Steve Gaebel was a star distance runner for the powerhouse Westfield State cross country and track and field teams of the late 1980s. 

The 1989 graduate holds the distinction of being the only Owl athlete to qualify for NCAA national championships in three sports. He qualified for the NCAA cross country championship in 1987 and 1988 by finishing sixth both years in the New England Division III regional finals. 

In indoor track and field, Gaebel earned All America honors in 1989 by placing sixth in the 5,000 meter run. Gaebel again qualified for the 5,000 meter run national championships during the outdoor season and placed 12th. 

In cross country, Gaebel was a three-time all-conference selection and was a member of four conference championship teams. In his junior season in the fall of 1987, he helped to lead the Owls to their best ever finish - third place - in the New England championships. They remain the only Westfield State cross country team to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships. 

Gaebel was runner-up in the conference cross country championships during his junior year and was the individual champion during his senior season. 

In outdoor track, he was key member of 1988 and 1989 squads that finished second and third, respectively, in the New England Division III championships. 

In 1988 Gaebel was the conference champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and runner-up in the New England championships. In 1989 he earned All New England honors by finishing first in the 5,000 meter run at the New England Division III championships in a school record time of 14:40.29, and sixth in the Open New England (Divisions I, II, and III) finals. 

Gaebel came to Westfield State from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, where he was the Class B state champion and school record holder in the two mile run. Following college, he ran for the Boston Athletic Association and Reebok Boston for 10 years. He ran the 1997 Boston Marathon in two hours and 48 minutes. 

Gaebel is employed at Harvard University as a software licensing manager. He lives in Littleton, Mass., with his wife, Annemarie, and their infant daughter, Jordan Rose, who was born Aug. 23.