Twenty years after he last ran for Pennsylvania, Dave Merrick is still considered the greatest long distance runner in school history.
Merrick’s time of 28:49.2 for 10,000 meters, run in 1972, is 58 seconds better than the second fastest time in school records, and his time of 23:51 over Van Cortlandt Park’s championship cross country course in New York City is still the all-time school record. He also ran the anchor mile on another school record, the 6,400 meter relay (15:09.8).
Merrick’s best NCAA cross country finish was ninth place in his senior year of 1975. He was a member of three outdoor Heptagonal Games championship teams.
