Star Sprinter, Lee McNeill
This article describes Lee Vernon McNeill's push for an Olympic gold medal. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: Simmons, Karen. "Star Sprinter," ECU Magazine, Winter 1988, Volume 2, No. 1.
If ECU track star Lee Vernon McNeill gets his wish, he'll soon have an Olympic gold medal to add to his rapidly-expanding collection.
Coach Bill Carson, for one, is confident the sprinter will be in Seoul, South Korea, come Sept. 8. "I can't deny my positive feelings about him," Carson says. "Barring injury, he'll make the relay team, but he has to get a good start to make the top three."
A finish in the top three will qualify McNeill for the 100-meter dash, a category in which he's currently ranked ninth in the world. The first six who cross the line will be placed on the 4x100 relay team.
It's no wonder Carson is so confident his prodigy will succeed; three relay teams McNeill ran on last summer placed first in each of their races."This kid is one of the greatest relay runners in the world," he says.
His first gold medal of the summer came in June at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Durham. "That was the first time his parents had seen him run in a major meet," Carson says. "He ran a great leg."
McNeill also picked up a bronze medal in the 100-meter dash.
Luck was on McNeill's side at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis.He started out as an alternate for the USA relay team but got to run after problems arose with two of the runners."Mark Witherspoon pulled a hamstring, and Calvin Smith remained in Europe," Carson says."That put Lee into the relay."
According to Carson, McNeill held his own against some pretty formidable teammates -- Olympic veterans Carl Lewis and Harvey Glance, and University of Pittsburgh star Lee McRae.
Their first place finish qualified teh team for the World University Games in Rome, which according to Carson, many athletes regard more highly than the Olympics.
The relay was a challenge for the USA team, which trailed after a bad start. But McNeill's effort on the second leg enabled the team to eventually take the lead and cross the finish line first.
"That world championship medal was worth $28,000," Carson says. "McNeill didn't take it so he could run his senior year here at ECU.Accepting money would have made him ineligible in the NCAA."
Although ECU will have its star sprinter back this spring, McNeill won't be running in every race."We're going to keep him out of some of the lesser meets," Carson says. "We don't want to wear him out before the Olympic trials."
Carson recruited McNeill in 1984 out of St. Pauls. "He's the best runner we've ever had here at ECU," Carson says. "He's tough and has the right temperament to be a sprinter.His only limitation is that he's short (5'4")."
McNeill made a name for himself in 1985 when he beat Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis in the semifinals of the 100-meter dash at the USA outdoor track and field championships. McNeill placed second in the final, outrunning both the world record holder and the NCAA champion.
Later that summer he dropped the baton in a Pan American Games relay, but still managed to bring home three bronze medals from the National Sports Festival and the World University Games.
A missed plane kept McNeill from racing during the summer of '86."We were on our way to the Track Athletic Conference in Oregon," Carson recalls."We had to leave late because Lee was enrolled in summer school.When we finally got to Denver we were told there was no flight to Eugene, Ore. We never made it to the race.
"This summer we went with a vengeance."
