May 4, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State Director of Athletics Jeff Schemmel will be inducted into the Howard Wood Dakota Relays Hall of Fame at the 82nd running of the event, May 5-6, in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Schemmel competed in the relays in 1971 and 1972, winning the mile race both years. In 1972, Schemmel won the state championship in the one-mile event and was once the South Dakota state record holder in the two-mile run.
During his years at Madison (S.D.) High School, Schemmel established state records in both the one-mile (4:11.2) and the two-mile (9:12.2) distances, which still stand to this day. In 1972, Schemmel's 3,200-meter relay team recorded a time of 7:55.20 that still ranks among the best in South Dakota.
After high school, Schemmel attended Kansas State where he continued to compete in track. During the 1975 season, he won the Big Eight Conference championship in both the indoor and outdoor mile events. The following year, he was the champion two-mile indoor runner in the Big Eight and also won the 5,000-meter outdoor run. During his time at KSU he helped the Wildcats win a pair of Big Eight track championships as well as a cross country title.
In his career at KSU, Schemmel earned All-America indoor track honors three times. He reached All-America status in 1974 and 1976 for the mile and in 1975 for the distance medley relay, helping the Wildcats win the NCAA title. At one time, he also held the KSU school record in the outdoor mile (3:58.2) and indoor mile (4:02.4).
The Howard Wood Dakota Relays is one of the premier running events in South Dakota and has been going on since 1923. This year over 3,000 student-athletes from middle school, high school and college will compete at the annual event.