WVU Sports Hall of Fame
Alex Kasich
- Induction:
- 2026
- Class:
- 1976
Alex Kasich was one of the top distance runners at WVU during his cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field career from 1972-76.
After finishing 153rd in his first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance the year before, Kasich rebounded in 1975 to earn a 16th-place finish with a time of 29:14.6 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in State College, Pennsylvania, to earn All-America honors.
As a junior in 1974, he became the first WVU harrier to go undefeated throughout the regular season, outlegging the field in eight races. Kasich was the USTFF Cross Country National Champion in 1975.
Kasich was named the 1975 Ray McCoy Track Athlete of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association (WVSWA), recognizing him as the top male track performer in the state.
A native of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Kasich was the WVU cross country athlete of the year in 1973, 1974 and 1975. In track, he set school records in the indoor 2-mile (8:39.7) and 3-mile (13:35.8) and outdoor 3-mile (13:43.0) and 6-mile (28:32.4).
Kasich was an NCAA finalist in the indoor 3-mile in 1976 and the outdoor 6-mile in 1974 & 1975. He was an IC4A Eastern Qualifier in indoor track in the 1-mile, 2-mile and 3-mile in 1976 and in the 2-mile in 1974 and 1975 and in outdoor track in the 3-mile and 6-mile in 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Kasich served as a graduate assistant coach in cross country and track at WVU from 1976-78 before becoming one of the best road racers in the United States and at the international level from 1978-86.
Some of the highlights of his career include 1978 Phillipi 4-mile Classic, 1st, 18:39.0 (world best that year and American record); 1978 AAU 15- Kilometer Road Race National Champion: 1980 Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon (20:20:16); 1980 Olympic Trials 10,000-meter track finalist (16th place); 1981 New York City Marathon, 9th place (2:13:19); 1982 American record holder at the 30-kilometers (1:33:56); 1983 New York City Marathon (22nd); 1984 U.S. Olympic Trails qualifier in marathon (2:14:22); and the 1986 Nike OTC 25 Kilometer champion (1:16:30, world best that year).
Kasich played a major role in turning the sport from amateur to professional status. He was banned from the New York Marathon in 1981 for openly accepting prize money at the Nike OTC Marathon. Through Nike, an injunction was filed to stop the marathon from occurring. Within a few days, TAC, the USA governing body, changed course and granted him permission to run the race. With his ninth-place finish, Kasich won substantially more money as an amateur “under the table” at the New York City Marathon than he did as a professional at the Nike Marathon, creating a problem for TAC. Within a month, the rules were changed to allow competitors to receive prize money payments professionally in all of track and field and road racing.
Kasich was a winner and elite level performer in many other competitions and served as a product consultant to Nike. His training consisted of running between 100-140 miles per week and once finished a 50-mile race in less than seven hours. Kasich was inducted into the Mercer County (Pennsylvania) Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame in 2020.
He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in business management from WVU.
Kasich currently resides in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He and his wife, Elena, have two children, Katia and Michael. Kasich does very little running now and instead, swims, boxes and competes in competitive darts in the Philadelphia area.
After finishing 153rd in his first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance the year before, Kasich rebounded in 1975 to earn a 16th-place finish with a time of 29:14.6 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in State College, Pennsylvania, to earn All-America honors.
As a junior in 1974, he became the first WVU harrier to go undefeated throughout the regular season, outlegging the field in eight races. Kasich was the USTFF Cross Country National Champion in 1975.
Kasich was named the 1975 Ray McCoy Track Athlete of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association (WVSWA), recognizing him as the top male track performer in the state.
A native of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Kasich was the WVU cross country athlete of the year in 1973, 1974 and 1975. In track, he set school records in the indoor 2-mile (8:39.7) and 3-mile (13:35.8) and outdoor 3-mile (13:43.0) and 6-mile (28:32.4).
Kasich was an NCAA finalist in the indoor 3-mile in 1976 and the outdoor 6-mile in 1974 & 1975. He was an IC4A Eastern Qualifier in indoor track in the 1-mile, 2-mile and 3-mile in 1976 and in the 2-mile in 1974 and 1975 and in outdoor track in the 3-mile and 6-mile in 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Kasich served as a graduate assistant coach in cross country and track at WVU from 1976-78 before becoming one of the best road racers in the United States and at the international level from 1978-86.
Some of the highlights of his career include 1978 Phillipi 4-mile Classic, 1st, 18:39.0 (world best that year and American record); 1978 AAU 15- Kilometer Road Race National Champion: 1980 Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon (20:20:16); 1980 Olympic Trials 10,000-meter track finalist (16th place); 1981 New York City Marathon, 9th place (2:13:19); 1982 American record holder at the 30-kilometers (1:33:56); 1983 New York City Marathon (22nd); 1984 U.S. Olympic Trails qualifier in marathon (2:14:22); and the 1986 Nike OTC 25 Kilometer champion (1:16:30, world best that year).
Kasich played a major role in turning the sport from amateur to professional status. He was banned from the New York Marathon in 1981 for openly accepting prize money at the Nike OTC Marathon. Through Nike, an injunction was filed to stop the marathon from occurring. Within a few days, TAC, the USA governing body, changed course and granted him permission to run the race. With his ninth-place finish, Kasich won substantially more money as an amateur “under the table” at the New York City Marathon than he did as a professional at the Nike Marathon, creating a problem for TAC. Within a month, the rules were changed to allow competitors to receive prize money payments professionally in all of track and field and road racing.
Kasich was a winner and elite level performer in many other competitions and served as a product consultant to Nike. His training consisted of running between 100-140 miles per week and once finished a 50-mile race in less than seven hours. Kasich was inducted into the Mercer County (Pennsylvania) Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame in 2020.
He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in business management from WVU.
Kasich currently resides in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He and his wife, Elena, have two children, Katia and Michael. Kasich does very little running now and instead, swims, boxes and competes in competitive darts in the Philadelphia area.
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