track and field '53

MSgt. Thurston A. Willis, USMC

Copyright Marine Corps Association Aug 1953

[Headnote]   Only two running and four field records stood up when 105 Marine thinclads held their Sixth Annual All-Marine track and field meet recently at Camp Lejeune, N. C.

MARINE ATHLETES SHATTERED 11 records and established three new marks in the Sixth Annual All-Marine track and field meet at Camp Lejeune recently. Only two running and four field records withstood the onslaught of 105 athletes in the three-day meet.

Versatile Corporal Bill Miller, Camp Pendleton, hurled the javelin a distance of 232', 2½'' to break his old record of 210', ½''. set in the 1952 meet. Miller, who won second place in the javelin event in the Olympics, also won the high jump with a leap of 6' 3½'' and ran on the record-setting Camp Pendleton 440-yard and one mile-relay teams. Miller was adjudged the outstanding athlete in the meet.

Second Lieutenant Jack Warner, Quantico, won the three-mile-run and two-mile steeplechase events. These two events were included in the meet for the first time. Warner's effortless, smooth strides took the lead away from the field in the first quarter, stretched it and coasted in to win both races. In addition to winning these two events, Warner placed third in the one-mile run.

Private Randy Philpotts, Camp Pendleton, outran a field of 12 entries to set a new record in the one-mile-run. Philpotts ran easily in third and fourth place for the first half mile, then took over the lead in the third quarter and moved out in front. He crossed the finish line in 4:23.3, smashing the old record of 4:31.1 set by Tom Rogers at Camp Pendleton in 1951. Philpotts placed second in the half mile and was a member of the record-setting one mile-relay team.

Bob Smith, San Diego, clears bar at 13', 6'' to win 1953 All-Marine pole vault title. Holder of the record of 13', 11¾'', Smith failed to set new mark of 14' when bar toppled after final vault

Pfc James Jackson, Camp Pendleton, won 120 yard high hurdles in slow time of 0:15.2. Jackson ran a 0:14.0 against Fresno on West Coast in an earlier meet and breezed 0:14.2 three other times

Private First Class Jerome Walters, Camp Pendleton, beat teammate Philpotts to the finish in a record-setting 1:57.4 880-yard-run. Walters took over the lead after the first quarter mile and raced Philpotts to the tape with Corporal Seymour Bibuld, Camp Lejeune, trailing in third place. Walters also anchored the winning mile relay team.

Sergeant William J. Watson, Jr., San Francisco, won the 100-yard-dash in 9.9, one-tenth of a second under the Marine record. PFC Roger Montgomery, Camp Lejeune, finished second in 10 seconds with Corporal Edward Scott, NATTC Jacksonville, trailing in third.

Roger Montgomery came back from his defeat in the 100 to win and set a new record in the 220-yard-dash. His time of 22 seconds flat bettered by two-tenths of a second the record set by Don Jamieson at Quantico in the 1949 games. Corp. Scott took second place with Corporal Merle Wackerbarth, from Camp Pendleton, finishing third.

Bill Miller won outstanding athlete trophy for his stellar performance in four events

Pvt. Randy Philpotts, Pendleton, checks the stop watch of Mr. R. L. Chambers, Duke U., after setting a mile mark of 4:23.3 

Frank Rivera, Camp Lejeune, set new record to win All-Marine 440-yard dash in 0:49.7. Rivera also set Inter-Service record of 0:47.8 at Fort Jackson, S. C.

PFC Mose Hunter, Camp Pendleton, hopped, stepped and jumped his way to a new record with a leap of 47', 4¾'' in All-Marine track meet

Coach S. Gartz congratulates Pendleton's 440-relay team of Wackerbarth, Jackson, Gonzales and Miller for setting new mark

Lieut. Bob Morse, Pendleton, won discus throw at 141', 7½'' but failed to equal '52 record

 PFC B. Nickerson won hammer throw with a 137', 2¾'' toss. Old record was broken by 40'

Corporal Frank Rivera, Camp Lejeune, set a new record in the 440yard-dash in beating Walters, and Corporal Jay Bettis, of Camp Pendleton, in 49.7. A great finish kick gave Rivera the victory over Walters' fast finish.

Private First Class James Jackson, Pendleton, won the 120 high hurdles in 15.2, three-tenths of a second under the record of 14.9. This was Jackson's slowest time of the year over the high timbers. He had run three 14.2 120 high hurdles prior to this meet. Second Lieutenant Herbert Loui, Quantico, took second place, followed by Second Lieutenant John Patton, Quantico.

Lieutenant Loui followed his second place showing in the 120 high hurdles with a third place finish in the 220 low hurdles and a first place finish in the 440 low hurdles. Loui won the first All-Marine 440-yard hurdles event in 59.9 seconds. This mark will go in the books as an All-Marine record. Corporal Merle Wackerbarth, Pendleton, finished second with Private Richard Young, Lejeune, finishing third.

Camp Pendleton's 440-yard and mile relay teams, running as sleepers against a strong quartet from Lejeune, set new records in both events, winning the 440 relay in 43.1. With Miller, Wackerbarth, PFC Richard Gonzales and Jackson passing the baton, the Pendleton team cut eight-tenths of a second from the old record set at Camp Pendleton last year.

Philpotts, Miller, Bettis and Walters covered the mile relay distance in 3:24.6 to beat out Lejeune and Quantico and lower the record by 5.1 seconds.

Private First Class Johnny Parker, Camp Pendleton, won the broad jump with a leap of 23', 3½''. Parker attempted to break the All-Marine record of 23', 4'' but failed on his final jump. Parker had jumped 23', 9¾'' at Pendleton this year. Private First Class Mose Hunter, Pendleton, placed second with 23', 1¼'' and Sergeant Bob Bertrand, Pendleton, finished third with 21', 11½''.

