The history listed below is an unedited snapshot of what we will begin to accumulate. This initial section was compiled by Gaucho Alumni & Cross-Country All-American James Krawszyk (‘07). Thank you to the La Cumbre Yearbook for providing much of the information below.
The Beginning – Santa Barbara State College
Gaucho track dates back to 1923 when they competed as Santa Barbara State College. Although not ready to compete with other colleges, the Gauchos held a dual meet against a local high school. 1924 marked the first meet victory for Santa Barbara as they beat San Diego State by 12 points at a 5-Way meet. Track was not held for the 1925 season because of inadequate equipment and funds. In 1926, the Gauchos held an interclass meet with the sophomores besting the freshman, juniors, and seniors. “Bus” Heggie was the MVP for the sophomores winning the 100, 220, broad jump, high jump, and javelin. The 1927 season saw 9 new gaucho records and a 5<sup>th</sup> place team showing in the Pacific Coast Conference Championships. The Gauchos were hampered in 1928 again by insufficient funds but still managed to field a few individuals at the Conference Championships. The Gauchos started to fill out the schedule in 1929 as they went head to head with UCLA, Cal Christian, and Long Beach.
Building the Gaucho Program
The 1930’s started without a field to practice on as well as inadequate funds. Nevertheless, the Gauchos held an interclass meet, and a tri meet between Occidental and Redlands College. The team was divided into Varsity and frosh teams but the freshman competed at the varsity level regularly. The Gauchos competed in a record high 9 meets during the 1931 and 1932 seasons. The schedule included meets such as the Pre-Olympic meet and the Conference Championships. Santa Barbara was once again hit with inadequate funds in 1933 which resulted with a ‘pay as you compete’ season. Legendary Coach Nick Carter started the 1934 season with a chance to build the program. Carter, a former Occidental Standout and Olympic team member in 1928, led the Gauchos in 1935 with numerous top 3 showings at the Conference Championships. The 1937 season again showed the Gauchos were on the rise with five all conference showings, Santa Barbara capped the 1930’s off with a dual meet victory over Cal Tech and an invitational win which included teams such as Loyola, Chapman, and La Verne. The future looked promising for the Gaucho track program.
WWII and UC-Santa Barbara
Equipped with a new track, the La playa oval, the Gauchos were led by Coach Nick Carter in an upset victory over San Jose State in 1941. Hovis Bess was the star of the team, logging times of 10.1 and 21.4 in the 100 and 200-yard dash, respectively. 1942 was the last season until 1948 that the Gauchos fielded a track team. With America at war, Santa Barbara was not able to compete. When the Gauchos started up again in 1948, they competed as the University of California Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara State College was changed to Santa Barbara Community College in 1945 and UCSB emerged 13 miles north in the city of Goleta. All Santa Barbara State College records were carried over to UCSB. The Gauchos hosted the Santa Barbara Easter Relays, which attracted many top teams such as UCLA and Fresno State. Many Gaucho records fell and UCSB was full of young talent for the future. Earl Engman was the star of the gaucho squad, competing at the NCAA championships and Olympic trials.
A World Record Falls
The Gauchos were led into the 50’s by hurdler Alberto Triulzi, who finished 4th at the 1948 Olympics competing for his native country, Argentina. The 1951 season saw the Gauchos record dual meet wins over Arizona, Fresno State, San Diego State, and take 3rd at the CCAA championships. Graduation after the 1951 season hurt the Gauchos for the 1952 season. Led by strong performances from Hugo Nutini and Jim Beacon, Santa Barbara did not have the depth of powerhouses such as UCLA and Arizona. Hugo Nutini’s 4:18 mile shattered the old UCSB mark of 4:35. 1955 was the reign of Gordan McClenathen who set new standards of 4:15 and 9:15 in the mile and 2 mile. Gordan was also an All-American in the 10,000-meter with his 6th place finish. In 1959 Dallas Long broke the Shot Put World Record with a toss of 19.25m in Santa Barbara.