The 1972 track and field team was inducted into the State University of New York at New Paltz Hall of Fame Oct. 12. They were recognized in part for their collective success as a talented group of athletes, but also due to the unfortunate long, forgotten, untold story of their willingness to take control of their fate when the opportunity to compete was nearly taken away from them and their fellow student-athletes. Determined, they fought for not only their sport, but for the rest of the varsity teams that represented SUNY New Paltz, aiding in the future of the athletic department and what it is today. 
 
"During that time period with all of the distractions going on, the student government cut funding for college athletics because college athletics were considered part of the establishments, so the teams had no more funding," said 1972 team member Paul Spadaro. "The track team on its own, all 40 of us, formed a varsity club and we actually raised money to continue to compete." 
 
With the political climate of the Vietnam War looming heavily on campus, athletics were unfortunately overlooked, or as Spadaro described an, "anti-athletics attitude." The campus newspaper printed articles criticizing sports at SUNY New Paltz and ultimately the decision was made by the student government to cut funding.
 
Although many teams were discouraged and gave up on their seasons, the track and field team kept fighting. As a group, they went out and raised money to keep their season alive. Spadaro described how he and his teammates reserved Old Main to sell movie tickets and sold food and beverages at sporting events to raise money for their team.
 
Spadaro went on to become the captain of the Hawks' cross country and track team. He held the records for the mile (4:31), two mile (10:03) and three mile (15:35.6), with his five mile record time still standing today. Along with distance events, Spadaro also competed in long jump when his team needed him.
 
"You could either walk away and say 'woe is me' or you could pitch together with a bunch of your friends and do something about it," Spadaro said. "Who would have ever thought we could raise enough money to fund ourselves? But we did."
 
With the funds raised, the team did more than just compete. Against all odds, the Hawks dominated and established themselves as fierce competitors, while putting SUNY New Paltz on the map even at its earliest stages as an emerging team.
 
Former coach Edward Bell came to New Paltz in 1967 as the first coach of the Hawks track and field team. "When I got on campus I found out a number of things: one, there was no track team and two, there was no track," said Bell. "There was a cross country team but no track team, so I had the opportunity to do things from scratch."
 
When the inductees were initially announced early in the fall, Bell was unaware his team was selected for the 2018 class. Bell joked during his induction speech about his former student-athletes needing to chase him down via Facebook to notify him of the recognition. Regardless, Bell was honored when members of his team asked him to speak at the ceremony. Members of the team expressed their appreciation to Bell's contributions in the role he played during that time, laying the foundation for what came to be a thriving group of athletes.
 
"It's an honor to be here," said Bell at the ceremony. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for these guys. I still call them kids. The last time I saw them was in the 1970s."
 
Prior to coming to SUNY New Paltz, Bell was a runner himself at Michigan State University. He then became an assistant coach at Howard University in Washington D.C. When he heard SUNY New Paltz was expressing interest to start a track and field team, Bell decided to make the move to the Hudson Valley. It was a difficult time during the 1972 season as the emerging team members and coach alike were looking for their identity as a unit. The Hawks used the various obstacles to propel them forward.

Ed Mashmann, a member of the 1972 team, was featured in The New York Times following his performance at the Queens-Iona Relay in 1970, as a photo of Mashmann crossing the finish line during the one-mile relay with a time of 2:30.4 was published. In the photo, Mashmann's arms were raised above his head triumphantly, with the description, "On the Wings of Victory," beneath it. During the Hall of Fame ceremony, Mashmann stood up to replicate the victorious pose almost 50 years after the original photo was taken.
 
The mile relay team was known as the pride and joy of the track team, making the win against so many large schools in New York City and the feature in the New York Times such a pivotal moment for the Hawks.
 
Along with Mashamann, teammate Jim Munz, who was also part of the one-mile winning relay team at the Queens-Iona Relay was in attendance. Neyooxet Greymorning was also at the ceremony, as he was inducted individually for his contributions as a two-sport athlete, starring on both the Hawks' track and field, and swimming and diving teams. 
 
"As a track and field member and high team scorer in several events, he ran the 220, the 440, the high jump, the broad jump and the triple jump. He also at times ran the relay, so he was pretty versatile," Bell said of Greymorning.
 
Ken Stec a talented distance runner on the team attended the ceremony as well. The late Peter A. Robson was represented by his wife. Robson competed in shot put, hammer and discus throw. James W. Borden was also in attendance, getting inducted for the second time following his individual honor in 2002. Borden, a star wrestler and baseball player for the Hawks, holds the program record in the two-mile. Despite a medical condition involving his sweat glands, Borden became one of the best athletes at SUNY New Paltz.
 
Although it is nearly 50 years later, the special bond created among the Hawks' 1972 track and field still holds strong. The relentless effort each individual member gave to self-organize for a common goal during a time of chaos, which not only saved their team, but seemingly athletics at SUNY New Paltz as a whole, earned them their long overdue recognition.
 
"Having the track team honored on a wall for helping to save college sports is good thing but that wall is just block and concrete," Spadaro said. "To really honor the amazing efforts 1972 track team is to put New Paltz "BACK ON TRACK" and reestablish the a track team [and] continue to have living memories for generations of New Paltz student athletes to enjoy."