Catherine Lempesis
Lempesis has excelled as a road-running
competitor and as a high school coach and has campaigned for gender equity in the teaching-coaching ranks. She began running
after raising a family and in 1992 she finished eighth in the Boston Marathon (Masters Division) and earned a No. 7 world
ranking by Runners World Magazine. She holds the South Carolina record of 121.14 for the half-marathon in the Masters, and continues to
regularly rank in the United States top
10 while competing in national races in the women’s Grand Masters Division. She has been inducted into the Road Runners
Hall of Fame (1993), the South Carolina Track & Field Coaches Hall of Fame (1993). As a coach, Lempesis stands unequalled
in the annals of girls’ high school track mentors. Lempesis has coached Columbia-area teams to 15 South Carolina state championships and six runner-up spots. She began at Richland Northeast
High where her cross country teams finished runner-up three straight years. She moved to Spring Valley
where she coached an unprecedented nine consecutive state Class AAAA track championships from 1986-1994. During that span,
she also coached the Spring Valley cross country teams to six straight titles. One of her
Spring Valley stars, Monique Hennagan, went on to become an UNC All-American and medal-winning
Olympian. Lempesis took over the track program when Ridge View High opened its doors and led the embryonic girls team to Class
AAA state championships in 1997 and 1998.
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