University of Vermont Athletics

Janet Lynch 1978 - Gymnastics, Track and Field

One of UVM's top women athletes, Janet Lynch, a 1988 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, was one of the first to receive due acclaim during a time when most of the attention was focused on the men's programs throughout New England.

A two-sport star in track and field and gymnastics, she left UVM as the holder of nine individual school indoor and outdoor track and field marks. She also holds - and always will - the outdoor pentathlon mark of 3,625 points, established in 1976. Since she graduated, the pentathlon format changed and just recently, the pentathlon (five events) was changed to a heptathlon (seven events).

Lynch won three Eastern track titles while at UVM: the pentathlon twice (1977 and 1978) and the long jump in 1976. Lynch and teammate Janet Terp were the first UVM athletes to compete at the NCAA Track and Field Championships (held in 1977 at UCLA) and were the only two women from New England at the national championships. She also competed in the NCAAs in 1976 finishing sixth in the pentathlon. She competed in three NCAA National Championship meets while at Vermont.

In her senior year, Lynch was perhaps New England's top overall track and field performer and proved it at the New Englands: 1st in the long jump, 2nd in the high jump, 3rd in the 4 x 110 relays, 4th in the 110 hurdles and 5th in the 220. She was also the Eastern pentathlon champion and was named Vermont's VSSA Athlete of the Month in May (her third such honor at UVM).

In addition to track and field, Lynch was the top performer on the Catamount women's gymnastics team and is the first from that sport to enter the UVM Hall of Fame. Practicing for hours in the Patrick Gym, she became one of the top gymnasts in the region. In addition to gymnastics, she also found time to coach the Burlington High School indoor track team on weekday afternoons.

Janet was also an outstanding student, being awarded the Wasson Athletic Prize (top student-athlete) and the Sunderland Trophy (for character, leadership and persistence in overcoming obstacles). She and UVM Hall of Famer Pam Packard were the first women athletes honored at a UVM Senior Letterwinner's banquet. Lynch also received the Outstanding Physical Education Award in 1978.