Professor Honored As CWU Athletics Hall Of Fame Inductee

April 25, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University Biochemistry Professor and ultra marathon runner David Lygre will be inducted into CWU's Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Lygre will receive a new award titled the Meritorious Service Award that acknowledges outstanding non-student athletes with strong CWU ties.

"I'm honored to be inducted into the hall of fame," Lygre says. "I know that what I do athletically is quite different from what most inductees do, and I hope it will encourage others to explore a wonderful athletic challenge filled with adventures and camaraderie."

Lygre, 65, has worked as a professor at Central since 1970. He will be honored along with six other individuals and the 1987-88 CWU Women's Basketball Team during the 25th Annual Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet. The reception begins at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

Lygre started running one mile at a time, and eventually worked his way up to a four-mile loop around town.

"I started running at age 35 to lose weight, and it soon got out of hand," Lygre acknowledges. "I experienced the 'loneliness of the long distance runner' for several years as my running distances gradually changed from 10 km to 100 miles. But gradually friends got hooked on the challenge, and now we have a great group of runners who do runs together."

Lygre became so interested in long distance running that he trained for three years to enter a 100-mile race.

"When he finished the 100-mile race, he was so dehydrated that they couldn't find his pulse," says Psychology Professor Warren Street, who nominated Lygre for the hall of fame. "In 1984, David entered a 100-mile race in Utah and finished fifth.

Soon after that race, Lygre was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was told he would never run again due to the effects of radiation therapy on his lungs.

"Just to see for himself, David entered a 100-mile trail run... Finishing the race in good shape was, once again, immensely satisfying," Street wrote in his nomination letter. "His career inspires all of us to persevere through adversity and succeed in the long run."

In 1994, Lygre was honored as a CWU Distinguished Professor for Teaching. He has published his research in numerous articles and books. He plans to retire this year.

Other 2008 hall of fame inductees are Ryan Pepper and Sonia Swan, two of the greatest basketball players in Central's history; the 1987-88 women's basketball team, which will become the first women's team inducted into the CWU Athletics Hall of Fame; multi-sport standouts Don Pierce and Marie Sather; and track and field standouts Hal Berndt and Robert Schippers. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased by calling Kim Thomas at 877-649-8707. Those interested in attending the banquet should purchase tickets by no later than Thursday, May 1.

Media Contact: Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.