Christopher Totten, Class of 1993
Christopher Totten was a vital component of the indoor and outdoor track teams during his outstanding athletic career. As a testament to his leadership qualities, he is the only “trackster” in Peddie history to have the distinction of being chosen by his teammates to be their captain both as a freshman and again as a senior.
With a slender roster of only 13 boys on the 1990-91 indoor track team, first-year coach Mark Gartner wrote at the time: “When we go to big meets, Chris Totten is the Peddie athlete who makes our program legitimate. He is the only one who scores at the county and state levels. He makes our program matter.” Totten’s talent and personality were magnetic in attracting more athletes to the track program and helping it grow.
Opposing coaches always wanted to know which events Chris would enter because he was a threat to win as many as four events in a given meet. As a sophomore, he took silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Prep State Championships, recording a personal-best 10.9 seconds in the 100. By his senior year, he had won gold at both the Prep State and Mercer County Championship tournaments in the 400-meter dash. His sizzling 49.7 finish at counties established a new school record.
Chris went on to an impressive track career at Princeton University where his best performances at the time rank in the Tigers’ All-Time Top 25 in the 200-meter, 300-meter, and 400-meter individual events. He was a member of the Princeton mile relay team that shattered the Ivy League record at the 1997 Heptagonal Indoor Track Championships by almost two full seconds, setting a new mark stands at the current time.
Continuing his run as a scholar-athlete, Chris received Academic All-Ivy honors which the Ivy League reserves for a few select athletes who maintain a 3.0 or better grade point average while actively competing for their schools.
Following graduation, he earned his undergraduate and J.D. degrees at Georgetown University. Chris (now Dr. Totten) is an associate professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia where he teaches criminal justice to undergraduate and graduate students.
Congratulations to Chris and his family on his induction into the Peddie Sports Hall of Fame!