1980 Olympian Ron Neugent Among 12 Inducted to Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
Ron Neugent, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic swim team, was among 12 inductees to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Neugent grew up in Wichita and attended Wichita East High School before a career at SMU and the University of Kansas. He set five Kansas program records and two Big Eight records, winning a pair of conference titles, before his transfer to SMU. The distance specialist finished 11th at NCAAs in the 1,650 freestyle at SMU.
Neugent won gold in the men’s 1,500 freestyle at the World University Games. At Olympic Trials in 1980, he finished third in the 1,500 free with a time of 15:27.66, joining Mike Bruner and Dave Sims on the Olympic team that would not compete due to the Olympics boycott. Neugent also finished 16th in the 400 free after having been ninth in prelims. He was seventh in the 800 free.
Neugent was part of the U.S. delegation that traveled to Moscow for meets in 1981. He set an American record in the short-course 1,500 freestyle in 1982 and went on to a distinguished career in Master’s swimming.
The Class of 2024 was honored on Sunday at a ceremony in Topeka.
Other inductees include: baseball coach Dave Bingham; track and field stars Erik Kynard, Scott Russell and Melvin Lister; football coach Marc Mangino; track and field official Kelly Rankin; football players Will Shields and Sean Snyder; Paralympian Kevin Saunders; basketball coach Mark Turgeon and basketball player/coach Annette Wiles.
“This is an accomplished group and one the Hall of Fame is extremely proud to recognize,” Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Dunning said in a press release. “They bring a considerable diversity of backgrounds and talents to the Hall. In this an Olympic year, I believe it is wonderful to shine a light on seven inductees with Olympic connections.”