 Joe was a member of Fenwick's first Cross Country team and started for four years. He was also a star of the track team. Joe was a four-year member of the basketball and baseball teams. Cross Country and Track is where Joe excelled, making a total commitment to distance running.
In 1966 as a member of the Cross Country team, Joe finished first as he quite often did, but more importantly Fenwick beat Lakota and this was the first win as a team from Fenwick. Joe finished third in the district in 1966 and qualified for state finals in Columbus. In 1967 Joe qualified for state finals for a second time and this time received a medal for finishing in 8th place. Keep in mind that there were only two state classification at the time. He was one of the first individuals to ever represent FHS in Columbus in the State Finals.
Joe managed to make the regional finals for the mile in his junior year and set the school record in his senior year. Joe was named captain of the track team his senior year.
Joe received the "Catholic Athlete of the Year" award his senior year, which was the most prestigious award given to a Falcon Athlete. he held all distance records in Cross County and Track by the time he graduated and was simply "Best of the Best!" His senior year Cross Country coach, Justin Holweger, describes him as one of those rare Student-Athletes who comes along once every 10-20 years, and not only excels himself, but earns the total respect of his teammates while elevating them to be the best they can be.
In 1985 Joe graduated to marathon running. He has run over 60 marathons, including 8 Boston Marathons. |
