March 27, 2006

West Texas A&M University men's cross country coach Eric Lathrop passed away Sunday, losing his nearly five-year battle with numerous forms of cancer.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, March 28, at 4 p.m. at St. David's Episcopal Church in Topeka, Kan.

Local services will be held Friday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at St. George's Episcopal Church in Canyon, at 2516 4th Ave.

Lathrop, who would have been 49 in May, had two passions in life: working with disabled students while serving as Coordinator of Student Disability Services and coaching cross country at WTAMU. Lathrop always had a way to get the most out of the people he worked with, influencing them not just in running but in life as well.

"Eric had a passion for helping students. He got a great deal of joy out of seeing students succeed, not just academically, but in whatever they were doing in life," Senior Director for Life Services Jon Davis said. As Coordinator of Student Disability Services at WTAMU, a post he held since 1994, Lathrop made academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Lathrop was always eager to work with the students to create a positive and effective learning environment, while maintaining a high level of academic quality in the classroom.

Lathrop also assisted with the administration of the annual Special Olympics track meet.

"WT will greatly miss Eric's presence. His ongoing struggle with cancer was an inspiration to everyone he worked with. While positively fighting to live as long as possible, Eric was always positive and upbeat toward his runners and co-workers. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eric's family at this time," WTAMU Athletics Director Ed Harris said.

Lathrop was the head cross country coach at WTAMU since 1993, when he restarted the program that hadn't been active since the late 1970's. He earned a Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Houston in Health Education and a minor in Physical Education in 1981. He also received a Master's of Science degree in Sport Administration with a focus on student-athlete academic performance and the second field in biomechanics from the University of Kansas in 1993.

He coached six student-athletes to All-Lone Star Conference status. Lathrop also coached eight student-athletes individually to competition in the South-Central NCAA Regional championships, most recently in 2003. Additionally, he served as meet director and course designer for the NCAA South Central Regional championships in 1994 and 1996.

Prior to coming to WTAMU, Lathrop served as a Director of Physical Education at the Bartlesville, Okla., YMCA from 1981 to 1984 and in the Amarillo Downtown Branch from 1984 to 1989.

Lathrop, a Topeka, Kan., native, was a member of the 1972 and 1973 Kansas state championship high school cross country teams. In 1974, he transferred to Clear Lake High School in Houston, and was the Texas UIL Region 8 individual cross country champion in 1974. Lathrop placed fifth in the 1975 National Junior Olympic Track & Field championships in the mile run with a time of 4:15:24.

As a student-athlete at the University of Houston, Lathrop ran the qualifying standard for entry in the 1978 and 1979 Division I NCAA Track & Field championships with a college best of 14:00.1. In his post college road racing endeavors Lathrop won the Gulf TAC/Marine Corp 20 kilometer race in 1980 with a time of 1:02.55, earning a trip to the 1980 Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C. In that marathon he placed 19th with a time of 2:25.09. Lathrop has also set many road race records in Oklahoma. While in Amarillo, he won the 1984 FunFest half marathon and the 1985 Amarillo National Bank 10K.

The WTAMU Buffalo Club is establishing the "Eric Lathrop Memorial Endowed Scholarship" in his honor, with WTAMU Athletics matching all donations. Donations can be made to the "Eric Lathrop Memorial Endowed Scholarship", c/o WTAMU Buffalo Club, WTAMU Box 60049, Canyon, TX 79016. For more information, contact the WTAMU Athletics Office at 806-651-4400.

The WTAMU Cross Country program will be changing the name of its annual home high school meet to honor Coach Lathrop.

-WT-