Ann Roniger
Ann Roniger, who later was known as Ann Roniger Hussong, was an American athlete famous for high jump and pentathlon. She was born Martha Ann Roniger on February 13, 1943, in Manhattan, Kansas, to Pascal and Martha Roniger. She grew up in 4-H. Her Elmdale, Kansas high school had no track team, so her father and brother helped her train on the farm, and she practiced in nearby Emporia.
She started college at Colorado State University for one year and then earned a full athletic scholarship to the University of Hawaiʻi. In 1956, she broke the national record in broad jump and tied the National Junior Olympic record in the 50-yard dash.
From 1957 to 1959, as a teen, she won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) women’s pentathlon national title three times. Her 1957 win was notable because she had not previously competed in some of the events, yet she excelled. Sports Illustrated featured her for this achievement. In 1958 she won three pentathlon events, set two Ozark regional records, and scored the highest total across the five events. In 1959 she was named to the All-America Women’s Track and Field Team.
She continued competing in college, helping Colorado State’s first women’s track team alongside teammates Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Ann Marie Flynn, and Rose Melanchuk. She hoped to qualify for the 1960 Olympic team but did not make the squad. In 1961 she transferred to the University of Hawaiʻi and stayed active in track. In 1962 she set a state high jump record at Hawaii’s Cooke Field.
As an adult, Hussong taught health science at a Kansas high school for 25 years. After retiring, she moved to Oklahoma and worked as a professional organizer. Ann Roniger married Bill Hussong in 1962, and they had three children: William, Shawn, and Stephanie. She died on June 9, 2019, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at age 76.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:19 (CET).