Dan Ripley (Track & Field/Cross Country Coach, 1987-2002): Ripley was an accomplished athlete way before he took over the women’s track and field and cross country programs at LBCC. In the pole vault, Ripley was a community college state champion, NCAA record holder, national indoor and outdoor record holder, and 1980 USA Olympic Team member before arriving at LBCC in 1987. While coaching at LBCC, Ripley led the women’s track and field teams to three state championships (1995, 1996, 1999), two state runner-up finishes, two Southern California Championships, five SoCal runner-up finishes, and five South Coast Conference titles. During the 1990’s, his teams finished among the state’s top four every season. He was twice named the State Track and Field Coach of the Year (1995, 1996) and was recently inducted into the California Community College Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010.