Anne Pewe Khademian (2016) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Anne Pewe Khademian

Induction:
2016
Class:
1984

Anne Pewe Khademian
Cross Country/Track & Field (1979-82, 84)
Olivet, Michigan
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Member of the first-ever Big Ten Cross Country Championship Team (1981)
• Two-time All-American (cross country - 1981; 3,000m - 1982)
• Three-time Big Ten Champion, winning the two-mile run at the 1982 Big Ten Indoor Championships and the 3,000-meter run and 4x800-meter relay at the 1982 Big Ten Outdoor Championships
• Finished first at the 1981 NCAA Region IV Cross Country Championship

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2016

Anne Pewe Khademian helped set the precedent of impressive cross country athletes at Michigan State. After battling injuries throughout her collegiate career, she fought her way into the MSU record books with her performance on the track. Her perseverance and strength have earned her a spot in the Michigan State Hall of Fame.

"I was so excited and just a little bit stunned," said Pewe Khademian when hearing the news of her induction. "This was 30-some years ago in my life, so athletics was a really big part of my life, but I had no idea that something like this would happen. My first thought was that I have to tell my dad. He was the one that encouraged me to come to Michigan State; he worked at Michigan State for some 15 years himself. He is so excited. He is already counting down the days until this event. He is really fired up. My whole family was excited when they heard the news.

"I really want to thank my amazing teammates: Karen Campbell-Lutzke, Jill Washburn, Lisa Last, Darcy Tomlinson and Diane Bussa. What a great group of people we were all doing it together. I think at that time of my life my family, my friends, my teammates and my coach are all people I'd like to thank."

A turning point in her career was leading the Spartans to the first-ever sanctioned Big Ten Cross Country Championship in 1981, where Pewe Khademian finished in second place.

"We were pretty excited about that Big Ten race," Pewe Khademian recalled. "That whole season we were focused on that race, and we were seen as the underdogs a little bit. We hadn't done things like that in the past, so we were a little bit under the radar. We were very focused on that. I just remember a tremendous happiness that day, and I remember taking all kinds of pictures together and just holding onto each other and smiling and laughing. We knew that we had done something big, but we knew that we had achieved what we had been trying to achieve all season long."

She continued her solid 1981 campaign with a first-place finish at the NCAA Region IV Championship, helping the Spartans capture a team title as well. Pewe Khademian went on to place 14th at the NCAA Championship in 1981 with a time of 16:49, leading Michigan State to a fourth-place team finish. She also captured her first All-America honor in cross country that season.

"During my time at Michigan State, we had a team of runners who were all very close," said Pewe Khademian. "We all cared a great deal about each other, and I think that we were a pretty supportive group. So, during that time, we went through a lot together. We ran cross country, we ran indoor, we ran outdoor. We trained in the summer together when we could, so we spent a lot of time together and were very close. We shared some big dreams together. Our coach at the time, John Goodridge, really had some ambitious dreams for us. We were working hard, running as hard as we could to get to the vision that John had. So, I think that is what really stands out to me. This was a group of young women who all had big dreams and were all not afraid to work hard and do their best. I got to travel and see different parts of the world at the same time I got to have a world-class education. In between all of this, I remember so clearly studying for final exams and going to classes. The integration of all of that, at that time of my life, was wonderfully exciting. It was an opportunity for which I am so grateful."

The 1982 track season was a banner campaign for Pewe Khademian, earning her second All-America honor in the 3,000m. She captured the Big Ten outdoor title in the 3,000m, running a school-record time of 9:24.42. Pewe Khademian also won her second Big Ten title of the year, running one leg of the 4X800m relay team. The 1982 season culminated with the Spartans capturing the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field title, their first-ever conference championship in track & field.

One of her many highlights of the 1982 season was running the 3,000m at the USOC National Sports Festival in Indianapolis. She finished fourth with an amazing time of 9:08.58.

"It was the summer before I got injured, and it was really an exciting experience," said Pewe Khademian. "I felt really proud to be a Michigan State runner, but it was a time where you are running in a different category. Physically and mentally it was so different. The only reason that I got to run in the sports festival was because of the opportunities that I had at Michigan State."

Following the 1982 season, she faced a string of injuries. After nearly a year-and-a-half without competitive running to recover from the injuries, Pewe Khademian returned to form in 1984. Over a year of swimming, bike riding and slow running paid off for the fifth-year senior. She qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 3,000m with a time of 9:33.0. In 1984, Pewe Khademian also received the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor.

A pioneer for MSU distance runners, Pewe Khademian helped set the stage for the 2014 Spartan cross country team that captured the program's first national championship.

"When the team won the national championship, there was such joy and excitement," said Pewe Khademian proudly. "We almost felt like we were doing it because we felt so connected and it felt so special. It means a lot. 1978 was the first year Michigan State was implementing the title IX regulations and resources started pouring in in ways they hadn't in the past. There were more scholarships. I think that we were a special group with a special connection, but I also think that we were the beneficiaries of the university really taking care of women's athletics in a powerful way that really made a difference for all of us. I wouldn't have gone to Michigan State if it weren't for scholarship money. It really upped everyone's game. Everybody came to a new level. We were the fortunate ones to have the right coach and the right teammates and a university that really cared about us. We were lucky."

Pewe Khademian's fond memories of Michigan State continued past graduation, meeting her future husband, Zarir, at MSU during graduate school. Despite having her competitive running days behind her, running continues to be an important part of her current daily life.

"I have found a way to continue running, taking the dogs for a two-mile run in the morning," Pewe Khademian said. "My husband has always made sure that running is still a special part of my life. It has been important to me too that I have a spouse appreciates how important running is to me."