University of California Athletics

Larry Cowling was regarded as one of the finest combination hurdlers in American track & field history. He was the first Cal athlete to win the NCAA 110-meter hurdles title, capturing the championship as a junior in 1981 (13.60w). He also took sixth in the 400 hurdles that year (50.28) before coming back as a senior to capture second in the 400 hurdles in a sensational 48.46 time while also taking fourth in the high hurdles (13.83). Cowling was a member of the fifth-place 1600m relay team at the 1982 NCAA Championships and helped Cal to an eighth-place team finish at the '82 NCAA Championships and 10th place in '81. Cowling set Cal school records in both hurdle events with a 13.39 time in the high hurdles and the 48.46 clocking in the intermediate hurdles in 1982. He set the Big Meet record in the 400 hurdles in 1982 and established a Cal freshman record in the 400 hurdles in 1979 (51.31), as well as a Big Meet mark of 49.9 in 1982. Cowling ran a best of 20.78 in the 200 meters and won the 1981 Pac-10 title in the high hurdles and the '82 conference intermediate hurdle crown. He ranked among the top 10 in the world in the 110 hurdles from 1981-83.