Bill Miller high jumped 6', 3½'' to fall one and three quarter inches short of the All-Marine record of 6' 5¼'' set by J. A. Gilchrist at Pendleton last year. Mose Hunter and Private First Class Charles Cutler, NATTC, Jacksonville, tied for second and third places with identical 5', 10'' jumps.

San Diego's Corporal Bob Smith won the pole vault with a 13', 6'' vault. He narrowly missed setting a new record of 14' on his third jump. After his body had cleared the bar, his arm toppled it on his way down. Corporal Frank Womber, Camp Lejeune, and Sergeant Robert Petro, Lejeune, took second and third places.

Private First Class Mose Hunter, Camp Pendleton, won the hop, step and jump with a record breaking 47', 4¾'' leap. His performance bettered the old mark of 44', 6 7/8'' set by C. S. Anderson at Camp Pendleton last year. Johnny Parker was second and Clarence Williams placed third.

The shot put record set in 1951 by Ben Rush went by the boards on a 49' 3¾'' heave by Private First Class Fred Berman, NTC, Great Lakes. Private Richard Layne, Lejeune, placed second with Corporal Eugene Lipscomb taking third.

Private First Class Bert Nickerson, Pendleton, passed the hammer throw record with a toss of 137', 2¾'', bettering by almost 40' the old record of 97', 3 7/8'' set by George Ryffel at Pendleton last year. Second Lieutenant Frederick Schumacker, Pendleton, placed second and Technical Sergeant Ervin York, Pendleton, took third.

First Lieutenant Robert Morse, holder of the All-Marine record of 155', 3½'', won the discus event with a toss of 141', 7½''. Private First Class Fred Berman, NTC, Great Lakes, placed second with Lieutenant Kenneth Huxhold, Pendleton, taking third place.

Corporal Raymond Ames, Atsugi, Japan, traveled the farthest distance to run the longest races. Ames entered both the three-mile-run and the two mile steeplechase. Although he failed to win a race and was a half-mile behind in the three-mile event-his doggedness in refusing to quit won the admiration of the crowd.

Lieut. Warner clears water barrier during the two-mile steeplechase. Most runners had to be content to splash water and then continue 

Corp. Raymond Ames, Atsugi, Japan, couldn't match Warner's long stride and wades through water barrier in the two-mile steeplechase 

 [Sidebar]

RESULTS

100-YARD DASH-1-Watson, SF: 2-Montgomery. L; 3-Scott, NATTC Jacksonville. Time: 0:9.9

220-YARD DASH-1-Montgomery. L; 2-Scott, NATTC Jacksonville; 3-Wackerbarth, CP. Time: 0:22.0 (New Record)

440 YARD DASH-1-Rivera, L; 2-Walters, CP>: 3-Bettis, CP. Time: 0:49.7 (New Record)

880-YARD RUN-1-Walters, CP; 2-Philpotts, CP: 2-Bibuid, L. Time: 1:57.4 (New Record)

MILE-RUN-1-Philpotts. CP; 2-Winder, CP: 3-Warner. Q. Time: 4:23.3 (New Record)

THREE-MILE-RUN-1-Warner, Q: 2-Towns, CP; 3-Williams, L. Time 15:20.3 (First time run in All-marine and is record)

TWO-MILE STEEPLECHASE-1-Warner, Q: 2-Williams. L; 3-Feeney, L. Time: 11:12.7 (First time run in All-Marine and is record)

120-YARD HIGH HURDLES-1-Jackson, CP: 2-Loui. Q: 3-Patton, Q. Time: 0:15.2

220-YARD LOW HURDLES-1-Jackson, CP: 2-Montgomery. L; 3 Loui. Q. Time 0:24.5 (New Record)

440-YARD HURDLES-1-Loui. Q: 2-Wackerbarth, CP; 3-Young, L. Time: 0:59.9 (First time run in All-Marine and is record)

440-YARD RELAY-1-Camp Pendleton (Miller, Wackerbarth, Gonzales and Jackson); 2-Lejeune; 3-Quantico. Time: 0:43.1 (New Record)

MILE RELAY-1-Camp Pendleton (Philpotts. Miller, Bettis and Walters); 2-Lejeune; 3-Quantico. Time: 3:24.6 (New Record)

BROAD JUMP-1-Parker, CP: 2-Hunter. CP; 3-Bertrand, CP. Dist. 23'. 3½''

HIGH JUMP-1-Miller, CP; 2-Hunter, CP; 3-Cutler. NATTC. Jacksonville. Hgt.: 6', 3½''

POLE VAULT-1-Smith, SD; 2-Womer. L; 3-Petro, L. Hgt.: 13', 6''.

HOP, STEP AND JUMP-1-Hunter, CP; 2-Parker, CP; 3-Williams, L. Dist.: 47'. 4¾'' (New Record)

SHOT PUT-1-Berman, NTC. Great Lakes; 2-Layne, L; 3-Lipscomb, CP. dist. 49', 3¾'' (New Record)

HAMMER THROW-1-Nickerson, CP; 2-Schumacker, CP; 3-York, CP. Dist: 137', 2¾'' (New Record)

DISCUS-1-Morse, NAS. Pensacola; 2-Berman, NTC, Great Lakes: 3-Huxhold, CP. 141', 7½''

JAVELIN-1-Miller, CP; 2-Pearson, CP; 3-Peterson, NATTC, Jacksonville. Dist: 232', 2½'' (New Record)