1965 Track & Field Team

 The 1965  Men’s Track & Field Team will forever be remembered as one of the greatest teams in the illustrious history of Mt. SAC Track for what they accomplished as Mounties and later in life.  Led by 2nd year head coach Don Ruh, the team was crowned by Track and Field News (the leading authority in track and field) as the number one freshman community college team and number two overall freshman team in the nation.  This extraordinary freshman group was only ranked  behind Southern University and ahead of every other major program in the country. 

Along the way, the 1965 team broke seven national community college records;  120 yard high hurdles, 330 yard intermediate hurdles, 440 yard intermediate hurdles, 400 meter intermediate hurdles, decathlon, pole vault and shuttle hurdle relay.

Individually the team was led by three local high school standouts.  Don Shy of Ganesha, Bob Seagren of Pomona and Geoff Vanderstock from Pomona Catholic.  All three set national JC records in their respective events and changed the course of Mt. SAC History.     

Shy, the all-around student-athlete set individual national records in the decathlon (7,186 points) and 120 yard high hurdles (13.6) and was ranked number one in the long jump (24’08”).  Seagren, the pole vault specialist, in the pole vault (16’04”) and Vanderstock, the hurdling specialist in the 330 yard/440 yard/400 meter intermediate hurdles (36.4/52.1/51.9).   Shy, Seagren and Vanderstock along with Bruce Johnson (Pomona H.S.) combined forces to set the national record in the shuttle hurdle relay (53.7). 

Shy, Seagren and Vanderstock each went on to the highest levels of sport with Shy eventually playing seven seasons in the NFL, as well as placing 7th at the 1966 AAU National Championships in the 120 yard hurdles.  Seagren went on to represent the US, in the pole vault, at two Olympic Games.  He captured a Gold Medal in Mexico City (1968) and despite the controversy with his pole, a Silver Medal in Munich (1972).   Vanderstock also represented the US at the Mexico City Olympics in the 400 Meter Hurdles, where he placed 4th.  Both Seagren and Vanderstock also held world records in their respective events.