OFFICIAL SITE OF CANISIUS CRUSADERS ATHLETICS

The year was 1971 and the occasion was the prestigious Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania. Coach Jim Skipper brought a talented Crusader mile relay team to Philadelphia, confident of success. The group consisted of seniors Greg Thomas, Gary Witek, Guy Wagner and junior John Lankes. Senior Norm Ziemer was a capable replacement if needed. Each of the quarter milers was capable of coming close to 50 seconds in his lap. The lineup was Wagner, Thomas, Lankes and Witek. 

Coach Skipper predicted that the team's closest competition would come from the New York area's Christian Brothers Academy and was not wrong. The Crusaders' lead off man jumped to an early lead, a lead that was increased in the second and third legs. It was left to Gary Witek to stave off the furious finish of his desperate rival, thus ensuring a victory. The winning time was 3:22, a Canisius record that has stood for over 30 years.