Hall of Fame
Phil Lorenc, 2007 - Phil Lorenc earned a total of 12 varsity letters throughout four years of cross country and track and field. Even as a sophomore co-captain, Lorenc left an impression on his team, once breaking his ankle in the first mile of a cross country race but pressing on to finish third and help his team go on to an 11-0 season. During his junior year as a captain, he again helped the Leathernecks to an 11-0 record, and their first state of Illinois cross country title since 1926. He placed sixth at the NAIA national cross country meet that year, and finished second as a senior.
In 1962, Lorenc set a school record at the Drake Relays with a two-mile run time of 9:10.6. As a senior, he ran a record mile of 4:17.8 at the State College of Iowa Relays, and later that season established a school record and won the NAIA national steeple chase title with a time of 9:29.7. After his senior season, he was named the Rock Hanson Athlete of the Year by Western Illinois.
Lorenc earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963 in education, and followed with a master’s degree from Eastern Illinois in 1964.
After his collegiate career, Lorenc won the 1966 Southern California Cross Country Championships, broke the nine-minute barrier in the two-mile run in 1967, and ran his lifetime best mile at Central College of California in 1967 with a time of 4:02.1.
