Hall of Fame
One of the top pole vaulters in men’s track and field history, Bushong was a two-time PSAC champion and set an indoor school record with a mark of 16’ 9” which was set in 1982. He also held the outdoor school record in the pole vault for 14 years with a mark of 16’ 6” until it was broken by Curt Evans in 1995 with a mark of 16’ 7”.
During Bushong’s career, Shippensburg was very successful, finishing second at the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both 1980 and 1981 before capturing conference titles in 1982 and 1984. The 1981 Red Raiders finished just one point behind champion Slippery Rock. The PSAC did not hold an indoor championship until 2002.
As a freshman in 1980, Bushong finished third at the PSAC championships with a leap of 14’ 6”, a mark that was actually the winning total.
The following season, Bushong won the PSAC title with a then-meet and school record mark of 16’ 6”. His conference meet record stood for 12 years until 1993 and was over one-foot better than Mark Hoff of Millersville who placed second with a leap of 15’ 3”.
Also in 1981, Bushong qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships where he earned All-America honors by finishing fifth with a mark of 15’ 5”. Currently, Bushong is still the only Shippensburg student-athlete to earn All-America honors at the NCAA outdoor championships. In 1991, Kevin Gohman earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish at the indoor championships.
As a junior in 1982, Busong finished third at the conference meet with a leap of 14’ 0”. He qualified for his second NCAA championships, but was not able to compete because of an injury suffered the week before the national meet.
After red-shirting in 1983, Bushong came back to win his second conference championship in 1984 with a leap of 15’ 10’. He then finished ninth at the NCAA championships, clearing 15’ 9”. Bushong is one of eight Red Raiders to win a PSAC championship in the pole vault and one of just two to win more than one. Steve Hatfield was also a two-time winner in 1947 and 1950.
