The way it’s been told to Elliott Quow, he rounded the turn of the 200-meter final at the 1983 NCAA Track & Field Championships in last place.
“I always had a bad start,” Quow said Tuesday from his home in Willingboro.
But his finish was glorious. The Rutgers University junior picked off the entire field in the homestretch, reeling in Alabama dynamo Calvin Smith 10 meters before the finish, to break the tape in a time of 20.31 seconds. Some context: A month later Smith would break the world record in the 100 with a blistering 9.93.
Forty years later, Quow remains the last Rutgers track & field athlete, male or female, to win an NCAA title.
“Am I surprised? Yes, I’m very surprised,” the 61-year old said. “We should have more kids winning.”
They might this week. Scarlet Knights sophomore Chloe Timberg is ranked second in the country in women’s pole vault. Quow would love to see her end the drought – and maybe spark a new era of champions. From 1971-1983, Rutgers produced six national champions in track & field. Most of those took place during the tenure of coach Frank Gagliano, who later became a national legend at Georgetown. “Gags” recruited Quow out of Carnarsie High in Brooklyn even though he had just one full year of running under his belt.
“At the time Rutgers didn’t have but one full scholarship, so they gave me as much money as they could and I got the rest on grants,” Quow said.
He blossomed under Gags, beating a Georgia phenom named Herschel Walker in the 200 at the 1981 junior nationals, setting an American record in the indoor 300 and finishing second at in the 200 the 1983 World Championships (behind Calvin Smith). At a time when only a handful of humans ever had broken 20 seconds in the 200, his personal best was 20.16.
“I learned early that times don’t mean much because you had to do it on that day on the track,” he said. “I never ran for records. I was a racer.”
His NCAA title seems more remarkable by the year; no one from a northeastern college has won the event since. The sprints are dominated by southern and West Coast programs that benefit from optimal training weather year-round.
Quow narrowly missed making the 1984 U.S. Olympic squad, finishing fourth in the 200 at the trials, and later moved on to a job in finance. He’s still working and is the dad of a 12-year-old who he hopes will take up track. In September, he’ll be honored at halftime of a Rutgers football game along with Rutgers’ other national track champions.
It would be serendipitous if Timberg could join them.
“Forty years,” Quow said. “That’s a long time.”
Jersey’s top NCAA track hopefuls
The NCAA Track & Field Championships take place today through Saturday in Austin, Tex., and as always there will be contenders for big prizes from New Jersey. Here are the top local athletes to watch:
Sondre Guttormsen, men’s pole vault: The Princeton senior and two-time NCAA champion in this event owns the top collegiate mark at 19 feet, 4.25 inches. He is one of four 19-footers in the competition.
Chloe Timberg, women’s pole vault: The Rutgers sophomore owns the NCAA’s second-best height this spring with a 14-9 clearance, and her personal best is 14-10.25. The top height in the nation this season has been 14-11 by Washington senior Nasstasja Campbell. The last Scarlet Knights NCAA champion in track and field is Elliot Quow, who won the men’s 200 in 1983.
Jenna Rogers, women’s high jump: The Rutherford High School grad and Nebraska sophomore is a three-time first-team All-American who finished fourth at the indoor NCAAs in March. She owns the nation’s fourth-best height this spring at 6-1.25.
Jordan West, men’s shot put: The Rahway High School grad and Arkansas postgrad placed fourth at the 2022 outdoor NCAAs as a senior at Tennessee. He owns the sixth-farthest NCAA throw this season at 67-6.
Bradley Jelmert, men’s pole vault: The Watchung Hills High School grad and Arkansas State junior owns the ninth-best NCAA vault this season at 18-3. This is his first time making the NCAA Championships.
Evan Nierdowski, men’s javelin: The Monmouth sophomore is ranked 14th in the NCAA with a school-record best of 243-5. He also qualified for the NCAAs as a freshman, placing 11th and earning second-team All-America honors.
Sincere Robinson, men’s long jump: The Rutgers sophomore and Newark Tech grad is ranked 17th in the NCAA with a 26-0.25 personal best. He was an indoor second-team All-American in the event.
Liam Murphy, men’s 1500: Don’t let the NCAA ranking (29th) fool you. The Allentown High School grad and Villanova junior has run 3:39 for 1500 – but the two-time Big East champion also has gone 3:55 for the indoor mile and 1:47 in the open 800. He’s an All-America contender.
Sean Dolan, men’s 800: The Hopewell Valley High School grad and Villanova senior is a two-time All-American whose best time of 1:46.38 came last spring. He’s ranked 25th in the NCAA this season.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.