The 1987 men's track & field team was led by Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Bowles.

The Bearcats were the dominant team in the pacific Northwest, easily winning both the Northwest Conference and NAIA District II championship meet. The team went on to place 15th at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Willamette was led by junior Kevin Connors, freshman Gareth Pooleon and senior David Scearce. Sceasrce helped the Bearcats take 12 of 19 events at the conference meet, winning titles in the 200, 400 and both relays. Connors won the triple jump and Pooleon claimed the long jump and both ran on the winning relays

At the district meet one week later, the Bearcats crowned five individual champions: Connors (triple jump); Pooleon (long jump); freshman Jim Williams (javelin); senior Bob DeVyldere (400 Hurdles) and junior Randy Jacobs (10k walk).

At nationals, Williams placed third in the javelin, Connors took fourth in the triple jump, DeVyldere placed sixth in the 400 hurdles and Pooleon finished eighth in the long jump. Jacobs went on to the NAIA national meet in the 10k walk, where he placed seventh.

Sophomore Sam Lapray, the Bearcats' other captain, and freshmen David Collins were also big point accumulators throughout the season.

Williams' top throw of 211' 11" in the javelin and Jacobs' 10k time of 46:56.2 remain school records. David Collins, a freshen in 1987, tossed the hammer 176-1 a year later and that mark is still a school records, too.