Cliff Notes

After graduation, Cliff Sheehan may depart Harvard, but he will leave a legacy of records and respect behind.

"He's willing to run different events to help the team," says track Co-Captain Douglas Boyd. "He's a leader by example--Cliff's an amazing runner and a great competitor."

In eighth grade, Sheehan--then an avid cyclist--started running track during the off-season, in hopes of building up strength. "I found that I was better at running than cycling," Sheehan says.

At Harvard, the Kirkland House resident has been fabulously suceaaful, earning All-Ivy honors seven times and twice being named an All-American. He currently holds university records at 1600, 1500 and 3000 meters.

Nonetheless, one of Sheehan's fondest track memories involves a team effort.

In 1983, Dwayne Jones, Brad Bunney, Adam Dixon and Sheehan broke the Harvard distance medley relay record at the Penn Relays with a time of 9:27.66--three seconds slower than the world record, and the eighth best time in the world.

Sheehan took a semester off in 1984, during which time he missed qualifying for the Olympic trials by 1.4 seconds.

The following year, he was the first New England collegian to break the four-minute mile mark outdoors, with a time of 3:59.2.