Patrice Michelle "Pat" Donnelly (born April 30, 1950) is an American retired track and field athlete and actress, known primarily for hurdling.
Background Donnelly was born in San Diego, California. She attended Grossmont College."3 Break Meet Records in Women's Track Finals", The New York Times, May 20, 1977 She was a high school physical education teacher at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, CA.
In 1971, she was Miss La Mesa. After the 1976 Summer Olympics she married shot putter Peter Shmock. After divorcing Shmock, she married sprinter Mark Lutz, ex-spouse of distance runner Francie Larrieu.Mark Lutz at Sports Reference
Career in hurdling Once the fourth-ranked hurdler in the world,Marylynn Uricchio, "Stars in Top Form in 'Personal Best'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 26, 1982, page 25, jump page 34. Donnelly set the college record for the women's 100 meter hurdles at 13.5 seconds in 1970."3 Break Meet Records in Women's Track Finals", The New York Times, May 20, 1977.
She was on the 1975 All-America team for the 100 meter hurdles.Louise Mead Tricard, American Women's Track and Field: A history, 1895 through 1980, , page 590. At the 1975 Pan American Games she placed fourth.
Donnelly attended the 1976 Summer Olympics as a 100-meter hurdler for the United States,"Roster of U.S. Athletes for Olympic Games at Montreal", The New York Times, July 11, 1976. but was eliminated in the heats, missing the semi-final by only 0.01 sec.
Career in film Donnelly's film debut was in the 1982 film Personal Best, wherein she played Olympic pentathlete Tory Skinner. She also served as a technical advisor on the film. She also went on to play Danielle, the stern assistant coach in the 1986 movie American Anthem.
She helped Billy Crudup train for Without Limits (1998), a film about Steve Prefontaine's life.
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