December 03, 2012
For many athletes, participation in the Olympics is the pinnacle
of excellence. St. John’s University has historically been
well-represented among Olympic athletes, particularly within the
events of track and field. Since 1952, 11 students and alumni have
earned the right to take part in these prestigious competitions,
two of whom were recognized at a recent reception on the Queens
campus. Those honored included:
Connie Darnowski-Stoll ’56Ed
1952 Helsinki Olympics and 1956 Melbourne Olympics
Phobay Kutu-Akoi ’09CPS
2012 London Olympics
Photo Gallery
The
Olympians participated in a panel discussion that included Jim
Hurt, Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field teams and
Walt Murphy, a three-time Emmy Award winner as an Associate
Producer for NBC on the network’s Olympic coverage. The event
raised $10,000 to support the Women’s Track and Field
program.
“It’s wonderful to be back at St. John’s, particularly as part of
an event that acknowledges the importance of track and field at the
University for so many years,” said Darnowski-Stoll. “I think I’m
the oldest St. John’s Olympian and here I am being honored with a
young woman from the most recent games. To me, that really shows
the continuity of excellence that is such a part of the St. John’s
tradition, not just in athletics, but in everything.”
This seemingly ageless former athlete was a two-time Olympian for
the United States in the women’s 80-meter hurdles. Although her
time at St. John’s predated the formation of the women’s track and
field program, her remarkable accomplishments as an international
competitor earned her induction into the St. John’s Athletics Hall
of Fame in 1993.
At
the other end of the generation spectrum is Kutu-Akoi, who began
running track in ninth grade after coming to America from her home
country of Liberia. A dedicated athlete who holds both the St.
John’s and Liberian record for the 100-meter dash, she will never
forget what it was like to serve as the Liberian flag bearer at the
opening ceremonies of the London Olympics.
“I don’t think it really hit me right then and there what I was
doing until afterwards, when I had time to really think about it,”
she said. “I was really humbled by the experience and grateful to
God for bringing me this far and allowing me to represent my God,
my country and my university. It was amazing to just be there and
be a part of such an extraordinary event.”
She has already begun training for the 2016 Olympics, and has her
sights set on bringing home a Gold Medal four years from now.
Many alumni saw the reception as an opportunity to return to St.
John’s and catch up with former teammates and friends from their
days as student-athletes. They were joined by members of the
current women’s track and field team who hope to follow in the
footsteps of their highly successful predecessors.
“We
have a tremendous athletic tradition at St. John’s,” noted Coach
Hurt. “We’re trying to get our current team to focus on the future
and show them what they may be able to accomplish in their own
lives. We also want to get our alumni and their families and
friends together to renew their connections to each other and to
the University. And what’s most important is that we’re all here to
honor the great achievements of two of our outstanding track and
field athletes.”
A former student-athlete who now enjoys a career as a Community
Pharmacist, Tepee Kuyateh ’08P recalled what it was like to balance
the demands of a rigorous academic program with the equally
pressing obligations inherent in collegiate-level athletics. She
acknowledged that even though it was difficult at times to keep
everything in perspective, in the end it was all worthwhile.
“I was a thrower when I was a student at St. John’s,” she said. “It
was tough keeping on top of my academic and athletic priorities,
but being a student-athlete taught me discipline and time
management. St. John’s is a great university for both academics and
athletics, and I had a good team behind me that supported me all
the way through. I came back tonight to see my former teammates and
my coach again, and to honor my teammate and good friend Phobay
Kutu-Akoi. I’m very proud of her for making it to the Olympics this
past summer.”
St.
John’s has always held a special place in the hearts of Barbara
(’70Ed) and Steve Conroy ’66C. Barbara was Captain of the
Coordinettes, a precision dance team that performed at many
University events in the ’60s and ’70s, and Steve was a walk-on
member of the Men’s Track team. The passage of time has not
weakened the connection of these two loyal alumni to their
University and the friends they made so many years ago.
“My husband and I come to all of the track and field events,” said
Barbara. “St. John’s will always mean something to us, because the
University was and still is so important in many parts of our
lives. It’s wonderful to see that St. John’s is going strong and
attracting students from all over the world.”
“We’re all one big family here at St. John’s,” agreed Steve. “Being
a student-athlete taught me a lot about life and about competition.
It also taught me the importance of giving back and following the
ways of the Vincentian mission. For some reason, runners stick
together. Even though we have multiple generations here tonight,
people from the ’50s and ’60s mingling with alumni who graduated
just a few years ago, and even a number of current students, we all
form a group because we all went through the same kinds of
challenges. St. John’s showed us how to meet those challenges, and
all of our lives are better because of it.”