Hiram, OH – Sept. 8, 2022 -- Hiram College announced today that Men's and Women's Track and Field along with Men's and Women's Cross Country will be returning to campus. Cross Country is slated to begin competition in the Fall of 2023, while the Track and Field will begin during the Winter of 2023-24 or in the Spring of 2024.

David P. Haney, Hiram College President, commented on the newest additions to the Hiram family of sports. "I am very pleased that we are bringing back Track and Field and Cross Country to the Hill. These are sports that have a long and important legacy at Hiram, and they will provide great opportunities to future scholar-athletes, especially those who ran in high school and want to continue pursuing their passion. Prospective students often ask if we sponsor these sports, and now we will be able to answer 'yes' with enthusiasm."

Scott Pohlman, the Terriers' Director of Athletics, reminded everyone that Hiram College has a proud heritage in these sports. "We are extremely pleased to return Track and Field along with Cross Country to our athletics program. Hiram has excelled in these sports in the past and we look forward to many successes in the future. We will immediately begin a nationwide search for our new Track and Field/Cross Country Head Coach"

Following is the researched history of these sports at Hiram College.

Men's Track - We find evidence that Hiram actually had a men's track team as early as 1899, but the first actual roster and team picture was from 1904. The team competed from 1899 through the 1941 season, but did not compete from 1942-1945 during WWII, as there were not enough men on campus to field a team.

The men's team re-formed shortly after the war, competing for the next 12 years, independently, against several small colleges, mostly in Ohio and Pennsylvania. From 1958 through 1970, and again from 1989 through 1998, they competed as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference, then as a member of the Presidents Athletic Conference from 1971 to 1988, and finally as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference beginning in 1999. The team discontinued competition after the 2009 season.

Throughout it's over 100-year program history, Hiram has produced three Men's Track and Field All-Americans (William Edwards - sprints, Les Niehaus -hurdles, and Bob Kujala - shot put) along with numerous conference champions.

Women's Track - Starting in the 1970's the women's track team began competing on a very limited basis. In 1985 it became a full varsity sport and the Hiram team captured the first three Presidents Athletic Conference Women's Track and Field Championship titles in 1985, 1986, and 1987. From 1989 through 1998 they competed as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference, and then competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference from 1999 through 2009.

Throughout the 50-year program history, Hiram has produced two Women's Track and Field All-Americans (Missy Horner - middle distance, and Heidi Gerhardstein - high jump) along with numerous conference champions. Many of the records the team established in winning the inaugural PAC Championships in the late 1980's still stand today.

Men's Cross Country - The earliest record of a men's cross country team was from 1923. The team competed through 1941, but, like most other sports at Hiram, was disbanded in 1942 due to the start of WWII. The team did not return to competition until three distance runners from the track team (Russ Burgess, Andy Currie, and Doug Kelker) petitioned the college to reinstate the program in 1957.

The team competed in the Ohio Athletic Conference from 1958 through 1970, and again from 1989 through 1998. From 1971 through 1988 they were a member of the Presidents Athletic Conference with Dave Taylor winning the conference championship and being named PAC Runner of the Year in 1987. The team competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference from 1999 through 2014, at which time the team discontinued competition.

Women's Cross Country - The women's cross-country program began informally in the late 1970's and became a varsity sport in 1984. The Hiram team won the first Presidents Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country title in 1984 with four of their runners finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th to win the championship. They competed in the PAC from 1984 through 1988, then became a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference from 1989 through 1998. The team then competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference from 1999 through 2014 with Jenny Wilke winning the conference championship and being named NCAC Runner of the Year in 2001, after finishing in 2nd place in both 1999 and 2000. Competition was discontinued after the 2014 season.