Augustana College Athletics

John Stanek was somewhat of a pioneer in the high jump, both from a technique standpoint and at Augustana. The first state champion track & field athlete ever to enroll at the Rock Island school, he eventually became Coach Paul Olsen’s second national champion and just the third in school history when he won the 1975 NCAA Division III national title in Berea, Ohio.
 
Stanek’s introduction to high jumping came about as a result of adversity. As a freshman at Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois, his hopes for a career as a distance runner were dashed when he was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. A stint as the track team manager didn’t satisfy his competitive urge, so he decided to give jumping a try.
 
Converting to the “Fosbury Flop” just a year after Dick Fosbury introduced the world to his unconventional new method at the 1968 Olympics, Stanek saw improvement quickly. After clearing a best of 5’ 6” using the old Western roll as a high school freshman, he cleared 6’ 4” as a sophomore flopper. As a senior, he went a personal-best 6’ 10” at the Proviso East Invitational and at the 1972 IHSA Championships in Charleston, Illinois, he cleared 6’ 8” to win a state title.
 
Despite scholarship offers from Division I Wisconsin, Arizona and Alabama, Stanek chose to enroll at Augustana. “It was ‘Ols’ who made the difference and who made it an easy decision to come to Augie,” he said, adding “I owe a huge debt to him.”
 
Stanek set school indoor records by clearing 6’ 6” and then 6’ 7” during the winter of his freshman year. In his first collegiate outdoor meet, a triangular versus Loras and Luther, he soared a winning 6’ 8” to break Jeff Johnston’s previous school record by three and a half inches. Two weeks later, he broke school and meet records by going 6’ 9” at the Eastern Illinois Relays. He won at the first four outdoor meets in which he competed, clearing at least 6’ 8” in each. At the CCIW Championships in Bloomington, Illinois, he claimed a conference title with a leap of 6’ 6”.
 
As a sophomore, Stanek broke his own indoor school record with a 6’ 8” leap at the Augustana Open. He tied a meet record (6’ 6”) in winning at Luther’s Norseman Relays and at the first-ever NCAA Division III Championships, he jumped 6’ 5”, earning All-America honors with a fifth-place finish.
 
Stanek picked an opportune time to turn in his best effort as a junior in 1975. At the NCAA Division III Championships at Baldwin Wallace College, he equaled his collegiate best by going a meet-record 6’ 9” to claim the national title. His performance helped the Vikings finish second in the team standings. “Being part of the 1975 national runner-up track team was a real honor,” said Stanek. “We took a large number of qualifiers to the national meet. Every one of those teammates was essential to our success.”
 
Stanek’s national championship also earned him a trip to Berkley, California for the National Meet of Champions, which included winners from all three NCAA divisions as well as the NAIA. That event served as a precursor to the World University Games in Rome, Italy.
 
As a senior, Stanek logged victories at Bradley and Western Illinois, as well as the Norseman Relays. He jumped 6’ 6” to finish second at the CCIW Championships.
 
An economics and accounting major and 1976 Augustana graduate, Stanek capped his career by becoming the Vikings’ fifth NCAA postgraduate scholarship winner and the first from track & field. He used the award to attend Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. He has been a practicing attorney for 38 years, focusing on real estate law and providing pro bono services to the Batavia Artists Association and PugHugs, a dog rescue charity.
 
John and his wife Liliana live in Batavia, Illinois. They are parents to Andrew, Jessica, John and Michael and grandparents to Mia and Donovan.