1979, 1980 and 1981 Men's Track & Field Teams
With legendary head coach and Hall of Famer Dr. Harry "Doc" Jopson at the helm, the Bridgewater men's track & field program completed a sweep of the ODAC indoor and outdoor championships over a three-year period from 1979-81. The squad became just the second team in the conference to score a team finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with the 1980 and 1981 teams placing 39th and 41st, respectively, at the national meet.
As a team, Bridgewater especially dominated the field at the ODAC Championship meet in 1981 in indoor and outdoor as the Eagles finished with 125 points in the indoor portion to more than double second-place Lynchburg. The program finished its third-straight ODAC sweep with a score of 99.5 in the spring outdoor portion, which scored more than second and third place combined.
Hall of Famer Duane Harrison was named ODAC Indoor and Outdoor Trackman of the Year twice and claimed a third Outdoor Trackman of the Year accolade during the three-year period. Harrison will forever be lauded as the first All-American in BC track & field history with back-to-back fourth place finishes in the long jump at the national meet in 1980 and 1981. His outdoor marks in long jump and the 110-meter hurdles still stand as school records over 40 years later.
In total, the three-year stretch saw 23 outdoor and 21 indoor individual event champions and set several ODAC records for the time. The era featured several future BC Hall of Famers, including Harrison, Dwight Denlinger, Joe Freeland, Jeff Smith and 2022 inductee Jerry Crouse.
In recognition of their accomplishments, the 1979, 1980 and 1981 BC men's track & field teams have been deemed worthy of induction into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame as Teams of Distinction.
Inducted on March 25, 2023
