James Alexander won All-American honors in track in 1971, 1972, and 1973, specializing in the six-mile run. In addition, he won All-American honors in cross-country in 1972. He still holds Denison’s indoor track record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:33.6 (1973). James won the Ohio Conference championship in the indoor mile and two-mile runs, as well as the outdoor three-mile event.
For 37 years (1973-2010), Alexander’s time of 4:14.64 in the indoor mile stood as the school record. He was also a member of the distance medley relay team that set the school mark with a time of 10:27.84 in 1973. The time was bested by over three seconds in 1999, while the current record was established 10 years later (10:21.32).
In the 1972 outdoor season, Alexander set and still holds the school record in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 29:54.1. He was also a member of the 4x1600 relay team that set the school record with a time of 17:34.4. One year later, Alexander became the school’s record-holder in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:50.3. In that same season, James set the DU mark in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:38.8. His incredible time in the 5,000 stood for 38 years before DU standout Dee Salukombo bested his time in 2011. In 1971, James was a member of the record holding distance medley relay team that crossed the line in 10:10.0.
