an injured Hoogewerf, were favourites going into the CIAU championships. Although UBC did not win, Simon did win his specialty, the 1000 meters, in a new outdoor record time of 2:20. According to Campbell, it was Hoogewerf’s success at this time that helped the UBC track team maintain its direction, as the school was experiencing financial cutbacks. "In other words, he probably helped keep the track program going."
Following a dominating performance by the UBC runner at the 1986 Toronto Star Indoor Games at Maple Leaf Gardens, Hoogewerf helped bring a fourth consecutive Canada West track championship to UBC by winning a gold and silver in the championship's middle distances. This was followed by gold medal victories in the 4x800 meter relay and 1000 meter races at the CIAU championships, as well as a selection to the nation's All-Canadian track team.
While at UBC, Hoogewerf achieved a total of seven CIAU gold medals and led UBC to four Canada West titles. As a student he participated in the 1984 Olympics, the World Track and Field Championships and the 1985 World Student Games and to this day (2004) holds five individual UBC track records.
Upon graduation in 1986, Hoogewerf capped his brilliant five-year UBC career by being named the winner of UBC's prestigious Bobby Gaul Award.
For the following six years Hoogewerf continued to compete at the national and international level. He re-established Canadian records in the 800 and 1500 meters, participated in the 1987 World Track and Field Championships in Rome and competed for Canada at the 1988 Olympics. His track finale took place at the World Indoor Championships in Spain in 1991, where he captured the bronze medal in the 800 meters.
Now a UBC medical school graduate, Dr. Hoogewerf was "a perfect guy to work with - a winner!" according to his former coach Dr. Doug Clement. In the words of former sports information director Campbell, he was "a classic example of a university athlete, scholar, world class athlete and achiever, he dominated Canadian university track like few other athletes."
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
