New Hampshire decathlete legs out league competition

Craig Lange, a senior track and field student-athlete at the University of New Hampshire, recently gave new meaning to the phrase "legging it out" when he literally hopped one-legged through the final two events of a decathlon.

Lange was on pace to set an America East Conference record in the decathlon and capture his second straight conference title during the league's track and field championships last month when he tore his left hamstring while running the 400-meter relay.

He agreed to anchor the relay, which was something he had done throughout the season but isn't a part of the decathlon, as he was heading into the pole vault, the eighth of the decathlon's 10 grueling events.

About 20 meters into the race, however, Lange suddenly went down. The team's athletic trainer advised the senior to retire from the competition. But, with the javelin throw and the 1,500-meter run remaining, Lange refused.

It wasn't just the conference championships. It was his final collegiate race and Lange was determined to finish.

Despite being in severe pain, Lange moved to the javelin, an event in which he normally throws for a distance of about 160 feet. By hopping up to the line on one leg and altering his form, he managed two tosses of 103 feet each.

Amazingly, Lange remained in first place with only the 1,500 meters left.

Although uncertain of how far he could go on his bum leg, Lange's initial plan was to hop around the track. When that got tiring, he began throwing the injured leg out in front of his body and using it as leverage to rest his uninjured right leg on each stride.

Somehow, Lange gritted out the entire race to finish in under eight minutes -- and in second place in the decathlon. Incredibly, had his closest competitor finished just seven seconds slower, Lange still would have been able to claim back-to-back conference titles.

Even though Lange didn't win the second title or set a record, he was still all smiles. After all, he'd gotten what he wanted: to finish on his own terms.

Lange's efforts drew a standing ovation from the crowd and the admiration of his coach, Jim Boulanger.

"In 30 years of coaching, I don't think I've ever had anybody take it to that level," said Boulanger.

Mount Holyoke exhibit honors women in sport

More than 100 items have been assembled as part of a Mount Holyoke College Art Museum exhibit currently on display that traces the history of women in sport.

The exhibit, entitled,"The Sporting Woman: The Female Athlete in American Culture," is open to the public as part of the festivities surrounding the USGA Women's Open, the largest women's golf tournament in the United States, which will be held at Mount Holyoke's golf course, The Orchards, from late June through early July.

Sabine Cray, the museum's media relations coordinator, said the idea for the exhibit came from a brainstorming session with college trustees who were interested in luring tournament attendees from the golf course to the campus.

Among the items on display are paintings, photographs, prints, pieces from the school's athletics-wear collection, and memorabilia such as letters from students writing about their teams.

The exhibit runs through August 1.

"We're getting quite a bit of traffic. People who come seem to be enjoying it enormously," Cray said.

For more information about the exhibit, go to www.mtholyoke.edu/go/artmuseum.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra

Number crunching

Looking back

Long back swing

The NCAA men's golf championships date back to 1897 when the first National Collegiate Golf Championships were played in New York. The inaugural event was conducted by the Intercollegiate Golf Association of America.

This year marks the 107th Division I Men's Golf Championships, which were held June 1-4 in Hot Springs, Virginia. Division II celebrated its 42nd annual championships this year in DeLand, Florida, and Division III hosted its 30th annual tournament last month in California.

Here's a look back at some NCAA men's golf milestones:

Yale University won the first golf championships in 1897 and went on to win the event 20 more times. The last time Yale won was in 1943.

The University of Michigan was the first non-Ivy Group school to win the Division I championships with its win in 1934. Michigan also won the following year, and was runner-up in 1943, 1946 and 1952.

Clemson University's win last year was the first Division I golf championship for the Tigers. With the win, Clemson became the first team to win its conference tournament, NCAA regional tournament and the championship in the same year.

No team (through at least the 2003 season) has won consecutive Division I titles since the University of Houston did it in 1984-85.

Southwest Missouri State University won the first Division II golf title in 1963. It was the school's only golf title.

Florida Southern College has won the Division II title more than any other institution. The school has a record 11 championships, with its most recent title coming in 2000. Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen is a Florida Southern alum.

The Division III Men's Golf Championships date back to 1975, with the College of Wooster winning the inaugural tournament.