(Advisory Council)
Speaking of Redstorm track resumes at St. John’s, Youree Spence Garcia is the marquee BIG EAST women’s sprinter of her era. Youree won 11 total BIG EAST individual titles during her brilliant career in Queens, including three-consecutive 300-meter indoor titles and three-consecutive 400-meter outdoor titles. The 400-meter dash was not contested indoors at the BIG EAST Championship when Spence Garcia competed for St. John’s. She also won two-consecutive 55-meter dash titles at the conference championships and was named the 1985 BIG EAST Indoor Championship Outstanding Athlete. Spence Garcia’s personal-best time of 54.67 seconds in the outdoor 400-meter dash ranks ninth on the St. John’s all-time lists. It’s not surprising then that, when mother and daughters get together, the conversation often turns to running.
“It’s a conversation we have every single day,” said Youree Spence Garcia, who on June 11, 2013, was inducted into the St. John’s Athletics Hall of Fame. “We eat, sleep, run and repeat. That’s part of our lifestyle.”
