It remains one of the most significant quotes ever uttered by an Augustana athlete. The occasion was the 1989 NCAA Division III national cross country championship and the site was the Vikings’ home course at Highland Springs Golf Course. It was a bitterly cold day and Dave Terronez was the defending national champion. As the race was about to start the call came for the runners to take off their sweats. The other runners in the race took off their sweats and revealed that they were wearing turtlenecks, tights, gloves and hats to ward off the bitter chill. Not Terronez. When he shed his sweats he was down to just his blue racing singlet and his yellow shorts. When a teammate asked him if he was going to be cold, Terronez simply stated “I don’t plan on being out here that long.”
He wasn’t, as he took the lead in the five mile race in the first 200 meters and romped to victory as he became a two time national champion.
That was Dave Terronez in a nutshell – tough and single-minded. He simply did not let obstacles get in his way. One year earlier, he won his first national title on a course in St. Louis, Missouri that was covered with water after a torrential downpour.
The tougher the conditions, the better he was. He was the consummate competitor and he knew only one way to do it. That was from the front. He feared nobody and he was a legendary workout guy and the rigors of cross country suited his personality perfectly.
He was a three time NCAA Division III All-American in cross country, placing 19th in the nation as a sophomore in 1987 before winning back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989. He also won two individual championships in the CCIW (1988 and 1989) and placed sixth in the conference as a sophomore and 10th as a freshman. Three times he was the Vikings’ MVP and he set course records during each of his national championship romps.
Three times during his cross country career he helped the Vikings qualify for the national meet as a team with the 1986 team placing eighth in the country.
While he made his mark in cross country, he was certainly no slouch in track & field either. He was a double champion in the CCIW in the 5,000 and 10,000 in 1990 and was the team’s MVP. A versatile performer, he earned track & field All-American honors in four different events (800 in 1988, 1500 in 1989, 5,000 and 10,000 in 1990).
He is still listed on Augustana’s top 10 list in the 800 (ninth at 1:52.34), 1500 (sixth at 3:50.8), 5,000 (fifth at 14:32.7) and 10,000 (seventh at 30:44.37).
Not a bad career for a guy who was a defensive back on his Alleman High School football team and a starting point guard in basketball.
He graduated from Augustana in the spring of 1990 with a degree in physical education and he has a Master’s in education from North Dakota State. He is a teacher at Rock Island High School and coaches cross country and track & field. He was also the girls’ basketball coach at Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa earlier in his career.
“My Augustana education laid a foundation where I continue to learn every day,” said Terronez. “The things I learned at Augie I have been able to use to make my life better.”
Dave and his wife Jen are the parents of Olivia (12) and Payton (six months).
