Anders inducted into D-3 track athlete hall of fame

Terry Anders was officially inducted to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III Track and Field Athlete Hall of Fame May 25. He is currently the head track coach and a second-grade teacher at Fall Creek. Photo by Julia Wolf

By Julia Wolf

Cornell native Terry Anders earned many accolades in the world of track and field. Recently, he added one more title to his name – Hall of Famer.

Anders was inducted to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III Track and Field Athlete Hall of Fame, as part of the Class of 2022, May 25.

“I think it’s been in the mix for a while,” said Anders. Anders had an active childhood. He had a newspaper route in Cornell as a kid, with 42-44 papers to deliver. He would sprint them all, a type of sprint training in itself. Anders says he also enjoyed biking and joined others in the neighborhood, playing a variety of sports. His coaches in Cornell, also played a role in his success.

“I think Coach (Eino) Martino used to think I was cheating,” said Anders, especially when he first started becoming good and would be the first one back from runs.

In reality, between his freshman and sophomore year of high school, he decided he would run a mile and a half each night. That included late nights after basketball games and in the middle of winter. The hard work paid off and Anders was able to start dropping his time.

What Anders really wanted to do, was play football in college. However, at only 127 pounds as a senior, he wasn’t getting a lot of looks.

However, UW-Stout track coach Steve Terry came to watch Anders and contacted him quite often.

“I knew I was going there right away,” said Anders, recalling how Terry took him for a ride in his car, complete with bungee cords holding it together, the first day he stepped foot in the admissions office.

Anders put on almost 30 pounds his freshman year at Stout, as he graduated high school at 17 and was growing into his adult body.

A senior at the time, Rich Vargas, took Anders under his wing.

“He actually kept me in school,” said Anders. “I actually packed all my stuff up at one point, didn’t think college was for me.”

Anders says many of the upperclassmen on the track team were not very receptive to freshmen and he was also having roommate issues, so he wasn’t having any fun.

Vargas came back after he graduated to coach Anders to his National titles.

During the outdoor season of his freshman year, Anders says he started to come onto the scene a little bit. He says he wasn’t ranked in the 200-meter, but made finals at the conference meet and ended up taking second.

“I grew so much,” said Anders.

His sophomore year, his coach decided Anders could run the 400 and maybe be ranked.

“I ran it against the National champ from the year before, and I beat him and I ran the fastest time in the country, at that time, in Division III,” said Anders.

That was in the indoor season, and Anders went on to win the 400 at Nationals indoor and outdoor that year.

At one point, Anders saw a guy race the 400, immediately followed by the 100.

“As a sophomore sitting in the stands, I was like, ‘I’m going to do that,’” said Anders.

And he did. Anders raced, and won, the 200, 400 and 100. “I was still dry heaving when I got up into the blocks for the 100, but 50 meters down the track, I knew that I was going to win the thing,” said Anders.

Anders said no one ever won all three before, in any division.

He says growing up physically small caused a lot of people to tell him he couldn’t do it, but each time he was told he couldn’t, he decided to prove them wrong and it motivated him.

“In college, most guys only did two events at a conference meet,” said Anders.

As a junior at outdoor conference, Anders ran the 100, 200, 400, 4x100, 4x400 and triple jumped.

Anders recalls people lining the triple jump, thinking it would be funny. He ended up winning the triple jump.

“I won all six titles, all in the same meet,” said Anders. “Six conference titles. Every event that I was in.”

At the time, it was just what he did, but Anders says, reflecting back, he can’t believe he accomplished all of that.

Anders says a lot of it came down to mindset. He always performed better in competitions than in practices, because he was able to switch gears.

His senior year, sickness and chaos at the indoors led to a second place finish in the 400. For the outdoor season, Anders was not able to defend any of his titles, because he suffered a hamstring injury. “But, that’s sports,” said Anders.

Anders says age has led him to appreciate the people who supported him along the way and continue to do so – coaches, family, his wife and teammates.

“I really feel fortunate to have the people in my life that I did,” said Anders.

He says track also gave him the chance to experience bigger things, flying to large meets across the country.

Anders is currently the head track coach at Fall Creek, after 15 years as the middle school coach, and is enjoying watching the program grow and thrive.

“All that track stuff led me to this place,” said Anders. Anders is also in the UW-Stout Hall of Fame and the WIAC Hall of Fame, and he says the way the inductions were spread out helped keep track in his life.

“The older you get, the more you reflect on things,” said Anders.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="241"] Terry Anders (center) had a decorated track and field career, winning six NCAA titles and was a 13-time All-American. Anders says the induction into the Hall of Fame gives him another chance to reflect back on his athletic career. Submitted photo[/caption]