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2004-05 Men's Track and Field Team HOF

General Stephanie Mamakas

Hall of Fame Focus: 2004-05 Men's Track and Field Team

One of the most storied squads in Rutgers men's track and field, the 2004-05 team knew something was brewing when the season arrived. There was a feeling in the program that the Scarlet Knights knew success was in reach.

That feeling of greatness soon became evident, as Rutgers would go on to capture titles at the 2005 Indoor and 2005 Outdoor IC4A Championships and collect the 2005 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. It marked the first Rutgers team to win either championship and produced 12 NCAA qualifiers in the process.

"One thing that not a lot of people know is that was the fourth time we thought we were going to win the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and it actually happened," said Ryan Westman, a junior sprinter on the 2004-05 team. "We finished second three times in a row before that. We had some meets that it was really close."

The success had been developing through the years prior, as RU finished in the top five of the Outdoor Championships seven straight seasons at that point. The team had come in second place in both the 2004 BIG EAST Outdoors and 2005 BIG EAST Indoors.

"The 2004 BIG EAST Indoor was a heartbreaking meet," said Westman. "We had known going into the last two events, the relays, that there was no possible chance even if we won that we would win the meet. We had secured second."

Westman and his fellow relay runners still went out and gave it their all, following advice from Coach Lou Tomlinson to show their teammates that they weren't done yet. And they certainly were not.

Two weeks later RU finally captured its first ever title at the Indoor IC4A Championships. Although defeated by falling short at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships, Rutgers regrouped and remained determined.

"It was a similar situation as Indoors. We were right in the hunt for the win. The race before the final relay was the 1000m final – Trevor O'Grady won it, Adam Golembeski, Greg Ostrowicki, and David Klics gave it everything they had. They added all the points in and our name shot up to the top of the board," said Westman.

"The IC4A championships doesn't get the hype that the BIG EAST did. It was very surreal. It gave us that sense of sense of satisfaction after time and time not getting it. That was the start of what was the best three months of track and field that as a group we have put together."

After knocking on the door, the Scarlet Knights had finally broke through. Up next, Rutgers was off to the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.

The team seemed to be walking on pins and needles that meet. Despite truly believing they could win the year prior and falling short, no one wanted to speak about winning and just needed to get to business. But RU was firing on all cylinders and they were on their home turf at the Bauer Track and Field Complex. Things just started to click.

The buzz began to grow throughout the race as the team started to feel the energy – was it really going to happen? As Westman was warming up for the 4x800 someone came over and said, "They can't beat us."

"Sammy Segond set the BIG EAST record in shot put and discus and there was this energy that we think this is going to happen. It was similar to IC4As that before the relays started we knew we had won the meet," said Westman. "But that is what was really the character of this team was finishing things the way that we started."

With that mentality, Westman stormed from behind in the final leg of the 4x400 relay to give Rutgers the win in the event. The title was already secured, but the win would help push the Scarlet Knights to tying the meet record with 192 total points.

"It was special to win the IC4As, but we had been keying in on that race for so long that it was euphoric when we won. Everyone went absolutely bonkers. Finishing first in that relay helped tie the BIG EAST record for points in the meet. It made it that much more special to tie the record," said Westman.

The team used the momentum to add an Outdoor IC4A Championship to the historic run.

"We kept knocking on the door, knocking on the door so to see the guys to finally do it and run off a string of championships like that was really special," said head coach Mike Mulqueen, the indoor and outdoor NCAA Regional Coach of the Year that season. "They put an awful lot into it. And so did the whole support staff, the trainers, academic advisors, the whole coaching staff. It was just great for everybody involved."

A mix of tri-state area natives and numerous walk-ons had accomplished what no other team in Rutgers history had done before.  Overall, 20 student-athletes were named All-BIG EAST, while 19 claimed conference titles. Fifteen school records fell that season, including an NCAA indoor record set by the 4x200m relay team that stood for seven years. Sam Segond earned First Team All-America in the discus, while Marquis Allen finished as a First Team All-America performer in the long jump during the outdoor season.

Segond and O'Grady were named NCAA Regional Athletes of the Year, while the Scarlet Knight staff of head coach Mulqueen and assistant coaches Kevin Kelly, Tomlinson and Tony Naclerio were named the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.

And now the team can add Hall of Fame inductees to the list.

"When I heard it, I was in disbelief. I think in processing it a little bit I realized that we accomplished something that hadn't been done before," said Westman. "We take pride knowing that this is a Hall of Fame team, but we really cherish the thought that we breathed life into the program to help it become something better than it was."

"That team set a great foundation. We speak about the work ethic of that team," said Mulqueen. "What we also talk about a lot is what they have done since they have graduated – they are businessmen, financial planners, business executives. You can be a BIG EAST Champion, you can be an IC4A champion, you can be an All-American and at the same time you can have a masters, a PhD and law degree. They were very successful away from track as well, which is really important."

On Saturday, the former student-athletes, coaches, and support staff will be honored with the rest of the 2017 Hall of Fame Class at halftime of the Rutgers football game against Purdue. Although the team remains close to this day and see each other often, Saturday's meeting will have stronger emotion as the greatest celebration of that team has arrived.

"Things come to a conclusion so fast that you never have the opportunity to celebrate. The season ends. You go on to the next," said Westman. "This was such a close knit group. Those are your teammates, roommates, classmates. To be honored with the highest accolade, the golden standard of what it is to be a Rutgers student-athlete. I know for us as a group it will be overwhelming.

"If I have one lasting memory it is that we overcame all the odds in competing against amazing teams. To be able to beat the best at their best that is something that was truly magical." 
 
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