UW Hall of Fame Class of 2011: 7 Inductees in 7 Days

In honor of the newly inducted members of the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, we will provide the seven inductees over a course of seven days.

Day 2: Wesley Maiyo, Track, 1974-1975

A native of Kapsabet, Kenya, Maiyo ran into the hearts of Wyoming sports fans in 1974, when he won the first NCAA track title in UW history. The effort came in the 1,000 yard dash of the national championships when he finished the distance with a time of 2:08.01.  The time  was three tenths of a second faster than second place Keith Francis of Boston College, and a second and a half faster than his own school record, set a week prior at the WAC championship.

In his sophomore campaign, Maiyo again sped his pace, setting Wyoming records in the 880 and 1000 yard dash.  At the U.S. Track and Field Federation Championships, Maiyo won first place in the 880 yard dash with a time of 1:50.3, earning an All American certificate for indoor track and field.

In the 1975 WAC Championship, Maiyo again won first place in the 880 and 1000 yard dash.  Maiyo would go on to finish second in the 1000 yard dash at the National Championships and sixth in the 880, helping his Wyoming finish 20th in the nation.

In his two year career, Maiyo established himself as one of the greatest Cowboy runners of all time.  Maiyo still holds UW records in the outdoor track 800 meter dash event with a time of 1:46.44, and his indoor 1,000 yard dash record of 2:07.54 will forever be a Wyoming record, as the event has since been discontinued.

Be sure to come back to kowb1290.com tomorrow when we bring you Day 3 in our series of 7 Inductees in 7 Days!

Story Archive:

Day 1