CMC75 Moments: Roberson Wins 2004 NCAA Title in Decathlon
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2004 Men's Track & Field: Roberson Wins National Title in Decathlon
The CMS men's track and field team was in the middle of a dominant run in the SCIAC in 2004, taking its 13th straight league championship (out of 19). The streak was in some doubt heading into the SCIAC Championships, after La Verne edged the Stags in a regular season multi-dual, but CMS responded with a dominant 90-point win (207-117) for its 13th league title in a row.
The program added another feather in its cap at the NCAA Division III Championships, when sophomore Matt Roberson won the individual national title in the decathlon, setting a school record with 7171 points and becoming the fifth national champion in program history. After being injured in 2005, he would add a second national title in 2006 with 7188 points to become the first multiple national champion for CMS Track & Field.
Roman Marenin was also an All-American in 2004 in both the 400 and the 400 hurdles, setting school records in both, while throwers Bert Landry and Scott Bennett also qualified for nationals as the Stags finished 18th as a team. Les Fletcher (200), Alex Auerbach (800), Dan Hayman (steeplechase), John Bausch (pole vault), and the 4x400 relay team of Kevin Kam, Fletcher, Marenin and Auerbach were SCIAC Champions as well.
In 2006, Roberson also broke the school's long jump record, which remarkably had been held for 58 years since one of the first great CMC athletes, Pete Welsh, set it in 1948 in only the third year of the school's existence. Welsh was the first person inducted in the CMS Hall of Fame.
Also during that era, Marenin was named the SCIAC Athlete of the Year in 2005, winning two individual titles in the 400 and 400 hurdles, along with Roberson (pole vault), Ryan Martin (200), David Shriver (800), Hayman (steeplechase), and Bennett (shot put, discus). In 2006, Martin was an All-American in the 400 and Jorge De La Cruz won the SCIAC title in the pole vault.
Matt Roberson:
For the 2004 season, some of the things I remember about you mentioned already. The loss to La Verne at the first multi-dual meet, the team having a very strong finish to the season, and a lot of teammates also making it to nationals and competing well.
For me personally, I remember talking to Coach Goldhammer before the season started and talking about plans for me to continue learning my events for the decathlon. I had a good preseason with workouts, weight training, and playing on the football team, so I came into the 2004 year about as strong and as fast as I ever had been. Coach Goldhammer spent a lot of time preparing me to build upon the things I learned as a freshman, and I am grateful for the time he spent with me working on all the events and trying always to make sure I was a part of the team even though I had a lot of extra training to do.
During the 2004 season I remember I missed almost all of the regular season due to a hamstring pull. I had to sit out and rest during the first La Verne meet. and I only did a few low impact events during the SCIAC championships. I felt bad I couldn't do more to help, but I was proud to see everyone step up.
After SCIAC, Coach Goldhammer put on a decathlon meet at Claremont with a dozen or so athletes so I could get a qualifying mark to go to nationals. I was still trying to recover from my hamstring pull, but it was the last week I could get a meet in to make the nationals cut off. At the meet, Coach Beck and Goldhammer pretty much ran the whole thing by themselves. Timing, lowering and raising bars, and setting up everything. I was able to make it through the meet without re-injuring my hamstring, made it to nationals, and also made it through that meet without injuring myself and became a national champion.
Going to nationals and watching my teammates perform well too was a really great feeling especially since that season was such a question mark for me being injured for about two months right in the middle of it. I really owe that season to the support I received from the coaches -- I remember being so thankful at the end of the year to be able to make it through the two day competition at nationals I didn't really care what place I got, I was just happy to run, jump, and throw and I had fun.
2004 Men's Track and Field Roster
Head Coach: John Goldhammer
Assistant Coach: Kelly Beck
Kevin Andrew (Sr., Distance, HMC)
Alex Auerbach (So., 800, CMC)
John Bausch (Sr., Pole Vault/100, CMC)
Scott Bennett (Jr., Throws, CMC)
Eric Brinkert (Jr., Hurdles, CMC)
Victor Camacho (Fr., 800, HMC)
Nate Chenette (Fr., Distance, HMC)
Andy Chin (Fr., Sprints, HMC)
Jorge De La Cruz (So., Pole Vault, CMC)
J.P. Elliott (Jr., Throws, CMC)
Les Fletcher (Sr., Sprints, HMC)
Zach Fragapane (Fr., Sprints, CMC)
Tom Hallock (So., Middle Distance, CMC)
Dan Hayman (Fr., Distance, CMC)
Ben Hunsaker (So., Distance, CMC)
Kevin Kam (Sr., Sprints, CMC)
James Kezele (Fr., Sprints/Jumps, CMC)
Brian Kirkpatrick (Fr., Sprints, HMC)
Bert Landry (Sr., Throws, CMC)
Roman Marenin (Jr., 400/Hurdles, CMC)
James Moore (Fr., Distance, HMC)
Mike Peel (Fr., Distance, CMC)
Scott Raegen (Jr., Javelin/Steeplechase, CMC)
Chris Raub (Sr., Distance, HMC)
Chris Reina (Fr., Hurdles/Sprints, CMC)
Matt Roberson (So., Decathlon, CMC)
Phil Snyder (Fr., Distance, CMC)
William St. Clair (Fr., Decathlon/Jumps, CMC)
Bobback Tehrani (Fr., Jumps, CMC)
Dante Tolbert (Sr., Jumps, CMC)
Wyatt Toolson (Fr., Middle Distance, HMC)
Mike Weber (So., Sprints, CMC)
Rylan Weythman (Fr., Throws, CMC)
Jon Yahalom (Fr., Middle Distance, CMC)
Kyle Zarzana (Fr., Distance, HMC)