Hall of Fame induction: 2021
From 1969-77, Cathy was an 11-time Delaware Junior Olympic champion in the 50, 220, 440, and 880, and 5-time Middle Atlantic Junior Olympic Champion in the 50, 440, and 880. She was a Delaware State Open Cross Country champion 4-times and the state record holder from 1972-75.
While at Springer Junior High, she set national junior high school records in two events on the same day in 1974 at the Delaware Girls State Track Meet, Intermediate Division: 58.6 in the 440 and 26.2 in the 220.
As a high school sophomore in 1975, she ran 55.8 in the 440 at the AAU Junior National Track and Field Championships. She also won the women’s 880 (all ages) at the Middle Atlantic AAU Indoor Championship in 2:17. In 1977, she set a state women’s record of 2:14.1 in the 800 meters at the Delaware Track Classic, then lowered her personal best to 2:10.3 with a win at the Delaware AAU Track Championship in 1978.
She was a six-time individual State Champion for Brandywine High School, sweeping the 100, 220, and 440 in 1975, the 220 and 440 in 1976, and the 400m in 1977. She set state high school records in the 100y (11.5), 220 (25.1), 400m (57.5), and 800m (2:19.2) and anchored state record-setting mile and sprint medley relay teams. Was on the varsity boy’s cross country team, rising to 5th on the team as a senior, and became the first woman to score varsity points in the 1976 boy’s state cross country championship.
At the University of Tennessee, she broke the school’s indoor 880 record three times (1978-80) and set the school outdoor 800m record (2:10.5) in 1979. She was the Tennessee state champion and state record holder in the 1500m (4:38) in 1979 and state champion in the 800m in 1980. She was on the seven-woman squad which took 8th place at the AIAW Cross Country Nationals in 1977, on the 2-mile relay placing 6th at the 1978 AIAW Nationals, and on the 1-mile relay placing 7th and setting a new school record (3:40.0) at the 1980 AIAW Nationals. In 1981, the Volunteers were overall AIAW national champions. A Scholar Athlete, Cathy was valedictorian of UT’s College of Communications in 1981, leaving to work for the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency in Chicago and Tokyo, where, instead of hanging up her spikes, she competed for numerous years on their corporate track team.