9/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Kent State Track & Field's Seven Olympians
Over the course of Kent State track & field's history, seven student-athletes have gone on to Olympic success.
Jacques Accambray competed in the hammer throw as part of the 1972 French Olympic Team. He was a three-time indoor All-American in the 35-pound weight throw, winning the national title in 1972. Accambray was a four-time outdoor All-American in the hammer throw, winning the NCAA title twice (1971, '73) and finishing second in '72.
Gerald Tinker won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics as a member of the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team. He was a three-time All-American and won the 1973 indoor NCAA title in the 60-yard dash. Tinker was also a member of the 1972 Kent State football team that captured the school's first MAC championship. He later went on to play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.
Bruno Cherrier made it to the semifinals of the 200 meters and finals of the 4x100-meter relay for France in the 1972 Olympics. Cherrier won MAC titles in the 220-yard dash (1974, '75) and 440-yard relay (1974).
Al Schoterman was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and an alternate for the 1984 Olympics in the hammer throw. He was a five-time All-American at Kent State, earning the honor three times in the hammer and twice in the weight throw. Schoterman was also a member of the 1972 Kent State football team that captured the school's first MAC championship.
Thomas Jefferson won a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in the 200-meter dash. Jefferson was an All-American in the 100 meters in 1985. He captured six MAC outdoor sprint titles during his career.
Jud Logan competed for the United State in four Olympics (1984, '88, '96, '00) in the hammer throw. He was a two-time MAC champion in the hammer throw and won the discus title in 1981.
The most recent KSU Olympian was Kim Kreiner. Kreiner came back from a severe injury to her throwing arm to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in the javelin. She also qualified for the 2004 Olympics after winning the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a toss of 55.65 meters (182'-7"). In the process, she also became the first KSU female to qualify for the summer games. A 2000 Kent State gradate, Kreiner is the U.S. record holder in the javelin with a mark of 60.86 meters (199'-8").
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